SEVEN.~ Final reflections.

This course definitely made an impact for me this semester. I’ve heard many stories from my friends who took this module last semester and truthfully, I had many doubts when I joined the class initially. I believed it to be a helpful module but one with a crazy high workload. As it turned out, I wasn’t entirely wrong. True, it was a module in the manner which Brad always emphasized: like being pushed into the deep end of the swimming pool without swimming lessons or even a life jacket. I felt helpless so many times during this course. But thankfully, the friends I made are really the ones saving me from drowning and bit by bit, I learn to swim with their guidance. I felt that the people I got to know in this class far outweigh the problems I had faced when trying to complete the module tasks.

Still, I know that I’ve learnt many skills in this course. First off, I managed to present myself to an accepting audience in a professional manner and this experience is something I would never be able to get outside of this class. I really enjoyed this, even though it meant a few sleepless nights and anxiety attacks for me. I really had zero confidence and this course definitely helped me grow in ways I never imagined. Another challenge I’ve learnt to deal with: empathizing and learning to work with people with very different personalities. I was not very surprised when I was met with interesting people in this course. I see interesting people everywhere in NUS. But because this module is one which requires interaction and small group discussions (an aspect that other courses in NUS could not provide), I found myself learning to adapt to different people’s way of speaking and thinking. This is a really sensitive and useful skill to pick up, and it is really necessary for me to grow in my people skills as I’ll definitely need this later on in life.

I must say that the 13 weeks really passed by in a flash. I never expected myself to complete so much within such a short span of time. And sad to speak, even though I put in a lot of effort in some of my work, I feel like the results I received do not reflect so. Once again, I know that results aren’t everything and the learning process is more important, but I still can’t get rid of that slight feeling that I’m not entirely satisfied. Then again, I DID learn so much! Even though it was just a short period, I was surprised that everything I’ve done stayed in my mind and I know that this knowledge would be put into good use time and time again.

I must emphasize that this module was really fun, and the friends I made are really great, plus the material I’ve learnt will really be useful. =) Thanks Brad and everyone! You all rock! This semester rocks because of you guys! 

SIX.~ reflection on OP

Totally exhilarating. This is the most serious presentation I’ve done so far in my life. And wow, it took me a while to adjust at the start before I took off on what I felt was really quite an interesting ride. Yes I was REALLY scared. And I really had ZERO confidence. But thankfully my team members really helped me prepare well. Thank you Faizal, Edwin and Kenneth! You three rock! And stone! Or boulder! =))

Even though I went through Project Work (also a presentation subject) in JC, it was really a different experience. This one that just passed pushed me past non-existent boundaries which I thought was always there to hold me back. Brad was right: it was really psychological. And no matter how many times I remind myself to treat the audience like carrots or potatoes (a method my friends told me to help me keep my cool) so as to calm myself, it was just so difficult. And I bet this is not going to be the last presentation that I will face for my entire life so I better get use to this feeling and train up!

So how did the presentation really go? To me, it went better than I thought. I really assumed that something horrible might crop up and I would just ruin the entire presentation. Once again, my lack of confidence shows. I thought the use of visuals like photos really explained things very clearly and it was no doubt true that a picture speaks a thousand words. And all I had to do was say something to point people in the direction in which I want them to see from the picture. The use of questions, taught to me by Faizal, Edwin and Kenneth, was a really good technique to set people thinking and to allow them to experience for themselves the setting of the presentation. It really made it easy for me to connect with my audience. And I really enjoyed it halfway through the presentation.

However, I felt that I didn’t start off well, nor did I transit well for the second speaker to come in. All these are skills I have picked up in this class, and I definitely need to brush up on them. I should have smiled more, to make the audience feel comfortable with me. But the stress I had in me at the beginning really just turned me into an emotionless zombie. I found it difficult to distribute my eye contact well too because I tried to make this a ‘checkpoint’ for myself. I would give myself a mental list of what I should do in the presentation but it’s easy to forget once you are nervous. Therefore, it is important to not force yourself to remember, but to internalize all this and let it flow out of you naturally. I guess this comes with A LOT of practice and patience. I think it’s important to speak slowly and pronounce your words carefully because this really shows professionalism and it helps if you want to make your audience understand what you’re saying.

I thought the Q&A part went relatively fine because we stood our ground! I guess it’s important to have confidence in your product and know your proposal in and out VERY WELL so that it’s easy to process your answers because the questions asked might have already been those that you’ve thought of yourself during the initial brainstorming process of the project.

In the end, I’m really blessed to be put in such a FUN-tastic group and I really enjoyed working with my team mates! Thanks everyone! =)