Saturday 14 April 2012

Final Reflection on Learning

I've always had this fear of speaking up as well as standing before a group of people to articulate my ideas. It could be due to my low level of confidence, as I was very conscious of how people would react to my responses, be it positive or negative. Taking es2007s has definitely encouraged me to move out of my comfort zone of being the passive listener, and take the first step to project myself in front of my classmates.

Despite the relatively relaxed atmosphere that my classmates managed to create, I still have the jitters when conducting a presentation. It could be the lack of exposure (I have never done much oral presentations for my other modules) that I am appreciative that es2007s provides so many opportunities for one to practice and learn. Over time, I found myself more conscious and aware to the needs of the audience, and that a smile works wonders. :) There is still room for improvement for my non-verbal cues, but I felt that I was a lot more confident in presenting than before. It was also heartwarming to have such encouraging classmates supporting your every performance and providing constructive feedback to help each other improve. It is really touching that we are not only improving individually, but also together as a class.

There is probably a long way to go before I can be comfortable with speaking in front of an audience, but I am really grateful to have learnt so much together with my classmates. To be consciously aware of what you say, how you say it and to whom you say it to seems so daunting, but I hope the audience understands why I am saying all these.

On the other hand, I also learnt many other skills such as resume and cover letter writing as well as the mock job interview. To be thrown into a highly stressful situation is enough to blow my brains out, but I hope I can survive a real-world setting after barely making it alive in a class setting!

All in all, I really enjoyed myself and I am indeed really grateful to be in this class with such supportive classmates and lecturer Mr. Brad. It was that feeling of closeness that I have never felt throughout my 3 years in NUS. This definitely makes up one of my fondest memories in my final semester with so much joy and laughter in this course. Thank you all for this wonderful learning experience.

Thank you.

17 comments:

  1. Hi Pamela,

    I think that you have definitely improved alot from the time you first spoke in class. I remember the first chance I had to interact with you. This was during a role play session. I realised that you were not at all a quiet girl and that you were in fact very fun to be with.

    You have definitely improved on your level of confidence. Your oral presentation was a good example of that positive change. You were extremely confident and persuasive. I also thought that you were one of the better speakers in your group. Keep up the good work Pamela!

    I really enjoyed knowing you. Take care Pamela:)

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    1. Hey Loshini!

      I still remember the role play session with you where I had to act like an unreasonable project mate with no internet connection! It was a really pleasant experience and it's been really nice acting out the role play with you :)

      Thank you so much for the compliment and I'm glad that I have managed to be persuasive while hiding my nervousness!

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  2. Hey Pamela!

    I couldn't agree with you more about the awesome learning experience about this class! It really allows us to make mistakes in the classroom setting so that our transition to the corporate sphere will be much smoother! Another aspect of this class is just the close-knitted friendships fostered just within the span of one semester! I guess this alone gave you the strength to step up there to present, since the audience are people who will only want you to improve and want the best for you!

    The nerve of presenting is a rather common issue! I still have it although I might sound confident! I guess all it takes is more practice! Before my OP I really just took some time off work to just look at myself in the mirror and practiced - and I still felt so nervous during the actual OP! My first time presenting in a formal attire. I can't imagine what would have happened had I not practiced beforehand.

    Anyways, I'm glad that this course really has improved you and changed your perspective! I think you're a very funny and bubbly person outside class when we first met, now you are that both outside and within class! This class has been really rewarding to you!

    All in all, it was really my pleasure to know you! All the best in your future endeavors!

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    1. Hello Titus!

      It's really been a pleasure knowing you and I really enjoy your banter with Loshini in class! This class has been amazing as everyone is so supportive and comfortable with each other despite coming from different faculties. The fear of presenting oneself in front of an audience will linger but I'm glad we have the chance to expose ourselves to this fear and overcome it.

      And yes, it was also my first time presenting in formal attire too. We look pretty smart!

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  3. Dear Ms. TDH,

    I'm quite shocked to hear that you have this fear of public speaking! I must say, these 13 weeks have indeed shown your lack of fear of public speaking. It's evident that we've all grown, and I'm really proud of you for being able to conceal your fear of presenting. It was especially well done during the OP! Kudos to you! It was really fun getting to know you and hearing your jokes haha. The fun things are always short-lived. Ah.. All the best for the exams & for completely eliminating the fear of speaking before an audience. Cheers!(:

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    1. Hey Kristyn!

      Thanks so much for the compliment! It's been so much fun knowing you too and showering the class with love with your valentine's day cookies (hahaha I will never forget that!)

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  4. Hey Pam!

    Like the others, I wouldn't have guessed that you had a fear of public speaking! What I love most about you is your totally cool attitude. You always seem like you're having a good time no matter what you're doing :)

    I believe I'm one step above everyone else in class because I've seen you give a really good presentation for our common horticulture module. Just FYI guys, Pam did a really wonderful job! She was calm, cool and collected, and she made the class and the professor laugh quite a number of times! You certainly have become a confident, charismatic speaker. Congratulations!

    All the best Pam!

    Tanisha

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    1. Hey Tanisha!

      HAHAHAHA OH MY GOD what are the odds of being selected as the 1st speaker for that horticulture module! The video of that streetscape presentation is really too painful for me to watch but I'm glad you enjoyed the presentation! It's been nice knowing you in es2007s after 5 semesters of not knowing/seeing each other despite being in the same course :)

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  5. Hi Pamela,

    Like you mentioned, it's the people that make the different in a class. I don't
    think the class would be the same without the humor you brought to the class. I can still vaguely remember the role-plays you and Loshini did, and how you tried to mimic an African American.

    I am glad that the course has developed you to be a more confident speaker (it has for me). Indeed, if I may say, the course was an enriching learning experience for the bulk (if not all) of us.

    Congratulations on graduating (really soon) and all the best for your future endeavors!

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    1. Hello Joel,

      it's really been nice knowing you in class! The times we had during mock interview trying to mess with Jacq (what is a vaccine?) were really memorable :)

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  6. Thank you, Pamela, for this heart-felt final reflection. I like the way you have focused on your fear of and improvement on public speaking. You do a good job of sharing your emotions during speaking and how you have worked to improve that via the ES2007S assignments. (Your effort was also clear in the fine job you did in the final OP.) I can understand your feeling that you still have room to improve since that is probably true for 95% of all presenters (myself included).

    I want to thank you as well for all your efforts in the class this term, particularly in your project group. As Joel mentions, it is the people who make the difference. That you can say that this is one of the best classes you ever experienced in 3 years at NUS is largely a result of the chemistry and the effort made to create that. Your part -- lots of good cheer and camaraderie -- was essential, Pamela.

    All the best in your future learning!

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    1. Hello Brad,

      Thank you so much for your guidance for the past 13 weeks and the love you showered to everyone in class! It's really pleasant to have someone who care not only within the realm of es2007s but also the little things in life that we share. I still have room for improvement for my presentation but I'm really glad to have you as well as my classmates there to support me and spur me on to do better.

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  7. Hello Pamela!

    I enjoyed being in the same class as you! I remember the time when your group was supposed to peer teach, and I came into class seeing how stressed you looked! You were rehearsing your part over and over again and commenting on how nervous you are. But when it came to the final OP, you become so much calmer! You managed your part really well. Looking at how you improved, I'm inspired to work harder to do better as well.

    All the best, Pamela! (:

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    1. Hi fellow same-JC/estate mate!

      I still remember that I was lamenting to you how stressed I was for the peer teaching! How time flies and even the OP has come and gone! The OP wouldn't be a success without you and our ez team mates! It's been nice knowing you and chatting about our JC experiences (and people heh).

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  8. Hi Pamela!

    You have definitely improved to become a more confident person after 13 weeks. I realized that you are very natural and you can talk really well when you are chit-chatting! Maybe you can try treating presentations like a formal chit-chat session to get rid of your fears! I had a great time working with you on the project.
    Congrats in advance for your graduation. Hope to see you again! (:

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    1. Hello Jian Min!

      I feel a lot more comfortable when chatting with friends as I am quite full of nonsense! Yups I could try treating the audience as my friends or vegetables to reduce my fear. It's been great working with you as well and thanks so much for the good times as well as introducing Prezi to me!

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  9. Hi Pamela!! I think you really worked the smile haha. You were so smiley ;D And I have to agree with you regarding the point about how the class was improving as a whole and not just individually. It was a nice and nurturing environment to learn in and I think we were less fearful of making mistakes.
    I will definitely remember the time we had to paraphrase Hofstede's definition of culture. Remember "collective programming of the human mind"? Haha. Thank you for all the laughter and your positive attitude ;)

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