Final Reflections

Finally I have arrived at the end of this module. When I was first enrolled in this module, I read a few seniors' blog posts and was especially interested in their final reflections because I wanted to know what they had to say about it after a 13 weeks journey. To my "horror", almost everyone described it as "intense and stressful"! Well, now that I have completed it, I have to admit it was indeed intense and stressful, but at the same time it has been fruitful and useful.

When I chose to take this module with my friends, my main target was to learn how to write a good resume and application letter as I reckoned these two to be very important in landing a job. It was indeed helpful and I even obtained my much-wanted part time job successfully with the help of a good resume and application letter. However, I did not give much thought to the name of the module (Professional Communication), and expected it to be the same as other regular modules, where we participate in some discussions during lessons and that is all. I was so wrong!

The very first lesson has been a memorable one as we were required to "promote ourselves" by offering our services in a particular field or face the fate of banishment from an island. It was the first time I had such "informal" activity in a formal lesson. I think it was this kind of activities and good facilitation from Ms.Lim that helped to bond the class together.

In addition, I learned a lot from the two major presentations (peer teaching and proposal oral presentation). From my past experience before taking this module, I did not have any feedback regarding my own presentations. I usually resolved to script memorization and regurgitate it during my few presentations. After taking the module, only did I realize about the many aspects of presentation, including my non-verbal cues and interactions with audience.

This module has been very helpful in building my confidence and interpersonal skills. Of course, there are times where it became very stressful and time-consuming, and indirectly it helped me to learn identifying my priorities and manage my schedule more effectively. A great deal of time and work have been invested for this module, but the rewards and skills obtained are worth it.