JAPAN IN 10 HRS!
- returning 2009 -

SUBJECT:COMMUNICATION REVISITED!

In my debut post on this blog, I talked about what communication means to me. Having undergone a course on ‘Professional Communication’, I realized that much of my prior understanding remains unchanged. The course has however highlighted to me that, for me, instead of having the tendency to be over-reliant on technology in communicating (as mentioned in my debut post), I seem to be neglecting communications through technology, especially through e-mails. It has come to my attention that I might have this filter to cause me to not respond to certain mail which I dismiss as ‘FYI/ does not require response’ too simply without consideration. Either that or I am just plain lazy. Whatever the reason, this is definitely one of the lessons that will be vivid to me from the course.

Having said that I retained most of my prior perceptions about communications even after the course, I must add that the course has definitely refined these prior concepts of mine. Through the mocked interviews; and the sharing and discussions of real-life communication habits and styles in regular classes, posts of my peers and the exchange of comments; and the relevant blog exercises, I am even more convinced of the importance of effective communication skills in the ways I thought in my debut post. In fact, I am also very pleased to have one of my interpersonal conflicts resolved through a blog post for the course. I saw actual proof in the importance of developing effective communication skills.

The course has also equipped me with better computer skills in the process of report writing and presentation preparation. Through editing of the report, the cover letter for job application and blog posts, I feel more confident with the type of format and organization; sentence structure and the choice of words that should be used for writing for different purposes. The ‘search for job’ element of this module has also served as a wake-up call for me. I feel more motivated and am glad to have found possible directions to pursue upon graduation, through the course. The course has definitely been enriching for me and it is definitely a course I would recommend to others. Of course, just as the concepts of Science must be revisited, the concepts of Communication must also be constantly revisited for new revelations to be made. One would be surprised to realize how many small happenings and things in life translate to or boil down to communication! Or at least, I was (:

DEFINE: ME

Born Singaporean, I grew up in a highly competitive environment. Since young, I've taken competition positively and became a keen learner. I could read Science texts for hours but would struggle with other readings. As a child, I often questioned why Newton's Laws are such and why the skies are blue. On occasional unfortunate visits to clinics, I find myself eager to listen to the doctor's diagnosis. Through vacation jobs, I realised that I'm one who prefers a job that requires interaction rather than a desk-bound one. This, together with my inquisitiveness and interest in Medical Sciences, makes me aspire to be a Physician-Scientist.

BEHIND THE SCENES

I found joy and satisfaction in the process of writing the research report. Prior to writing the research report, I didn't use Microsoft Excel very frequently as most of the graphs required in my previous academia were from pooled results and common graphs shared by the class. In the process of writing the report, we had to translate our findings into visual statistics hence leading me to explore Microsoft Excel and becoming more confident in using the programme to generate comprehensive and pretty graphs of various types. I found joy in acquiring this new ability. Also, having reviewed the key features of the report via this module and its textbook, I've come to realise how haphazard the reports I've written for previous academia were. I am again pleased to be now knowledgeable of how to write a proper report. I also realised the importance of understanding the features of the report, such as the establishment of a problem statement and purpose. In my opinion, these not only give structure and flow to the report but also keep the writers/researchers focused and on track thus allowing progress to be made more effectively and easily. In addition to the joy I got from realising these abilities, I also felt a sense of achievement at the end of the process of writing the report when I reviewd our close-to-final draft.

Apart from the newly acquired written and IT skills, I am also very pleased to have worked with Travis in writing the report. I feel that we both complement one another, in an academia sense of course. Firstly, Travis and myself have a number of other commitments but we managed to come up with a work plan in accordance to our different schedules. Whenever one of us was busy with other academia or work, the other would try to see to what is urgent at hand and relate items KIV (kept in view) to one busy at that moment, so that he/she can work on it later. Secondly, our initial brainstormed problems complemented one another and when pieced together, helped us established a more complete problem statement. Travis highlighted the recent government's focus on green energy and I was skeptical about the claims of current environmental conservation efforts being effective. Together, we wondered if Singaporeans were successfully inculcated with good green habits and if the shift of focus was premature. Thirdly, our writing styles complement. I tend to write lengthy sentences whilst Travis, short, to the point sentences. I suppose the combination of these two could have contributed to giving some shape to our report.

Having said that, I consider myself fortunate to have been paired with Travis to work on this report. It was coincidence that our ideas complemented but I also believe that the rapport we built is very important in a team project. Rapport helps members understand one another's lifestyle and personality to some extent and facilitate more efficient communication. I suppose that it is through good rapport that Travis and myself are able to sympathise with one another's commitments outside this module and school thus allowing us to 'cover' for one another by first doing whatever can be done instead of hampering the progress of the report. In this way, I suppose each of us made fair contributions to the report. The good rapport also made the entire process of writing more fun when we exchanged conversations about other non-academia subjects or personal experiences.

I hope to continue to build good rapport with Travis and bring this into the upcoming oral presentation as I believe that this would bring about better coordination between us when presenting our findings to the class. Due to the fact that Brad has been more like a friend than a mentor during regular classes and the that we are already quite familiar with our peers in the class, I preempt that we might, unknowingly, be less formal when presenting our findings. I feel that presentations should be more formal and professional so as to gain the attention of the audience and prevent the speakers/presenters from being distracted and less focused. Apart from that, I am also eager to apply some of the theoretical guidelines of communication as suggested by the book to truly experience the effectiveness of these. After all, learning is not just about memorising theories but more importantly, the application of them.

LOST IN TRANSLATION TRANSITION

Intercultural miscommunication and misattributions often underscore intercultural conflict. Individuals coming from two contrastive cultural communities have different value assumptions, expectations, verbal and nonverbal habits, and interaction scripts that influence the conflict process. Intercultural conflict is defined as the perceived or actual incompatibility of values, norms, processes, or goals between a minimum of two cultural parties over content, identity, relational, and procedural issues. In my opinion, the major characteristic of intercultural conflicts is that the conflict often involves intercultural perceptions - perceptions that are filtered through our lenses of ethnocentrism and stereotypes, and these perceptions color our conflict attribution proces.

Two years back, my family and I went to London for a holiday. We decided to visit Oxford which was seemingly near as seen on the London Transport Map. As reccommended by the local guide, we purchased tourists passes to ride the tube. We made enquiries at the control station nearest our hotel, on the best route to get to Oxford and if our tourists passes would allow us to travel there. The grumpy station attendant looked at our passes and then made markings on our maps, to guide us on which stations to transit and alight at. We got on the train a little lightheaded as we never expected transportation over such a large distance, in London whereby the standard of living is comparatively significantly higher, to be that affordable. Along the way, a conducter asked us to produce our passes for verification. He scrutinised them for some time and then returned them to us, without saying a word. Upon our arrival at Oxford, the automated barriers located at the stations' exit, refused our passes and denied our exit. The stations' officers then came along to inform us of a difference and penalty we had to pay. We were in shock as it was a 'gia-normous' amount to pay for a self-planned, supposedly more economical free-and-easy itinerary, so naturally, we asked why. It was only then that the officers told us that the tourists passes we had were invalid for travel outside central London. We explained how we derived at such a misunderstanding. The officers then lifted the penalty and allowed us exit. As we made our exit, we witnessed a Chinese girl, seemingly from mainland China, crying. From her crying stammers, we gathered that she was in a situation similar to ours.

Although we didn't exactly have a conflict with any of the relevant authorities involved or make a scene like the Chinese girl did, we paid a hefty sum for the lesson learnt. The differnce amounted to SGD$70 per pax, that was $350 for my family of five and this definitely exceeded the original amount we would have had to pay if we had purchased the right, required tickets to get to Oxford. In the case of the Chinese girl, I guess that a possible communication barrier could have been the key enabler for the misunderstanding. In our case, we felt that we had ourselves to blame, at least partially. We should have seeked a second opinion from the locals since the grumpy train attendant didn't exactly answer our question as to whether our tourists passes would be valid. We probably got too lightheaded and assumed London to be like Hongkong whereby tourists passes allow foreign visitors to travel to most parts of the country. What we could not understand was, why did the train conducter not say anything when he checked our passes? Could it be that it was their culture to care less since nothing could be done and assume that we already knew? Or was he just plain sadistic?

SINGAPORE'S BROWN AGENDA. HOW GREEN IS IT?

Green. It is everywhere.

Unlike most urbarn cities in the world, I believe that Singapore is the only city that has greenery everywhere. Apart from our nature reserves; trees, bushes and shrubs, intersperse our skyscrappers. However, green is not just represented to us in a physical way. On our way to school via public trains and buses, we see advertisments on the benefits if energy saving. Our neon orange shuttle buses that have 'NUS fights climate change' printed on them, tour around campus to promote their cause. When talking to a friend, I learn of her involvement in a pageant - Miss Earth 2008. It makes me wonder, just what is this pageant about? When asked, my friend herself, couldn't identify the underlying rationale too. These green efforts, are they really effective in communicating the green message?

It is common knowledge that Mother Earth is ailing. Technology benefits mankind but also jeopardises his future. It is the catalyst for the depletion of resources. Especially in the context of Singapore, this rampant depletion would call for the need to outsource for supplies, expected to be available only at marked-up prices. Her economy will suffer. The inevitable outputs following the utilisation of resources also degrade the quality of the environment. In short, we are trading wealth and health for convenience through technology.

If the above is common knowledge, why then do we still have fines (e.g. for littering, for smoking), why then does the Singapore government seek ways to inculcate environmental awareness? Is it because, we, Singaporeans learn in a vacuum? Or are we, Singaporeans over-reliant on technology and naïve to believe that it will somehow, eventually find a solution to sustaining earth? If either possibility is true, how effective are the efforts of the government then? Do Singaporeans really understand the rationale underlying green message?

A survey should be conducted to validate the link between the attitude held by Singaporeans on green issues and environmental trends. It should also allow the identification of the specific attitude most Singaporeans adopt.

Problem statement
The objective of this research study is to determine the effectiveness of the various efforts aimed at sustaining Mother Earth.

Purpose statement
The objective of this report is to identify Singapore's agenda on environmental issues and investigate how Singaporeans respond to it, so as to understand how environmental efforts can be made more effective.

Research question
Is there a co-relation between environmental trends and the perspectives held by Singaporeans on green issues? If this link is valid, which perspectives should and can be corrected? Will these corrections make environmental efforts more effective?

Hypothesis
The quality of environment in Singapore is the outcome of efforts put in by the environmental bodies of Singapore. The effectiveness of these efforts depend largely on her people's perceptions on green issues. These perceptions, if unfavourable to environment, can be corrected if the rationales underlying green efforts are properly conveyed.

FRENEMIES

As established in the previous post, communication is not all just about having a good command in language, communication is more than that. Nonverbal communications play a large role in relaying a message to the end-receiver, especially when interpersonal relationships are concerned. Verbal and/or nonverbal communications, whether or not, relayed directly to the subject, do send out vibes, that will ultimately be felt by the end-receiver.

I'll attempt to illustrate this in my following example.
Kindly put yourself/yourselves in my shoes.

You are part of a closely knitted group of girlfriends. You are so close that, sometimes, others refer you as the Spice Girls (fictitious). You are closest to Victoria since you have known her for the longest time and she has always been there for you. She would smile and forgive you even if you did something upsetting to the group.

You are at a party with the group. You turn your back to grab a drink and upon returning to the group, you notice Victoria whispering to and nudging the other girls. You think, perhaps, you are just too sensitive. You turn your back again to grab another and the same scenario unfolds. You bump into an old friend and do some catching up; you turn back to the group this time to find Victoria rolling her eyes at you and then, upon acknowledging your return, quickly reverts to a friendly face. The group proceeds to the dance floor. Seemingly, Victoria dances with middle-fingers directed at you.

Before this, you have heard from Melanie that Victoria pointed the finger at you in a recent happening. Melanie knew it could not have been you since you were the one who brought the matter up to her (since she would be the one affected), after witnessing what you thought Emma did. You have also heard that Victoria has been questioning others why ‘Mr. Her Crush for the Longest Time’ would compliment you on past meetings. According to your friend, this was accompanied by the famous American hand gesture.

You relate these happenings to the rest of the group. They empathise with how you feel. Emma points out that, she too, has been experiencing similar situations with Victoria. The rest of the group has gathered that it is unlikely that Victoria would explain why she is behaving this way. Victoria would sometimes tell them that they are just too many things; she doesn’t know what to begin with.

When you and she are alone, she is at all smiles with you. She would even be upset with you if she finds you at a club without informing her beforehand (note: often a last-minute decision under special circumstances). Even if you casually asked her if there was anything she would like to talk with you about, she would just smile and assure you that you are just being too sensitive. Are you? What should you do?

Insert: dated 30th August 2008, Saturday, 6.28pm
The characters involved came to know about this post. They have talked about it and have resolved the issue. The whole thing was concluded to be a snowball of accumulative misunderstandings from both parties. It is decided that increased sensitivity and transparency be adopted to prevent any future recurrences of situations akin to those experienced and described. Nevertheless, feel free to comment on how you might have had handled the situation. Perhaps, the characters involved could have resolved it in a way better than how they have managed.

SHORT-TERM LONG-TERM

Competition is ubiquitous. Popular belief, especially in Singapore's context, has it that academic excellence would bring a promising future. As seen on job ads of many newspapers across cities, it is undeniable that certificates of qualifications are essential. But is this really enough? Why then do we still have to sit through interviews and be scrutinised? Clearly, what one has on paper isn't enough. What else does the interviewer seek? Is emotional quotient (EQ) not as important intelligence quotient (IQ)?

In today's competitive environments especially, where everyone is as about as qualified as you are for the job, a good presentation of yourself to the interviewer(s), would most probably generate positive feelings to give you an edge over the other applicants. Indeed, the majority of society would embark on a career search upon graduating from school and would require the skills to impress with confidence and poise when conversing with the interviewer(s). Even after securing a job, effective communication skills will still be important to help them manage the politics in the workplace to their advantage. Just like the majority, I too, would require such a skill to penetrate the workforce after graduation. But should effective communication really be just a tool at acing an interview and surviving the dog-eat-dog world out there?


Effective communication is not just a job search tool but a skill that should be mastered life-long as it has both short-term and long-term benefits. Effective communication ensures that messages are conveyed accurately and prevents any unnecessary misunderstandings thus possible ill-feelings. It is also an integrated skill that promises more than just how to get around interviewers.

One’s proficiency in language, the most fundamental element of effective communication, is likely to reach greater heights as one becomes more aware of the importance of the clarity of his or her message. The desire to provide appropriate responses and/or seek the intended outcomes of communication would also then provide a stimulus for one to keep oneself updated on the current affairs and be more sensitive and tactful when culture or interpersonal relationships are involved. Awareness of how nonverbal cues speak a lot about oneself and form part of the message conveyed will also cause one to be more conscious of his actions, body language, facial expressions, appearance, and styles of writing. I believe that the refinement of such co-skills would help me at building and sustaining better interpersonal relationships to make life more fulfilling and prevent or lessen any unnecessary problems or misunderstandings that, if present, are likely to affect me alot.


Also, with the advent of Information and Communications technologies (ICT), physical barriers of intercultural communication are disintegrated and it becomes even more important to develop effective communication skills especially in the area of cultural understanding and adaptability. Also, as communication is made easy through the Internet, computer programs or systems; and the Short Message Service (SMS), it is more important than ever to develop such communication skills to prevent oneself from over-relying on technology and neglect the basic skill that is essential to us throughout and in many aspects of our lives.