FINAL REFLECTIONS, FINALLY

ES2007S is finally over!

I suppose its always good to reflect after the completion of a module and consolidate everything one has learnt over the 13 or so weeks, and I've definitely learnt a significant amount this semester.

One of the more important things I've come to understand this past 4 months concerns the duality of communication; not only is the content of the message being transmitted is important, but so to the means and method at which it is being transmitted. Formally these are known as verbal and non-verbal communication, and in most formal settings I believe it is important to prepare adequately for both. In that sense I think this module is unique because it has made me more aware of what I am "not saying". I'm graduating in a few weeks and I think such skills would prove useful in the workplace, especially if they are used effectively to emphasize what I am "actually saying". 

The classroom experience was definitely different from what I'm used to. I quite like this kind of setting, where students are encourage to participate and offer input, whether within the physicals confines of the class or in cyberspace. Its quite unfortunate really that most engineering modules are not this flexible, though it is not to say that all engineering classes are not enjoyable.

Many unique characters in this class has made this entire experience quite the memorable one. It has been my pleasure knowing all of you and hopefully our paths will cross sometime in the future. 

This will be my final blog post.

Presentation Reflections

I just concluded my oral presentation with Team Coordonner Les this past Thursday. I would say that I'm quite satisfied with how it went. It is always very satisfying to see that all your preparations has paid off.  

Presentation reflections... Get it?

It was not always smooth sailing though and definitely the journey to get ourselves ready for this presentation was not an easy one. Team Coordonner Les consists of 4 very different individuals, which means 4 different presentation styles. I suppose its a common problem with any group presentation setting. Making the presentation seamless, or in fact to work together cohesively, is quite tricky but we tried our best. Lunchtime bonding sessions does help though.

Team Coordonner Les

Our presentations had a few strengths, but the one I would like to highlight is that everything we did was very deliberate. We knew what we had to do; which was to convince the URA that they had a significant problem on their hands, and that our solution was the best one they can get. Everything else fell into place once every group member understood that. The structure of the slides, what we had to say, and perhaps to a certain extent where we stood were all pre-planned as such in the hopes that URA would understand the problem at hand and accept our proposal.

Naturally our presentation also had some weaknesses, and one of them was probably the nerves of the presenters. I'm pretty sure that all of us were quite rattled at the thought of doing this presentation, though it manifested to different degrees in the different members. Nonetheless it should be said that some of our group members have made large strides forward in this aspect; I am absolutely convinced that if we had done this presentation a month ago it would have a completely different outcome.

Overall though this experience had been quite the interesting one. Normally as an engineering undergraduate we hardly pay much attention to the way we present. After all the strength of the project normally speaks for itself. I've come to understand though that for real life projects though the quality of your proposal is almost secondary. First you need to get someone to listen to you and your idea, and for that good presentation skills are essential.

I don't move, therefore I am professional

This past week in class we learnt that one of the ways to make a good presentation is to have a fixed stance. Now I know this is probably not a hard-and-fast rule; merely just a recommendation, which got me thinking if there is ever a "proper" way to make a professional presentation without being completely static. After all on the face of it someone just standing there and talking doesn't sound terribly interesting right?

As with most things in life, TV has the answer, and it therefore justifies the many hours I've spent in front of it. The "Walk-and-Talk" is a story-telling technique sometimes used in film and television. It involves the characters having a conversation while en route to another location. New characters may be added and existing characters may leave during the "Walk-and-Talk". It serves to smooth a transition from one scene to another, as well as to highlight how busy the characters are.

More importantly (I feel) however, the "Walk-and-Talk" introduces a visual element that is interesting to the eye to what would otherwise be a static scene of people talking. It can also give the illusion that the story is progressing, as if the characters are walking ever closer to the credits.

Now that's fine for TV, but can "Walk-and-Talk" work for a presentation? Well Al Gore certainly was anything but still during his now famous speech Inconvenient Truth speech. If I remember correctly he climbed into a crane and talked as it elevated him. He was trying to illustrate how much the carbon levels has increased over the years, and it seemed pretty effective (to me at least) to do so while he was increasing his altitude.

Well not everyone can drag a crane into a classroom right? So unlike Al Gore, the rest of us are pretty much limited to lateral movements. That has not deterred some though. Comedians are known to walk across stage while doing stand-up (pretty ironic isn't it?). It is very commonly used when they are done with one joke and want to move on to a completely new topic.

Side note (yes i'm changing the topic slightly here... move your computer monitor across your desk if you want to get the sense of "Walk-and-Talk"), stand up comics are probably the least proper examples when it comes to professional communication. However this may not have always been the case. Consider the following:-

In Renaissance times, the King was considered to be a 'God on Earth' and it was only his Court Jester (or Fool) appointed both to amuse him and remind him of his humanity, who was allowed to speak plainly. In King Lear, it is up to the Fool to remind the King of the consequences of his actions. - Royal Shakespeare Company

So once upon a time, the Court Jester was the only one that was allowed to tell the King the truth. He had to be harsh (though not too harsh else he might find himself a head shorter) and frank. He delivered hard news to the King in the form of jokes and insults, and he probably did it while juggling or doing head stands. I'm not sure if the King would be too amused if he had a fixed stance.

In conclusion I suppose that walking can be a very useful visual tool in some sense; To show you are done with one chapter and want to talk about something else, you literally "move on" to a new topic. It can be very effective; it was definitely good enough for King Lear at least. However it should be said that our presentation next week is for a completely different "ang moh".

Something to think about nonetheless. Good luck for all your preparations!

Stereotypes (Part 2)

Just as sure as the earth is round

Stereotypes are abound

They are numerous; their numbers aren't small

And in this post we'll discuss them all

Japanese people are well behaved

French women never shave

Brazilians love to have fun

Every Kenyan lives to run

Australians are all racists

Arabs are all terrorists

African Americans are really tall

And really good at basketball

Koreans can't really drive

Malay people always skive

British people have good manners

Indian people -  great programmers

Yes stereotypes sadly are everywhere

Applies to you and the people you care

But you don't have to accept them as true

You can always choose the stereotype for you

Stereotypes (Part 1)

Before you're old enough to drive a car
Society already decided who you are
But this is a battle that can be won
Cos you're a stereotype of one

They will put you into molds
Expect you to do as you're told
But you'll insist it can't be done
Cos you're a stereotype of one

You are a man; you don't feel fear
You like math? - Engineer!
But you won't listen; you'll leave them stunned
Cos you're a stereotype of one

Somewhere in the world out there
There's a person who's views you share
Someone you think's a lot of fun
Another stereotype of one

Friends forever you both will be
And everyone will clearly see
That you've found the one for you
Finally a stereotype of two

Intercultural Behavior: Dirty Business

I belong to a minority group here in Singapore, which is strange if you think about it, considering I'm one of the indigenous people of these parts. When Raffles landed here all those years ago, he probably talked to someone that looked like me, while someone else that looked like me was busy laughing at Farquhar's name-tag.

But I digress. The point I'm trying to make is that since I'm a minority pretty much every experience I've had is an intercultural one. This blog post is about one of those experiences, and like many of my posts thus far it is set back in the days of my national service.

In the early days of my NS I was posted to a fire station somewhere in central Singapore, where I was part of an ambulance crew that would respond to medical emergencies in the area. One particular case I responded to comes to mind when I think about intercultural behavior, and it actually involves child-birth. 

A woman was in labour and so together with her husband they decided to take a taxi to the hospital. However while one the way to the hospital they decided to stop by the side of the road and call an ambulance instead. As it turns out I was on duty at that time so we got to the scene shortly after and the baby was delivered right there in the back of the cab. 

Now as part of an ambulance crew I have seen my share of accidents, but child-birth is by far the most disgusting thing I had EVER seen. The back of that taxi had blood and other types of unmentionable fluids all over it. It was an absolute mess, plus it smelled horrible too. So I expected the taxi driver, a Chinese man in his early 40s, to be significantly upset. After all, the cab is the main source of income for him, and now it is compromised. I was surprised though to see him smiling from ear to ear; he even waived the fare.

I would later find out that for taxi-drivers (a whole new sub-culture I never knew existed), a birth in your cab is actually very lucky, and would bring you good fortune. I would also later find out that Chinese people generally believe that birth of any kind is actually very lucky, so they do not mind the mess associated with it. Myself on the other hand, all of 18 years old and fresh out of junior college, really cannot get past the smell. It was a mixture of rotten eggs and vomit . It really was just plain horrible.

Relating this to what was taught in class this past week, I have come to realize that this is perhaps a good example of belief systems. If your culture subscribes to the notions of 'luck' and 'fortune', then you would associate certain events with those concepts. You would thus, just like the taxi driver, welcome such incidents. On the other hand if you do not believe in such things, then all you would see (and smell) is a sullied vehicle.

Professional Communication - Level Playing Field?

Normally I use this space for more light-hearted affairs. This time though I have a more serious message that I want to articulate. The gravity of the matter at hand has got me thinking about the validity of some of the things I've learnt in this module, as well as the nature of professional life and professional communication.

As I approach my graduation date I find myself going to several job interviews, as do many of my peers. I am one of the lucky ones; I got a job offer on my first attempt. Some of my friends aren't that fortunate though, and I want to highlight the plight of one of them. Lets just call him Karl for now.

Karl is a brilliant student; in fact when I saw him waiting outside the same interview room as me I was seriously hoping they was more than just one job vacancy, else he would surely be picked over me. As it turns out though, they were looking to hire several engineers, and I received an offer shortly after. Karl however, did not.

The problem with Karl is that he has a speech disorder. He stutters when he speaks so it takes longer for him to finish a sentence. This problem had apparently cost him a position with this company, something I found out as he was relating to me the phone conversation he had with the company's HR department shortly after the interview. He would also go on to tell me that he expected it and that it was not the first time.

I find the whole situation grossly unfair. Stuttering does not affect ones ability to be an engineer. Especially for that particular job we were applying for. Naturally he would have to talk to other people but it was not as if he was incoherent. Why should he be penalized for something that he could do nothing about? Is it a question of ignorance on the employer's part, or am I simply being naive? In any case it does not make sense to me.

This was what made me re-examine everything I had learnt in this module thus far. Karl could have composed the perfect cover letter, typed out an exemplary resume, and read every single article about EQ and IQ every written, which would have opened many doors for him, but he would still be promptly shown out of many of those doors as well. 

I arrived at the conclusion that many of the so called "rules and guidelines" of professional communication are not universal in nature, and as any engineer or scientist would tell you, non-universal laws = not cool. I am not saying they are not meaningful though; I have found that many of the things I have learnt thus far to be very useful, and can only be made more meaningful to me if someone gave me an 'A' for it (well it would be nice at least...). 

I suppose what I am trying to say is that while we may religiously adhere to these "rules", it is no guarantee that the person on the receiving end would extend us a similar courtesy. Perhaps that is the one true universal rule of professional communication.