ES2007S - Looking back

13 weeks have past and it is the end of ES2007S. Officially the course has ended but the skills learnt and the friendship forged lives on. In these 13 weeks we learnt about almost every aspect of communication. It started off theoretical with lots of readings and then along the way lots of opportunity to apply the theories learnt.

One of the biggest skills that I picked up was presentation skills. My lack of confidence to address a crowd leaves me petrified just like the elevator test (selling your idea in 30 seconds just like in an elevator) that we did. Since day 1, Brad (our tutor) decided to throw us into the deep end of the pool and had us present in front of the class. In front of unfamiliar faces it was difficult and naturally I didn’t do well. I know I probably would screw up my presentation again but somehow it just keeps me coming back for more. I always wanted to apply what I learnt in the previous presentation and I think it’s that fighting spirit that kept me going. After every presentation I’ll murmur to myself and present the whole presentation again to myself.

The biggest flaw for me in this aspect was the lack of confidence and being uncomfortable in front of the crowd. During rehearsals when nothing matters, I seem to be able to do a good job. But when I’m actually in the spotlight I become very uncomfortable. After ES2007S I became so much more confident and at ease with myself in front of a crowd. The next two presentations for other modules was a breeze for me. I didn’t have cue cards I didn’t even need long preparation and rehearsals. I just went up and talked.

Another aspect that I enjoyed was the whole process of a job search. As I was really looking to intern in the firm that I chose, I was actually killing two birds with one stone. The tailoring of resume to fit the job description was something new. There was even a cheat of plucking words from the advertisement itself. The mock interview was fun and we got both perspectives as an interviewer and interviewee. However the enquiry letter that I eventually sent out did not get me an interview because they were not hiring. But at least I got a reply.

Ok finally the 7Cs. I know I kind of violated all of them in my blog posts. But I try hard to stick with them in other reports that I write. Perhaps it was difficult to be very concise in blog posts because I feel like I’m talking to my friends here. But in a report or something more formal I definitely stick to the 7Cs.
Skills wise ES2007s has really made a significant impact to the way I speak write and present. I have already started applying the skills learnt such as using the 7Cs in reports, writing business correspondents to professors, designing powerful PowerPoint slides and presenting with confidence. Some of my group mates also called me the presentation guru. Can you believe that?

Friendship wise, I came into ES2007s without a friend. It was rather intimidating to have no familiar faces in the class. Almost immediately we needed to do peer-teaching and I was grouped with Iris who became my first friend in class. (Thanks Iris for putting up with me asking you what we need to prepare for the next class). As the weeks goes by and with the help of the blogs, everyone started to get to know one another. Although I did not work with everyone in class but we soon become close enough to have lunch together after Thursday class. The topic on the table was not all about ES2007s and I recall talking about clubbing and lubrications.

I really felt that I have made 14 new friends in this course which is another valuable thing to takeaway. It is the first time which I felt so emotionally attached to a class that I thought of a celebration at the end. I wanted to celebrate with my new found friends all the hard work that we put into the class and also our Brad who patiently coached us to be effective communicators.
Choosing to take ES2007S is one of the best decisions I made in NUS. I wish everyone all the best in the upcoming exams and also to those graduating hope you get the jobs you like (hopefully also very high paying) by employing the skills learnt in ES2007s.

Thats all folks