Module reflection
At the beginning of the course, I was quite nervous about what this course has installed for me. As English has been my weakest language, I am worried that I could not communicate well. Throughout the course, I feel that it has helped me to speak more fluently and also write more concisely. In the beginning, students are asked what are the key things they want to learn by the end of this course, mine was speaking fluently and writing concisely. There are many activities that, encourage students to practice their writing and speaking skills.
I like the way this course has been conducted, as it gives students many opportunities to hone their writing and speaking skills. Activities such as writing a formal letter and design summary, taught me how to write fluently, concisely and identify the mistakes that I often make while writing. After completing our formal letter and posting on the blog, students are required to comment on each other posts to give constructive feedback and point out what were the mistakes they made. The feedback section, allows me to learn much faster from other people's mistakes. As for speaking, there are many times where I need to present to others on the key points for certain topics like what is considered a good PowerPoint slide and what are the do and don't to do for PowerPoint slides. These small group presentations enable me to slowly, get used to speaking to my peers and gain confidence.
I believe that in the future, these skills will be very useful in the workforce. As engineers, there will be many chances, where we have to give a presentation or report to our superior about our task progression. The presentation skills that we learned such as posture, tone, and eye contact will enable me to look confident and professional.
Project reflection
The technical report project has taught me the importance of teamwork, I am fortunate to be part of Green Goer, all my members are very capable and talented. Initially, when I heard that the proposal word requirement is 2000 words, I was intimidated by it and thought it would be a difficult task. However, with the help of each member, we slowly completed the proposal, which seems to be a daunting task, but with the help of one another, we can complete it. I learned what is a good PowerPoint slide should be like. A good PowerPoint slide should consist of only keywords and it would be even better if it can be elaborated by using images. Lastly, I also learn how to give a good presentation.
In the past, I would use to cram all information onto my slides and thought that the audience would read the slide and understand. However, too many words on the slides would bore people and this is not the best way to convey information. I realize that the slide should just be a complementary tool, for the presenter to capture the attention of the audience. After making my slides to be short and concise, I felt more relaxed and easier to present, as I was able to freely explained in my own words.
Speaking confidently and writing fluently are the key skills that I think would help me in my future career. It would help during interviews, presenting, or even writing a summary report of the product to let customers know what are its features. These would give me an edge in the workforce, as nowadays most people are working from home, employers emphasize more on good communication skills for the team to be on the same page.
Best regards,
Sum Jin Yao
