Critical Reflection on Project Learning

For the project that my group (Hany, Marcus and myself) have presented to the class, it is titled:
How To Communicate Effectively To Secure That Internship.

My groupmates and I have decided this topic because we know that it would be relevant to the class it will benefit them for their pre-interview and preparation process. Throughout the process of creating this entire video, from choosing the topic to researching about the content of IWSP to our storyboard, seeking help from career development on the process of IWSP and finally video and presentation. It has been a fun, fulfilling experience yet many doubts on whether we are putting enough information or putting too much information.

Communication in a group is very important as time is something that most people juggle with everyday. Due to the different workload that each individual have, sometimes it is impossible to meet at an agreeable time, which results to having to split up tasks. Splitting up tasks can also lead to miscommunication as conveying message through text messages can be interpreted differently. I have learned that if one's mood is affected, we should probably give him/her a 15-20 minutes break before assigning any tasks. By assigning tasks at that point of time would just give him/her added pressure and he/she might not be listening to you, and it might even cause adverse effect like unwanted argument.

Throughout this module, I have learned a lot from Brad and my classmates from the feedback given about my blogpost, mock and actual presentation. I would feel nervous whenever there is a presentation, presentation and me just do not go well together. The mock presentation gave me a good guideline of how I can improve myself for the actual presentation as the feedback given by my classmates was very useful. It made me realised some of the sub-conscious behaviour that I do during my presentation that I am not aware of and it would make me think, "did I do that?" By receiving this constructive feedback from my classmates, I can then better present my ideas across to my classmates.

The challenge that I often face during presentation would be not presenting to my "model" presentation. Even after many practices, nervousness would still conquer over me. I would unconsciously say a few filler words like "er" when presenting as told by my classmate, Angela. It is a sub-conscious habit that I have to improve on as I will have to present when I work in the future. Having filler words when presenting will not seem professional and I believe that with more practices, I will be able to improve myself.

The next challenge that I face is forgetting to say what I have prepared to say. Even though how much practices I've had, things that I have prepared to say during my practices were sometimes forgotten which is why I relied on a script last trimester. Relying on the script was totally a huge mistake. I did not have much eye contact with the audience. To correct the huge mistake, I rehearsed many many times and I presented without a script. It was evidently much better as I could engage with the audience. I could see the audience non-verbal gestures clearly and it allowed me to improve myself.

The next challenge I faced is being monotonous. Due to nervousness and trying to recall as much information as possible in my head while presenting to the audience, I have received feedback that my presentation is slightly monotone and it seems rushed. While I was rehearsing my presentation with my group mate, Hany, she told me that I sounded a little monotonous and fast. She told me to present slower with more liveliness but I told her that this is just a rehearsal and I would be more lively during the actual presentation. But I was totally wrong, rehearsal matters a lot. It would roughly portray how I would be during the actual presentation. After listening to all these feedback, with more practice, I am sure I can become a good presenter some day.

I have learned a lot from this module, like verbal and non-verbal communication. Verbal communication is a way to express ourself and non-verbal communication can either reinforce, contradict, substitute, complement or accent a message. Sometimes the way I speak and my non-verbal gestures might not work out hand in hand and it might seem like a contraction due to my sub-conscious gestures. Thus, learning to become more sensitive to body language and non-verbal cues can make me a better presenter. Therefore presenting without a script is very important to me because it makes me engage with the audience and I can see their expressions. Non-verbal signals can increase trust, clarity and add interest to my presentation when yielded properly.

I have also learned about how to manage a conflict using Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument (TKI). This has also made me learn about the people around me. I can now better understand them by knowing how they react in a conflict situation. Conflict situations are usually unsolved because a person is assertive and uncooperative, thus we must know a person's character when trying to resolve a conflict.

From this module, I have learned many things in this course. It has given me a better understanding of interpersonal communication, to be specific, verbal and non-verbal communication. It will definitely help me when I have presentation in the future. It has also allowed me to read non-verbal gestures better so that if a person seems uninterested when I am talking, I would be able to read and know that I should back off.


 Last edit: 17/4/2016