Bonjour Group 2 of ES2007S !
First time ever blogging and I must say I'm kind of excited. Can't wait to try out so here I am. :) Lets try to post something.
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Hmm seems like I have no material to post. Ok maybe lets recap what I learnt in class today...
Well today I learnt that communication is both an art and a science. We can build basic models to understand what communication is. It is also an art because we cannot properly quantify it and there are infinite number of ways one can choose to "get the message across" Some individuals do it well others don't. Well my take on this is that we need to understand a basic framework (which is the science) of communication and then build on it according to your individual experience, your audience and also the context to effectively communicate your thoughts and idea(which is the art).
I believe that a basic requirement to communicate effectively is mastery of the chosen language between you and your audience. I've constantly faced such problems in the past(and I still do sometimes) because of my poor command of english. I think this can be related to the encoding and the decoding part of communication. Its like having an outdated coding and decoding machine.
After being in school for more than a decade, I would not say I've communicated professionally. But even on a personal level when it comes to understanding a joke. It is quite frustrating to have your other group of friends bursting into laughter while you pause to ponder where the punchline is. So the importance of communication cannot be stressed enough.
Another point which I figured is that I'm not very good at names. I'm sorry Iris that your name slipped my mind even after you just introduced yourself. But now I'll not forget anymore. Looking forward to peer teach with you :) I figured that there is a way to remember someone and that is by attaching something to the person which i see brad actively doing. Like Shih Yun from Taiwan and Lin Hui the wakeboarder pardon the spelling errors if any. I also figured that its harder to interact with someone new when you know absolutely nothing about the individual. You do not know what interests him/her or will he/she get offended by the things you say. So i guess by knowing your audience you can better interact and effectively convey your message be it professional or person. If you know your enemy and yourself you need not fear the result of hundred battles - Sun Tzu
On closing and maybe something that everyone can think about...
If there are so many variables to consider in a conversation how can we cope when its face to face? How do you process all the variables and react instantly? This will be especially true when it comes to an interview with your prospective employer no? I guess we will be enlightened along the way.
Cheers !
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Thanks for the early (and insightful) first post, See Chai. I'll give more feedback after others have had a chance to do that. (I hate to hog the airwaves.) Bon chance!
ReplyDeleteSee Chai: Do not worry too much about the names for they would come naturally as time goes by. Sincerity is the most important. I am sure if you are sincere, your coursemates would be able to pick up your non-verbal cues.
ReplyDeleteOn the problem of being offensive, perhaps starting off with more neutral openings might be a good idea? For example, a sentence with lesser number of emotionally loaded words might make a sentence more neutral and possibly less offensive. Just a suggestion, haha.
Regarding your views about knowing your audience, I think that you might be too formal and serious about the communication process. Your quote likens the audience as an enemy and communication to war. Perhaps you should think of it as making alliances with your neighbours insstead. Maybe I am reading too much into the quote but if you are afraid, don't worry because the whole class is there to learn together! Unity is strength!
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ReplyDeleteHi See Chai!
ReplyDelete*High five* Haha, it's the first time I do blogging too. Hopefully we will be able to learn new things throughout this process. In fact, I have to admit that it wasn't as bad or difficult as I had expected. Kudos to the people behind who has made blogging a user-friendly facility.
Yes, I do understand how ostracising it is when you don't share the joke in a group. It happens to me at times too. I guess an effective way would be to ask. As embarrasing as it would be, you can do it discreetly and ask a member of the group with whom you are more familiar with. After all, if you don't ask - you'll never get it right?
You have a good point on what variables are to be considered in a face-to-face interaction. Communication IS an art. Therefore, as what our classmates mentioned, there is no fix model. The fact that it is an art means communication improves with practice! =D That's what I think. Specific to your question about interview with a prospective employer, one good way is to be prepared mentally and anticipate what questions will be asked. Also, I think sincerity and honesty (as Jude mentioned) are important because our non-verbal cues communicate this to the other person.
Yes, I am sure we'll get to learn more of this in class!
Hi See Chai! I think you were the very first person I talked to in this class. Thanks for being friendly and putting me at ease!
ReplyDeleteI know what you mean when you say you've been in school and not communicated professionally. For some reason in my school, all that was ever emphasized was doing well at Biology Physics Chemistry Mathematics. Nowhere was it ever mentioned that learning the foundations of effective communication was bound to be just as important, although if I look back now, that should have been a no-brainer.
I do emphatically agree that knowing your audience is definetely important when you are interacting with them, and to be attuned to nonverbal and verbal variables while engaged in a conversation. To answer your question "...how to cope?", if I'm meeting someone new, I would start with some kind of phatic communion i.e. something to open communication channels with, depending on the situation and location. And as Soon Yee said, move onto something neutral, if you see interest in communicating on their part. Self-disclosure will often lead to reciprocated self-disclosure, but not always! I guess this is where cultural barriers come into play too.
Ever since I joined ES2007S though, I realized there were so many things I didn't know that I didn't know =D I really look forward to learning and gaining as much as I can, and also hopefully get to know you guys better too. See you Monday!
Hey all sorry for the late comments. Have been so busy with my work and project.
ReplyDeleteJude: I agree with your comment regarding my inappropriate use of my quote. However it came into my head as i was writing the post. Maybe I could have followed a suggestion you gave stephanie on her blog that is to come back a few days later after drafting the post. Especially since we have the time to do so in a blog.
Stephanie : Yes the feeling of not understanding a joke really sucks(pardon the poor english). I've always employed the technique you mentioned about asking a close friend. However if the problem persist then it might be quite annoying for the friend. Perhaps the real problem is that the person have not been practicing active listening. Thus the cure here is to pay more attention.
Ranmali : I felt really strongly when i read the part about the schools never teaching us about it. This is so true and such a flaw in most education system. I believe such soft skill should have been taught from young. This will help build confidence in communicating effectively and who knows even to learn effectively. After all knowledge is being passed down via communication. I believe we need to know the fundamentals and put all the lesson into good practice rather then just doing comprehensions and writing essays.
Cheers all
Thanks, See Chai, for recapping some of the info from the first couple class sessions. I like the way you allude to the art and science of comm skills, mentioning one as the foundation ("basic framework") for the other.
ReplyDeleteYou also relate this issue to your own needs, which is what the question is all about.
However, you mix perspectives, sometimes using "we" ("how can we cope...") and at others "you" ("your individual experience, your audience and also the context to effectively communicate your thoughts..."). Better to be more consistent.
Look forward to reading more of your posts.
LOL no don't worry about names. Just a symbol of some sort and what really matters is the person we are. (ok sorry a bit too cliche.) But yup, we'll do good at peer teaching yeah?
ReplyDeleteI was thinking about the huge amount of variables too! Somehow we receive and process these subtle clues unknowingly and it affects our response. I am trying to read more into how I respond to different people..I hope it's not going take me a psychology degree to do that.
And the part about schooling and communication (and Ranmali's response), I agree it was never emphasized. But I think there is more than that...even in society in general I do not remember growing up being encouraged to speak up. I vaguely remember being told "DON'T BE NOISY! DO YOUR OWN STUFF!". Disgusting. How could I 'communicate' when adults practically told me to just shut up.
I am glad we are all here to learn to get better at this.=)
xx