Blog Post #1- Communication

Image couresty of: kirstaabbott.com

Hello fellow readers. This is my first ever blog post and today I’m going to blog about Communication!

Communication is the means of conveying a meaningful message to another party. We communicate constantly with each and another every day. And strange it may seem, we are constantly having a conversation with ourselves whether you're aware of it or not. For example, we tend to ask ourselves, ‘Should I wear red or blue today?’

Using right means and mode of communication is most crucial in our message. One would agree that action speaks louder than words. The best example would be watching Mr Bean. He makes everyone laugh without saying a single word. Our tone, facial expressions and many other factors play a huge part in what we are going to convey to the other party.

I have worked with teams before and have gone through bitter times due to poor inter-personal communication skills. I would like to share an unforgettable experience of working in a team during my JC days. I was working in a group of 4 and was doing a subject called project work. Due to a difference in expectations, I was at times sarcastically insulting my friends’ work without realising it. Eventually, I decided to dump all of the work on myself thus burning midnight oils daily which in turn affected my health badly.

I did not complete JC due to my health status. I started reflecting my mistakes and realised that I was lacking in communicating my feelings out in a sensitive way. I was not willing to listen and only wanted my point across. Friendships and feelings were affected. Learning from these mistakes, I changed myself to be able to listen more and always thought before I spoke.

Right now, I’m having my first group project in NUS. I would say that things are going pretty well. We have similar expectations. We laid out our strengths and weaknesses in the first meeting and discussed on when we are able to meet up. Though we had some minor disputes in the first few meetings about the flow of events, we sorted it out within a few minutes. We heard each other’s views on the flow and decided on one that would work best.

We have just finished our first OP and I would say we did a fairly well done job despite a few hiccups. Due to our commitments, we could only rehearse a day before. Unfortunately, one of our teammates told us a day before that she would not able to make it down for the rehearsal as she was not feeling well. She did reassure us that she will do the rehearsal at home and ensure that the time limit is hit. My perception of her turned from uncertainty to trustworthiness. I believe that we are on the right track in achieving our goals!

Also on communication, I would like to share some personal experiences on intercultural communication with you. During my year 3 in poly, I decided to apply for an overseas internship program in China. I was working with Hewlett Packard for 3 months. Whenever I tell my friends about this, they will immediately give me a shocked look and ask the golden question. How could I, an Indian, communicate with people in China?

Well fortunately, my colleagues were able to speak simple English. Some were not so well versed thus; sentences like “I was excited” should be said as “I was happy”. The biggest challenge in China was to do some shopping on my own. I recall an incident where I wanted an exercise mat for myself. I tried to converse in broken Chinese with the sales assistant. However, my message did not go through. Soon, I started describing the item that I wanted with my hands and body. I used my hands to describe the length of the mat and my body to do some exercise poses. Eventually, she understood me and guided me to the correct section. This can clearly show that communication is not just about words. Actions play a vital role in such cases.

Thus these can show that communications is crucial in depicting the person you are on how you take the message and how you convey it out. Remember that in communication, be sensitive to one another. Cheers!