ES2007S Professional Communication.

Why is effective communication important for me?

Sunday, 19 August 2012

Unknown

Communication, in today’s context, does not only include speaking to someone face-to-face, it can also include other forms such as emails, messages and video conferencing. Communication may seem easy but to be an effective communicator, it is not as simple. Effective communication happens when the receivers comprehend the message as intended by the sender and this normally requires the understanding of the emotion behind the information.

Communications skills are not like any other subject which I can spend time looking through textbooks and then excel in it. It requires a lot of practice and also the correct skills. From a young age, I have always been known as a quiet girl and I was never an outspoken person. Therefore, I will like to make use of this course to enhance my communication skills as I know that it will greatly benefit me in the present and also in the future.

Currently, effective communication skills will be of great use to me during group discussion. One of my biggest obstacles is to express my thoughts confidently to a group of people. As a result, I tend to keep my opinions to myself instead and I feel that this actually hinders my learning process as I do not know whether my understanding of certain topics is correct or wrong.

After graduating from NUS, effective communication skills will still be of great importance as they will play a big role during interviews and also when I start to work. My aspiration is be a dietician. I know that this job requires me to interact with many patients and it is essential that they understand what I am trying to tell them. Furthermore, a stronger bond can be forged between me and the patients if I am able to better understand their emotions.

I once saw a quote online, “We hear only half of what is said to us, understand only half of that, believe only half of that, and remember only half of that”. I feel that this is somewhat true of our society, including myself and this has become an obstacle for some to achieve greater heights. Effective communication skills are imperative to success and also an essential lifelong skill. Hence, it is absolutely important to strive for effective communication skills.

7 comments

7 Comments:

At 25 August 2012 at 09:58, Bernard-es2007s

Hi, I have read through your blog and I share your views in relation to this course.

I think the structure of your blog is OK. You went from a general concept of communication to your personal view of the course.

One thing that you might not be aware is that sometimes your sentences becomes too long and it starts to get hard to read. Perhaps you can consider breaking down long sentences into smaller parts.

Another issue I find it interesting is the tendency to use the word "also". Each paragraph has an "also" except for the third. Actually you could remove some of those "also" and the meaning of the sentence would still remain the same.

Anyway, I still think you did a good job in writing this blog. Cheers :)
At 26 August 2012 at 09:07, Unknown

Thanks for the feedback! I did not realise that I have the habit of using the word "also" until you pointed out. I will try not to make the same mistake for the subsequent posts.
Thanks!
At 27 August 2012 at 06:42, Brad Blackstone

This is a very fine post, Yea Wen. As Bernard states, you do a great job moving from the general to specific. You illustrate a bit of your character and your skills needs clearly and with concrete examples. Thanks for that!

There are a few minor language issues:

1) Communications skills are not like any other subject which I can spend time looking through textbooks and then excel in it. >>>
Communications skills are not like any other subject FOR which I can spend time looking through textbooks and then excel in it.

2) It requires a lot of practice and also the correct skills. >>> It? The subject? Or communication skills?

3) I will like to make use ... >>> I want to make use / I would like to ....

4) I feel that this is somewhat true of our society, including myself ... >>> I feel that this is somewhat true of many people in our society, including myself ....

I look forward to reading more of your writing!
At 27 August 2012 at 11:06, yun

Hey Yeawen!

I found your quote very relevant to this post! And I definitely agree with you on the fact that communication is not something we can learn out of textbooks. It is something very hands-on and applicable to our daily lives.

Although your sentences are long, your post is still very structured and smooth. Personally, though, I find short sentences useful when trying to spot errors while drafting. Makes it much more easier! You might wish to consider trying this!

And yes, I can relate very well to your situation described in the second para! Though I'm not exactly quiet, but I'm not very outspoken either! So we shall work hard together and discover our 'potential' over the next few months! (:

See you in class!
At 1 September 2012 at 01:46, Eric Linardy

Hi Ya Wen,

It is great to see a person who knows her dream and works toward achieving it. Being a dietitian is a noble profession since dietary intake is probably one of the best place to start preventive health care.

Bedside skills including communication is very important factor for success in medical world. Thus, it is heartening to see that you have taken steps to improve yours.

It has often been said that "still water runs deep and I have found that many people who are quiet actually have great ideas buzzing around in their heads. Thus, I hope through this course I will be able to hear a lot of amazing ideas from you during group discussion.

Understanding the emotion of others is an important skills in communication, however being able to express your own emotion towards them is probably equally if not more important. I have read an article which shows doctors in USA who appear more pleasant towards their patients actually suffer less lawsuits throughout their medical career. Thus, being quiet will certainly do not help when your patients require you to soothe their anxiety and advice.

I hope all of us can improve our communication skills together in this class.
At 2 September 2012 at 02:05, Chandra's ES2007S Blog

Hi Yeawen,

It is very admirable that you are trying to satisfy all pre-requisites necessary to reach your dream of becoming a dietician. Enjoyed reading your post :)
At 2 September 2012 at 09:28, Unknown

Brad: Thanks a lot for pointing out my grammatical errors. For the second point, I think I mean communication skills.

Hui Yun: Thanks for the advice, I will try not to form long sentences next time.

Eric: Personally, I also felt that prevention is really a key to good health and many people actually neglect that. Therefore, I really hope to be a dietician in order to enforce this idea in the public. In addition, controlling of my emotion has never been one of my concerns when I thought of becoming a dietician. However, your comment makes me realise the importance of controlling my emotion as a dietician. Thanks a lot for bringing it up!:)

Chandra: Thanks for spending time to read my post.