Through the course of these twelve weeks, my understanding of the value of effective communication has been expanded. Before, I had the mindset that effective communication was important only in the workplace and was more eager to hone my communication skills so that my future students would be able to receive and decode my messages desirably. Upon the completion of the research project, I realised that effective communication is essential not only for cordial teacher-student relationships, but also when collaborating with others in a team, in business correspondence, presenting information as well as report-writing. Communicating effectively would reduce conflicts, foster close interpersonal relationships and put ourselves in a positive light.
The diverse communication skills that I have learnt in the course would be applicable in many aspects – including professional, personal and familial – of my life. One example of a “soft” skill would be active listening, which promotes not only amicable relationships between bosses and subordinates, but also between parents and children, and amongst friends. At the other end of the spectrum, research, report-writing and oral presentation skills could be applicable on many occasions, such as when doing market surveys, writing testimonials for students and doing investigations in the laboratory.
What I felt was most beneficial in the course was that we worked in groups for our research project, as it allows us to progress as a team. Discussions on what we learnt, such as the designing of a survey questionnaire, were stimulated and this increased our learning capacities. It also portrays to us what working in a team entails, and trains our communication skills such as empathy, and builds up our personal emotional quotient (EQ).
These twelve weeks of the course have enriched me in many ways. As I continue my university education and eventually step into the working world, it would serve me well to communicate effectively. With that in mind, I would seek to further refine the skills I have picked up and put them to good use.
