Teamwork and Communication Process through CG1413

As our CG1413 module draws to an end, it is time for us to reflect on what we have learnt from this journey. It has been a challenging and intense module, requiring much consistent effort, but I have learnt many life-skills from it which I will be able to apply to my life for many years to come, making me a better communicator and team-player.

Through the two projects we had to work on, I was able to put the principles of teamwork and communication to practice. I learnt how to work together well as a team, and that what constitutes a good team member is the level of contribution to the project and how much support we show for each other’s work. Understanding each of our strengths and weaknesses helped us work better as a team. I believe that my teams showed strong rapport and worked well together.

The two presentations I had to do helped me understand the difference between an informative presentation, as opposed to a persuasive presentation. I realized the importance of catering to my target audience during the presentation. I learnt how to field questions on the spot, which required me to be well-prepared. Through the video-recording of our presentations and meetings, I realized that my body-language needed to be improved on. Using the right gestures, voice modulation, and eye contact helped me make my presentations much better. I believe that my confidence to present my ideas to a group of people has increased, and I find the feedback received highly beneficial.

I applied the 7 Cs of good writing to the blog assignments and reflection reports, which helped me reflect on various topics and practice concise and clear writing habits. Commenting on others’ blogs helped me to hone an analytical mind, giving constructive criticism. In addition, the group projects honed my problem-solving skills. Through brainstorming and conducting extensive primary and secondary research, I was able to improve my research skills. As class participation was crucial to our learning process in this module, I was more outspoken and participated during class discussions and asked more questions.

I have enjoyed taking this module, as it closely relates to my daily life, and I will try my best to apply the skills I learnt to further aid me in my other group projects and future career aspirations.

REFLECTIONS ON ORAL PRESENTATION 2

My group recently had its oral presentation, for its project on the problem of congestion in MRTs. My group performed well on the whole. There were good transitions between the speakers. All of us spoke audibly and clearly, at a suitable pace. We maintained eye contact with the audience, and were familiar with the content of our presentation. During the question and answer session, each of the group members had an equal opportunity to voice his opinions and explain. However, the duration of our presentation could have been shorter and more succinct.

I feel that there was an improvement in my performance this presentation, as compared to the previous presentation. I maintained a high level of eye contact with the audience and referred minimally to my cue cards, with the aim of engaging the audience more. I spoke loudly, so my voice was clear and audible. I pronounced my words well and used emphasis. The pace of my speech was steady and my tone was varied. I used hand gestures to aid in the flow of my speech, and made appropriate references to the screen.

One area in which I definitely improved in as compared to the previous presentation was my level of participation in the question and answer session. I gave my opinions and knowledge in response to the questions posed. I sounded more enthusiastic and interested in our project in this presentation, although I could have been more cheerful, so as to endear more to the audience.

One aspect of the content of my presentation that I could have improved on was the cost-benefit analysis of the proposed solutions. The incentive for train companies to adopt our solutions should have been analyzed. The proposed solutions could also have been more detailed, to avoid ambiguity.

I believe that the delivery of our presentation was good, although more effort would be needed to effectively persuade the audience about our solutions.

Reflections on CG1102 Meeting 1

My group had its first meeting for the project on Friday, in school. To provide a conducive environment for a meeting, we had booked a discussion room at the central library in advance. It gave us a quiet and ideal place to discuss and to film our meeting. We had read through the requirements of the design project and the tasks required of us, so that made us more prepared and we did not have to waste time reading up on the spot.

During the meeting, I think all of us contributed our ideas spontaneously. Perhaps we were a little conscious of the camera in front of us, as we may have been more formal than usual. However, we spoke to each other instead of facing the camera, which was good. We also encouraged the discussion further by asking each other questions. The group leader helped to facilitate the meeting by moving on to the next topic and directing the discussion. We managed to cover most of the areas that needed to be included in our report. We were open to each other’s differing approaches to the task. Since we had some doubts and needed clarifications, we decided to seek help from our tutor.

As for my personal reflections, I took down notes when my team members said an important detail, and showed them that I was listening to them when they spoke by looking at them. I also contributed my opinions and asked questions. However, I think I could have participated more spontaneously and spoken louder so that what I was saying would have sounded clearer and more confident.

Overall, I feel that our first meeting was a successful one, and we will take note of the flaws in our meeting so as to improve in our next meeting.

Reflections on Post 3 Comments

Hi all! I agree that Julia should have mustered up the courage to tell the boss that the cover outfit was chosen by her, and not Lauren, during the meeting itself. Postponing this confrontation only made things worse and deprived Julia of the credit that she deserved. It would have avoided all the bad feelings and complications later on. I agree with Geck Keat that when we work in teams, it is better to be more accommodating and open-minded towards your team mates’ work, instead of being overly critical. Also, like Gillian and Tan Chen said, there may be a way to save Julia’s reputation yet, if any evidence supporting her can be shown to her superiors. Lastly, as Zhu Li said, the way Julia handled the problem was unprofessional, and showed her in a bad light even though she was not the one in the wrong. It is therefore important to be mindful of one’s actions as one’s reputation is at stake. Thanks to all of you for your suggestions and solutions to this conflict!

Resolving Interpersonal Conflict

Julia and Lauren were working for a fashion company. They were given an important assignment to work as a team to pick a few looks for a major fashion magazine cover. Each of them picked outfits they liked. Lauren, however, dismissed Julia’s outfit repeatedly, saying it probably won’t be used for the cover. Julia stood by her choice, tolerating all the skepticism from Lauren.

When the magazine was released, the chosen cover outfit turned out to be Julia’s outfit. The manager asked the girls “So which one of you pulled the great cover outfit?” Lauren immediately spoke up and lied that she was the one. Julia gave Lauren a shocked look, frowning and opening her mouth in disbelief. The manager noticed Julia’s facial expressions, but he did not inquire about it. Julia could not bring herself to confront Lauren.

At the launch party of the magazine’s issue, Lauren took full credit for the successful cover look, receiving many praises. She did not bother giving much credit to Julia, neglecting her. The senior editor of the magazine, who was at the party, later offered Lauren a coveted job at his magazine. Only then did Julia have the courage to confront Lauren about her lie, but she just shrugged off the accusation.

Frustrated at Julia’s behavior, Julia began to complain about Lauren to her colleagues. This reached the ears of her manager, who chided Julia for her unprofessionalism and for not coming directly to him about the conflict instead. Also, little could be done about the job offered to Lauren now. Lauren, who heard about how Julia had been talking behind her back, vowed to take revenge on her.

Should Julia have spoken up earlier about Lauren’s lie? Could this communication breakdown between Julia, her manager and Lauren have been avoided?

Refections on Blog Comments

Hi everyone! I would like to thank you all for reading my blog entries and giving me your comments and feedback about my posts. I will take note of all the pertinent points you raised, and use your suggestions for improvement to make my future blog posts better.

I agree that I have to use more personal examples in my entries so as to make my blog more relatable to my readers. I also have to connect principles learnt to my examples, instead of only giving background information of these principles. Another point is that I will try to focus on one or two examples so as to elaborate more in future posts, and I will show more analysis and reflection and coherence in my posts.

Thanks again for all the constructive feedback; I look forward to your responses again next week!

Observation of Team Behavior: Intercultural and Interpersonal Communication

All of us would have heard about the Israeli-Palestinian or the India-Pakistan conflict. Recently, the spate of attacks on Indian students in Australia has caused a furor. Improper communication causes further conflict, like the Mail Today’s cartoon showing a Victoria Police officer in a Klu Klux Klan hood which unfairly groups all Australians as racists. In today’s globalised world, cultural communication is essential. Personally, it is important for exchange programs, to study in an international university like NUS, and to interact with my teammates and friends.

Although I was the only Indian student in my class for a few years, I found many close friends there. However, there is a language barrier when people start talking in Hindi or Chinese among themselves, as I find it difficult to be involved in the conversation. In teamwork, nobody should feel left out. I try to be culturally sensitive and considerate towards people’s values. For instance, when I go to a Muslim friend’s house for Hari Raya, I dress appropriately so as not to offend anyone.

In Singapore, although there is commendable inter-cultural harmony, I feel more can be done to increase true understanding of each other’s cultures and values, rather than simply having surface knowledge about cultures’ celebrations, food and attire, and just practicing tolerance.

Interpersonal communication is important in teamwork. Communication is not solely verbal; non-verbal communication creates a big impression too. Our Signals, expressions and voice tone all play a part in our body language. Listening attentively and giving feedback shows your teammate that you care about what he or she has to say.

Without good interpersonal communication, conflicts arise in teams. Stereotyping and labeling the majority culture as the norm should be avoided so as to gain from the collective experiences and knowledge of a multi-cultural team.