Critical Reflection on Effective Communication MEC 1281

Personal thoughts on Effective Communication - MEC 1281

After going through 13 weeks of Effective Communication MEC 1281, I know that I have significantly improved as a communicator. I still remembered vividly when I first learnt that I would be taking up MEC 1281, dreading it as I did not excel in my English language and communication skills back in secondary school.

The first assignment that I was tasked to complete was a formal letter to professor Blackstone and my classmates introducing myself. I remembered struggling with it, listing out my strengths and weaknesses and goals for this module. the feedback that I got in return honestly was not that big of a surprise to me, as I knew beforehand I wasn't the best at writing.

Countless mistakes on sentence structure such as comma splice and run-on sentences plague my first assignment, not to mention spelling and grammar errors too. Now I am able to write with a reduction of such mistakes, but still not in perfect English as I am still learning and improving.

Through the many assignments I was tasked to complete, I was able to slowly build on my verbal communication as I would often be given a chance to speak in front of the class on topics and or expressing our thoughts on certain topics. This is only the beginning, as I have only now realized my capability in written and verbal communication.

During my trimester break, I would be seeking an internship. I believe I would be able to improve my communication skills further, as I could practice all these skills that I learned in MEC1281 in a real workplace setting. Through interactions with colleagues, I can improve on my initial goal of making small talks bearable and less awkward - also, the many writing and presentation to perfect my tone when communicating with others.

While working on the project as a team on the technical report assignment is that i realize the importance of having teamwork and getting the team to focus on what is a hand. Being the secretary of the tea, i felt that my task was to give the team clear directions, such as setting up pointers on the report's topics and having all the knowledge at hand.

In this report writing process, I learned that everyone has different working styles. Personally, I learned that I am someone that needs clear structure, pointers, and guidance, so I am able to work towards the lais-out end goal for each session. For example, when there wasn't a clear outline on what is to be done in a specific report writing session with my teammates, I would always stray off from topic or even go off and watch some entertaining videos.

What I learned about my teammates were, that some of them, unlike myself, could strive without the pointers to guide them as they could express their broad findings in the report and discussing each finding together with the team. Another team member was like the glue to the team, with who we could all consult our ideas and findings as we felt she has a grip on the reality of the project's idea. I felt that with the variety of working styles and willingness to work together, we complemented each other. This was reflected in the speed and quality of our technical report that we were able to submit about a week in advance.

The experience in MEC 1281 has changed me, pushing me out of my comfort zone. Allowing me to learn how to work with or deal with people of varying working styles, improving my communication skills to bring people together.

The one thing I took away from this project experience is not to dismiss someone's capabilities, but with effective communication, everyone could contribute in their own way.