#8 - Final Reflection

In the twinkling of an eye, we have come to the end of this module ES2007S. Working on this module has been a tough yet fruitful process for me. To be honest, I was quite reluctant to take this module in the first place (actually I have mentioned this in the first lesson if you can still remember :p) for fear of having to speak up. But I have to say, I have indeed learned a lot of useful skills and knowledge which have enhanced my interpersonal relations as well as my personal development.

Being an extremely reserved person, I face much difficulty in interacting and communicating with others. Nevertheless, this module has trained me to voice out my opinion and to work with people whom I am not familiar with (and become familiar with them!). I was a little apprehensive initially, but through the repeated practices, I have become more comfortable with speaking out and more open to people.

I used to have the jitters whenever I need to deliver a presentation, but this module has prepared me to become more adequate in this area. Not that I can overcome my nervousness now, but having a better idea of how I should carry myself and more practices have given me more confidence. With these skills, I can hide some of my anxiety and at least “pretend” to be professional even if I am not up to standard yet. I believe long-term practices would be necessary for one to develop into a professional speaker, so meanwhile just let me pretend to be one first!

“Communication works for those who work at it.” – John Powell


Honing one's communication skills requires conscientious and continuous effort, and I strongly believe in this now that I have experienced it. Practice can really make perfect, so let us be on our way to becoming a professional communicator!

#7 - Reflection on Oral Presentation

Reflecting on my performance in the final presentation, I am glad that my presentation skills have improved from the previous attempt. Prior to the presentation, I went through the content repeatedly to familiarize myself with it so that I would not rely too much on the script. Indeed, during the presentation, I could present most of the content without the script and thus was able to maintain eye contact with the audience. However, there were still several instances when I forgot my points and had to frantically search through my script to recall them.

As advised by Ms Happy, my strength lies in having a clear and loud voice. Hence, I built on this plus point by varying my intonation to stress on the important points. I have also made an effort to highlight key words on the screen with the laser pointer. As compared to the previous attempt, my usage of the pointer has improved, although I did not control it well at the beginning due to my nervousness.

As a team, I felt that we have performed reasonably well even though it was not up to our expectations. I believe we have structured the content in a clear and coherent way to bring our message across, and there was also cohesiveness between each of our content. However, we seemed to have elaborated too much on our points such that the time limit was exceeded slightly. We did not perform well during the Q&A session too as we lacked coordination in answering the questions.

All in all, this presentation has taught me the importance of team work and valuable presentation skills which can be put to good use in my FYP presentation. Through more practices, I hope to further improve on my presentation skills so that I can deliver a presentation more confidently and effectively in the future.

#5 - Evaluating Intercultural Behaviour

On one occasion, I witnessed an argument between my Singaporean Chinese neighbour, Aunt Jenny, and a non-local as well as non-Chinese neighbour who just moved into the unit next to Aunt Jenny’s a few weeks ago.

Aunt Jenny was burning incense paper in a metal container at the corridor like she always does every first and fifteenth day of the lunar month. The new neighbour who looked displeased reflected to Aunt Jenny that the smoke produced from the burning was causing her great irritation. In reply, Aunt Jenny suggested closing her door and windows so the smoke would not enter the house. But the new neighbour seemed dissatisfied. She started raising her voice and requested for Aunt Jenny to stop the burning immediately. Upon hearing this, Aunt Jenny became frustrated and scolded her before shooing her away. The new neighbour’s face turned even darker. She stormed back to her unit and slammed the door shut.

I could understand Aunt Jenny’s mentality since I have relatives who are devout followers of Taoism like her. Burning of incense paper is an action of worship to pray for the family’s well-being and is viewed as highly respectful. The new neighbour might be unaware of this significance to Aunt Jenny. Even though she has her reason for stopping Aunt Jenny from burning incense paper, Aunt Jenny could be unhappy that she interfered with her worshipping and see it as a form of great disrespect.

If there had been a greater understanding between the different cultures, and the parties compromised and spared a thought for each other, the situation might not have turned so ugly in the end.

#4 - Personal Statement/Biodata

My name is Goh Chai Yee and I am currently an undergraduate in my fourth year, majoring in chemistry at the National University of Singapore. I completed my secondary education at River Valley High School and my college education at Jurong Junior College.

I chose to major in chemistry because of my passion for the subject, which grew since I was in secondary school. Having a strong sense of curiosity, I enjoy the thrills I get whenever I learn about a reaction or perform an experiment and make new discoveries. And the most fascinating part about chemistry is allowing me to understand phenomena in the world and apply my knowledge in real-life situations. I welcome any opportunity for me to put my curiosity and knowledge to use.

Besides Chemistry, another thing which I am passionate about is music. This led me to take up choir as my co-curricular activity in both secondary school and junior college. Being in a choir not only satisfied my desire to sing, it also trained me to be a team player, because coordination among all the singing parts and the members is fundamental for a song to sound good. I have learnt to be observant of my peers and act in accordance with them, which has certainly helped to hone my interpersonal skills and improve my ability to work with others.

Being a perfectionist, I always strive to perform to the best of my ability in whatever I do, including chemistry and singing. Therefore, I hope that the effort I have put in would keep my passion burning and enable me to excel one day.

#3 - Job Application Letter (Cover Letter)

Goh Chai Yee
Blk 991 Jurong West St 99 #08-609
Singapore 640991
6098 7654
9123 4567
chaiyee@hotmail.com

6th September 2009

Human Resources Department
Atotech S.E.A. Pte Ltd
20 Tuas West Road
Singapore 638379

Dear Hiring Professionals,

Laboratory Technician (Contract) - JobsDB Ref.: JDBS144393201

I am writing in response to your advertisement in JobsDB.com for the position of laboratory technician (contract) posted on 4th September 2009. I am interested in filling this position because I have a strong passion for doing lab-related work. I believe I can meet your requirements for the job.

I will be graduating from the National University of Singapore (NUS) with an Honours degree in Chemistry in July 2010. I am well-equipped with various laboratory skills from the intensive amount of laboratory work I have done during my course of study in NUS. I am trained in the operation of lab equipment such as AAS, HPLC, CVS and UV. I am also well-versed in the working principles of these techniques from the modules on Spectroscopic and Analytical Chemistry I have taken. With a deep understanding of the equipment, I am confident of maintaining and operating them proficiently.

I am participating in a research project in my Honours year which trains me to work independently with self-motivation. I need to have the initiative to read journals constantly and decide on the direction of my research. Moreover, I possess good analytical abilities from the vast amount of data analysis I have done for my research project and the coursework in NUS. After the completion of each experiment, I have to analyze the experimental data and submit a report on the findings. Given these qualities, I believe I am capable of completing my tasks independently and efficiently.

I am a team player who can work well with others. In NUS, I have taken arts and social sciences modules which required me to do group projects with course mates. I am used to and comfortable with working as group. In addition, I have taken a module on Professional Communication which equipped me with good interpersonal and communication skills. I have learnt to be aware of emotions and the behavior I should adopt in maintaining good relationships between me and my team mates. I have also practiced skills to write speak, and listen effectively. Hence, I believe I can communicate and get along well with my co-workers.

Having worked several times as an administrative assistant, I have developed an eye for detail and a meticulous nature since I needed to handle minor and miscellaneous stuff. My prior experience in data entry also trained me to be meticulous due to the large amount of data I had to organize and input correctly into the system. I believe such a quality of mine can be put to good use for quality assurance and analysis.

I am a conscientious and enthusiastic person. I believe with my academic achievements and analytical and communication skills, I am able to work to your expectations and be competent as a laboratory technician. I am sure that I will be able to pursue a challenging yet satisfying career with a company like yours. I hope to have the opportunity to meet you personally so that I can demonstrate my qualities in greater details. I will call you at the end of next week to discuss whether such a meeting would be possible and the appropriate steps to follow up. I look forward to receiving your favorable reply.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,




Goh Chai Yee

Link to Job Advertisement

#2 – Resolving Interpersonal Conflict

You are an undergraduate in NUS taking the module ES2007S this semester. In order to complete a class project, you are grouped up with Aaron and Celine, two other students from your class. You got to know them only through this module.

During the first meeting for the project, you realized that Aaron likes to speak with his face close to you and put his arms around your shoulders occasionally. You retreat slightly. You feel uncomfortable since you barely know him, but bore with it and spoke of nothing as you fear that it would embarrass the both of you. Moreover, you sense that he is merely being friendly without any ill intention. In subsequent meetings, he does the same thing to you, but you noticed that he does not behave the same way towards Celine. On one occasion, Celine comes up to you and ask if you and Aaron are dating. You denied but Celine does not seem to believe you. It bothers you a lot and you feel really irritated.

One day, being unable to put up with Aaron’s actions any longer, you shout at him in the presence of Celine, pushing him away at the same time. Aaron and Celine, and even yourself, are shocked at your violent reaction and an awkward silence follows. After this incident, Aaron seems embarrassed whenever he sees you as he does not dare to look at you directly and always try to keep a distance from you.

What is the problem and what should you do?

P.S. For the guys who are responding to this, the roles of Aaron and Celine can be switched such that Celine becomes the one whose behaviour disturbs you.

#1 – The Importance of Effective Communication Skills

Communication is the only way humans interact with each other. By communicating, people are able to exchange their thoughts and achieve an understanding. However, there may be times when the thoughts are not being conveyed or received completely, leading to misunderstandings which can impede work progress and ruin relationships. It is thus crucial that we communicate in an effective manner so that all messages can be fully comprehended.

A key aspect of effective communication is the choice of channel used to transmit the message. I recall many occasions when ideas were misinterpreted when I communicate over MSN. Although it is fast and convenient, it limits the ability to express ourselves by the lack of emotions in the messages. Words of benign nature could be seen as offensive to the other party and create displeasure. I once suffered badly when misunderstandings and unhappiness arose between my project mates and it was difficult to get things done in this situation.

Although I would most probably become a researcher in the future and the job does not require me to be proficient in communicating, it is still important that I receive the correct orders from supervisors and get along well with colleagues in order to complete tasks efficiently – all through effective communication. Since I am in Year Four and will be embarking on my career soon, there is an urgent need for me to brush up on my effective communication skills so that I can achieve a better performance at work.