Blog Post #7: Reflections

I will be brutally honest here and admit that I came to this module hoping for an easy grade. My secondary objectives were to learn about how to write resumes and CVs, and just to get general feedback on my writing standards.

It is true that I have gained some things from this module. In professional communications, there can be little substitute for hands-on experience, and this module certainly emphasized practice. The number of deadlines I had for this module exceeds all my other modules combined. I have not had to make a presentation for some time now, and was quite stressed in the run-up to it. I am actually looking forward to the video review of our presentations, for I believe that self-awareness is a pre-requisite for self-improvement.

Having said that, I am somewhat disappointed with the feedback we were given over the course of the semester. Taking this blog as an example, I had hoped that we would receive specific feedback from the tutor on our entries, so that we could incorporate this feedback into our subsequent posts, and thus see if we have truly understood the comments. However, what we received was generic, group-level feedback, and I found it impossible to determine whether or not it was applicable to me. Many of our other assignments were one-offs, so even though we received feedback after the work was returned to us, we then had no opportunity to try and correct it and see if we had understood. I fear that this method of teaching may actually reinforce bad writing habits as opposed to promoting good ones.

Furthermore, this module was structured in such a way so as to allow for plenty of peer-level feedback. While giving peer feedback teaches us to read critically, enabling us to then critique our own work, I would personally have preferred feedback from the instructor. Very often, even as I gave others feedback about their writing, I would have to preface my comments with qualifiers such as, "I think"or "I feel". As a student taking this course, I by definition am not fully acquainted with the standards of writing which will be required of me in the workplace, and hence am unqualified to give comment on others' work. Similarly, I receive feedback from others with a pinch of salt, knowing that they face a similar situation.

I understand the physical impossibilities faced by the faculty in giving feedback to such a large number of students. I suppose that the peer feedback systems are meant to ameliorate this shortage by providing more feedback for each individual, albeit of uncertain standard. Yet I can only look back on the semester which has passed and wonder, "What if..."

Open Blog Post: Oral Presentations and the Context of Audience

As I was preparing for the upcoming oral presentation with my group-mates, I was struck by how much the presenter-audience relationship defines the style of the presentation. A teacher in a classroom is required to be energetic, inspiring, engaging, and somewhat larger than life. In this case however, as students presenting a case before faculty members, it seems that I may have to tone down my style somewhat, in deference to their authority.

I came to this realisation slowly, as my suggestions and ideas for the presentation were shot down one by one. My favorite teachers were the ones who spent the most energy interacting with the class, getting students to participate, teasing people light-heartedly, and generally capturing the classroom with their enthusiasm and personality. The classroom almost seemed like a stage, upon which they served as the host of the show, bringing forth the content which they needed to drill into our unwilling brains. I've heard of teachers who write rap songs about their subject, and perform them in class. The purpose of the oral presentation given by teachers is not merely to inform, but also to entertain and to motivate. How else do they sustain their students' attention?

I sincerely doubt that such presentation techniques will be much appreciated in a working environment, much less in Singapore's traditionally-minded society. In Singapore, much as in Asia as a whole, proper respect must be shown to those in positions of authority, and this respect is demonstrated through many verbal and non-verbal means. This includes being properly sombre when addressing them, adopting the tone which conveys the message that their understanding is undoubtedly superior to your own, and that your own presentation is merely a suggestion upon which you humbly hope they might bestow some consideration.

At the end of the day, the best way to tailor a presentation to an audience is to get to know them first. Prior interactions which took place through email and other means can give us an understanding of how much emphasis they place on the proper formalities. It would also be wise to seek out advice from those who have presented before that audience before.