Final Reflection

Sorry for the late post! I just finished all my presentations and projects. What a semester!

Admittedly, the workload of this course is beyond my expectation and I put a lot of efforts in this module. But if anyone asks me whether I regret my choice or not, I will tell him with confidence that “ABSOLUTELY NOT!”

Firstly, I like the small class size so that students can interact with each other during the class. Also, we were able to discuss with issues with Brad directly and I think this is fantastic experience for me!

Secondly, I especially find the application letter and resume as well as mock job interview very helpful. Nobody really told me how to write a proper application letter and resume before. However, through this course, I was able to know the basic elements that should be included in a resume and application letter as well as how to have a neat and eye-catching format. Moreover, the job mock interview was so much fun because we not only had to be interviewers but also interviewees. As a result, I was able to experience what an interviewer expected to hear during the interview, which I think is very beneficial to my future interview experience.

Last but not least, from the final project, I understood what a real professional presentation should look like. For science students, I think there is a tendency that we pay more attention to the academic aspects of the presentation. Rather, I believe how to catch audiences’ attention and express our idea effectively and clearly is more essential.

Overall, I strongly believe that what I have learnt in this module will benefit me for my whole life!

Good luck to your exams!!!

Reflection

Yeah it's over! (That's what I really want to say before my reflection)

I think overall our team’s presentation is successful and I am proud of our team because we really put efforts in it and did our best.

As for my own part of the presentation, I feel that maybe I happened to repeat my points for many times and thus made audiences get confused about what I was talking about. Furthermore, I should have acted more proactively in the Q and A session and help teammates to answer more questions. Yet, I also feel that I have made improvements in terms of presentation skills. For instance, I will make eye contacts with all the audiences intentionally. Such a skill is quite significant and I think I was lacking in this skill before. Hence, I think this is my improvement in this presentation.

For the team, I think we should make the order of speakers clearer next time. In other words, we should have a clear order of the speakers and make sure that audiences will know what content each speaker will cover. I believe this time it is a little bit confusing.

Okay, all above is my feeling about our presentation. I really want to hear about feedbacks from audiences! Thanks!

Benefits draft2

Benefits

Direct benefits

Through conducting surveys and interviews with students and head officers of NUH, we were able to find out the lack of oral communication skill training among newly inducted nurses and doctors. Besides, via the interview with vice dean of NUS medical school, we were able to find out the feasibility of incorporating relevant oral communication skill training into curriculum. Hence, this proposal serves as an indicator for the importance of oral communication skill between doctors and nurses and further research on the issue of introducing oral communication training into NUS curriculum.

Indirect benefits

With introduction of oral communication skill courses into current curriculum, there are mainly two benefits.

Firstly, both secondary resources and our first-hand interviews suggested that oral communication between doctors and nurses plays a vital role in the quality healthcare of patients. Without effective communication between doctors and nurses, it will hinder effective collaboration between them and thus influence patients’ healthcare negatively. By introducing proper oral communication skill training between doctors and nurses into NUS current curriculum, it will provide nursing and medical school students with opportunities to interact with each other and improve effective oral communication skills. Hence, newly inducted nurses and doctors will be familiarized with oral communication skills and do not have to pick up by themselves at workplaces. The better communication between doctors and nurses will lead to smoother collaboration and thus improve the healthcare of patients.

Secondly, with the frequent interactions between students from nursing and medical schools, future nurses and doctors can have a better understanding of what the roles and duties of the other party has as well as the potential difficulties existing between them. Hence, when they go to workplaces, confusions and conflicts can be minimized. At the same time, it may also be helpful to improve the relation between doctors and nurses.

Proposal--Benefits

Benefits

Direct benefits
Through conducting surveys with NUS nursing and medical school graduates, interviews with vice dean of NUS medical school as well as with head officers of NUH, we were able to find out the lack of communication skill training among newly inducted nurses and doctors. Besides, via the interview with vice dean of NUS medical school, we were able to find out the feasibility of incorporating relevant communication skill training into curriculum. Hence, this proposal serves as an indicator for the importance of communication skill between doctors and nurses and further research on the issue of introducing communication training into NUS curriculum.


Indirect benefits
With introduction of communication skill courses into current curriculum, there are mainly two benefits.
Firstly, both from secondary sources and our primary interviews, it suggests that communication between doctors and nurses plays a vital role in the quality healthcare of patients. Without effective communication between doctors and nurses, it will hinder effective collaboration between them and thus influence patients’ healthcare. By introducing proper communication skill training between doctors and nurses into NUS current curriculum, it will provide students with opportunities to interact with each other and improve effective communication skills in nursing and medical schools. Hence, newly inducted nurses and doctors will be familiarized with such skills and do not have to pick up such skills by themselves. As a result, the healthcare of patients will be guaranteed to a great extent.
Secondly, with the frequent interactions between students from nursing and medical schools, future nurses and doctors can have a better understanding of what the role and duty of the other party has as well as the potential difficulties existing between them. Hence, when they go to workplaces, confusions and conflicts can be minimized. At the same time, it may also be helpful to improve the relation between doctors and nurses.

Resume 2

JI LU

37 Prince Georger’s Park, Resident 4, Block 19, #B2-25-F, Singapore 118430

szzxjilu@gmail.com, +6584389298

Education

2008-Present National University of Singapore, Bachelor of Science (Statistics)

· Expected to graduate June 2012 with 1^st Honors

· Awarded Ministry of Education PRC Scholarship

· Specialized in Business and Finance Statistics

· Selected into University Scholars Program (USP), a multi-disciplinary academic program that accepts only 3% of each undergraduate cohort

2009-2010 University of Toronto, Canada (Student Exchange Program)

Co-Curricular Activities

2008-present Sports /Welfare Manger of NUS Statistics Committee

· Organize Inter-Faculty Games, Inter-Society Games and Staff-Student Games.

· Conduct Welfare Survey in Science Faculty

· Prepare welfare goody bags for Science students

· Organize member bonding sessions with professors

2008-2009 Secretary of Finance Committee of University Scholar Club

· Keep minutes of meetings

· Contact members of emergent meetings or announcements

· Organize member bonding sessions

2009 Member of Harvard Collage in Asia Program (HCAP)

· Organize talks given by professors from diverse faculties

· Host discussion sessions after each talk

· Participate in panel discussion with Harvard delegates

2008-2009 Director of Production in NUS Studio

· Shot a short film called “The Wind”

Work Experience

2009 Standard Chartered Bank, China

June-July Intern

· Obtained a thorough insight into foreign banks working mechanism in China

· Acquired an understanding of services of the operation team and sales team

· Developed effective interpersonal, communication and presentation skills

Language and Interests

· Proficient in Chinese. Good in English. Basic level of French

· Represented Statistics Committee and University Scholar Program in Inter-Society and Inter-Faculty Games table tennis

· Volunteered for 2010 Shanghai EXPO

Intercultural Behavior

The following scenarios are what I observed.

Scenario1: During recess week, I went to states with one professor and four other students. The professor is a middle-aged lady. It is her first time to go to states and also first time to experience winter. She carried a big black office bag with her whenever we went out. Due to the unusual heavy snow in Washington DC, the whole city was covered with snow and it was very difficult for people to walk on the snow and tried not to fall. With her huge black bag, the professor was not able to balance herself very well. As a result, she fell twice in the first day. Obviously, she had great difficulty walking on the snow. Hence, I offered to carry her bag.

--“Professor, let me carry your bag.”

--“Oh, it’s okay. It is a very heavy bag. I can carry it myself.”

--“Please let me carry. It is not heavy for a boy.”

--“All right. Thanks so much, Lu.”

When we got back to our hotel, I handed the bag back to the professor. She was so grateful and she felt so sorry that I carried the heavy bag for such a long time.

Scenario2: The following scenario is very common in China.

A female professor was walking in the campus and a student is following her. The professor had a heavy bag in her hand. Clearly, she had just bought goods from the supermarket. When the professor was talking with the student, she changed frequently from one to the other hand to carry the bag. And she often stopped and put the bag in the middle of the student and herself.

--“Oh, professor, do you want me to carry the bag for you?” the student finally got the hint.

The professor handed the bag to the student directly and continued with her talk.

When they finished their talk, the student handed the bag over and the professor quickly said a “thanks” and then left.

Have you observed such scenarios before? What do you think is the reason behind? Please feel free to comment.

Resume

JI Lu

37 Prince Georger’s Park, Resident 4, Block 19, #B2-25-F, Singapore 118430

szzxjilu@gmail.com, +658438929X

Education

2008-Present National University of Singapore, Bachelor of Science (Statistics)

· Expected to graduate June 2012 with 1^st Honors

· Awarded Ministry of Education PRC Scholarship

· Specialized in Business and Finance Statistics

· Selected into University Scholars Program (USP), a multi-disciplinary academic program that accepts only 3% of each undergraduate cohort

2005-2007 Suzhou High School, Jiangsu, China

· Awarded T. D. Lee Scholarship for excellent academic performance and active participation in co-curricular activities

· Awarded as Excellent Student every year for outstanding academic performance

Co-Curricular Activities

2008-Present Sports /Welfare Manger of NUS Statistics Committee

· Organize Inter-Faculty Games, Inter-Society Games and Staff-Student Games.

· Conduct Welfare Survey in Science Faculty

· Prepare welfare goody bags for Science students

· Organize member bonding sessions with professors

2008-2009 Secretary of Finance Committee of University Scholar Club

· Keep minutes of meetings

· Contact members of emergent meetings or announcements

· Organize member bonding sessions

2009 March Member of Harvard Collage in Asia Program (HCAP)

· Organize talks given by professors from diverse faculties

· Host discussion sessions after each talk

· Participate in panel discussion with Harvard delegates

2008-2009 Director of Production in NUS Studio

· Shoot a short film called “The Wind”

Work Experience

2009 June-July Standard Chartered Bank, China

Intern

· Obtain a thorough insight into foreign banks working mechanism in China

· Acquire an understanding of services of the operation team and sales team

· Develop effective interpersonal, communication and presentation skills

Language and Interests

· Proficient in Chinese. Good in English. Basic level of French

· Represented Statistics Committee and University Scholar Program in Inter-Society and Inter-Faculty games Table Tennis

· Volunteering for 2010 Shanghai EXPO

Application Letter

(I am applying HSBC Summer Associate Program 2010. I intend to explore in the fields of Risk Analysis Unit.)

February 7, 2010

Risk Analysis Unit,

HSBC Summer Associate Program,

Singapore

Dear Sir/Madam,

I am writing to introduce myself and express my interest in joining you as Summer Associate and explore career options in the area of Risk Analysis Unit. I came to know about this program through NUS USP Internship announcements and the various activities of the program appealed to me immensely.

As a statistics major undergraduate at the National University of Singapore, I have acquired basic knowledge of statistics modeling with regards to risk analysis. My specialization in business and finance statistics helps me to gain insight into financial sector and apply theoretical statistics knowledge into real financial world. In addition, during my exchange program in University of Toronto, I had an opportunity to study more in depth in the field of actuarial science, mainly focusing on insurance risk models and risk analysis through use of mathematics and statistics. All these trainings equipped me with sufficient knowledge of risk analysis.

In order to better understand and apply the knowledge I have acquired at school, I did an internship in the Standard Chartered Bank in China from June to July in 2009. During this one-month internship, with the help of other employees, I did some basic risk analysis. And I gained a deep insight into the real world risk analysis in foreign banks in China. Moreover, through this experience, I was able to hone my interpersonal and communication skills through interaction with employees at different levels.

As a student in the University Scholar Program (USP), I was able to acquire knowledge from other various disciplines, such as social science, life science. After two years of training on critical and interdisciplinary thinking, I can view issues in different perspectives and raise valuable questions. Furthermore, USP offers students with various global activities, aiming to train students with critical and creative thinking skills and cross-cultural perspectives. For example, I participated in 2010 George Washington University- USP Dialogue Series. From the program, I strengthened my critical thinking and communication skills.

The HSBC Summer Associate Program will offer me a great opportunity to participate various activities to learn more about HSBC. At the same time, I am happy to contribute my academic knowledge and personal skills to this program. I do hope my willingness to contribute and my sufficient academic knowledge will make you look favorably at my application. I look forward to hearing from you.

Yours sincerely,

Ji Lu

#B2-25, Block xx, 37 Prince George’s Park

Singapore 118430

Ph:+658438xxxx

Email: szzxxxxx@gmail.com

Interpersonal Conflict

Background information:

When I was 7 years old, my father went to Japan to pursue his PhD. Thus, my mother took care of me single-handedly for 6 years. During this period, due to stress from work, my mother was not in good health. Despite that, she still cared about me the most.

Story:

About three years ago, my mother was diagnosed with some kind of tumour in her body. Although it was not fatal and it was treatable, it seemed like a bomb to my mother. Before the diagnosis, my parents kept it a secret from me. So I had no clue. That was until one day when their quarrel attracted my attention. I walked into their room. I saw my mother lying on the bed, sniffing. My father was sitting on the bed and staring at the floor. My mother noticed me entering and began to tell me the whole story. The first time the doctor told my mother that there was a tumour in her body, she was so shocked and scared. However, my father was quite optimistic and did not treat this as a big deal. Moreover, he did not offer to take care of housework in order to lighten the burden of my mother. Hence, my mother was very upset and broken-hearted.

After hearing the story, I asked about the real situation of this tumour and tried to reassure her. However, my mother was quite upset with my reaction as well. She did not understand how I could remain so calm after hearing the bad news even though she had raised me on her own for six years. She claimed that I was too cold to her and that I did not behave like how a good son should. At that moment, I had the impulse to ask her what she expected me to do. Hold her hands and cry with her? It was not what a man would do. But I knew it was inappropriate to say so.

Question:

If you were me, what would you say and how would you behave after hearing the news and what you would say to both my parents who were in the middle of a quarrel?

What does the future hold for us?

The most thought-provoking trends shaping the way we live and work:

Urbanization Lines

Communications Line

Transportation Line

Technology Line

Demographics Line

How to answer "What's up"

This is not a formal post.

Since this module is about communication, I think my question is relevant. It is often the case that many people like to begin their conversation by asking "What's up". As I am not a native speaker, I always feel confused about how to answer this question. Answering "Nothing much" to it seems my life is boring and the conversation between the person and I will fall into an awkward situation. If I really begin to describe my life recently, maybe that person is not that interested in. By saying "What's up", he just means hello. So I really do not know what is the best way to answer this question. Any suggestion or personal experience?

Communication skills

Why are communication skills important to me?

Firstly, from a pragmatic perspective, they can help me to develop or improve my interview skills. What should I talk about during the interview? What should not be mentioned during the interview? What kind of tone and what kind of body language should I use during the interview? To answer these questions, I think a good mastery of communication skills will be beneficial. Besides, effective communication skills will help me to better deal with colleague relationship and even the relationship with customers. It is very essential for me to utilize different communication methods when I am faced with different situations.

Secondly, from my personal interest, I am always intrigued by the topic of communication. As mentioned in class, communication is an art. Indeed, due to different cultural backgrounds or education levels, the ways people communicate can vary dramatically. I also find it very fascinating that some people can talk with diverse people without any barriers, even though they have such a large gap between them. Just like the example I mentioned in class, I really want to know how to communicate with my grandparents, finding the common topics between us.

It is impossible for me to perfectly solve these problems right after taking this class. However, I hope I can really learn some techniques or theories in communication skills and put them into practice. That is my essential goal for this class.