Critical Reflection

Through these few weeks of communication lessons, I had the opportunity to nurture my critical thinking skills through the relevant class activities. At the beginning, I was not confident in speaking especially in-front of a big crowd. I often struggle on my content, leading to the lack of confidence in speaking. Exposures to the various frameworks for critical thinking helped me learn, relearn and unlearn different sets of skills. Having the 7 Cs of effective communication at the back of my head is useful for improving my thoughts processes for a more successful way of communication. For instance, it is better to keep our information concise and straight to the point so as to engage our audience better. With that knowledge on how I can optimise my content, it boosts my confidence in speaking. There are also things that I had relearnt which include the use of script during presentations. In the past, I used to rely heavily on scripts. It did not feel wrong as I did engage eye contact once in a while. This way of communicating information might be comforting, but the idea of having a script around made me become too dependent and eventually speak unnaturally. There were many opportunities we had mini class presentations, which were stepping stones to our final pitch presentation where I finally managed to convey my knowledge freely without a script. It was daunting at first as I am afraid that I would lose my train of thoughts. However, I relearnt that I would do fine without the use of a script if I had adequate preparations and truly understood my assignment. As such, I unlearn the skill of having a script as “back-up” since I will feel obligated to look at them for assurance. These practices allowed me to communicate and share my research findings confidently and capture the attention of audiences more effectively.

Behind our merely fifteen minutes pitch is a hidden amount of great effort. Our research team went through multiple setbacks while trying to find a flawless innovation. The initial idea that we had already existed in the market, hence we discussed on possible implementations to better improve on it. However, there were many loop holes in those ideas. We persevered and continued to brainstorm. We eventually succeeded. In between discussions, our team was anxious and tensed as we could not seem to stay on the right track. This had put our teamwork to test. Fortunately, we managed to overcome the challenges with the guidance of our team leader and the cooperation of other members. This pressurizing encounter taught us a lot and we grew closer as a team. The brainstorming process allowed me to sharpen my thinking ability. Having to share my ideas nurtured my articulation. We are all forced to contribute any idea that we had in mind, then generate relevant ideas for improvement. This has been an intimidating yet rewarding journey as I gained fruitful experience on how to work better in teams. Everyone has different views and working styles which may often clash, creating tension. It is important to understand this and compromise to agree on a common idea. This process of mediation allowed me to learn about people with different personalities, knowing how to interact and work with them better. This is a part of personal growth and self-improvement. Towards the end, we had greater chemistry and am able to present harmoniously as a team. Effective communication is key when it comes to managing a team project as it ensures that every member’s ideas are being recognised and the team progress together.