Subject: Communication Strengths & Weaknesses
Dear Ms. Lim,
My name is Sean and I am currently pursuing a degree in Sustainable Infrastructure Engineering (Land) in the Singapore Institute of Technology. I graduated from Singapore Polytechnic with a diploma in Environmental Management and Water Technology. I am writing in to share with you on my strengths and weaknesses in terms of effective communication, as well as what I would like to takeaway from this module.
Communication is an integral part of our everyday lives. Apart from the expedition of the process of sharing and exchanging ideas, knowledge and information, it is also paramount in the development and the maintenance of relationships with others.
Now I will be talking about my strengths.
The communication pipeline goes both ways, and engaged listening is just as paramount as speaking. I feel that that active listening is one of my strong suits, and subsequent to that, I can provide the other party with appropriate responses to his/her problems/dilemmas.
Open-mindedness is also another one of my key strengths. By listening to another party's point of view with an open-mind as opposed to blatantly jamming my points down another person throat, I feel that is the best way to have meaningful, as well as productive conversations.
Respect is another key part of conversation, and that is something I do not lack. Speaking to someone verbally, for example, it is essential that we maintain eye-contact, as well as avoid from using our phones whenever the other party is talking. Respect and active listening goes hand in hand and it ensures that we make the speaker feel appreciated and that they do matter.
Now I shall move on to my weaknesses.
One key weakness that I have is confidence as well as my non-verbal communication skills. For example, whenever in presentations, I start to become jittery even after multiple rehearsals. For example, in my polytechnic presentations, I will tend to "play" with my hair, as soon as I get nervous, as pointed out by my classmates. I also tend to not use hand gestures to aid with my presentations, which could bore the audience.
Another weakness that I have is the usage of placards/notes in my presentations. Written on these placards are not pointers that should aid me while presenting, but a word-for-word script on what I should say. I also tend to read off the slides. Again, these habits would bore the audience and result in an astonishingly "unprepared" presentation.
There are a few things that I would like to takeaway from this module.
Firstly, I would like to become a lot more confident. Being introvert in nature, I feel that social anxiety issues should not hinder me from becoming my best, and that is something that I would like to work on in this module.
I would also like to learn on the various techniques on group presentations, how to effectively engage the audience, as well as gain more insight into the art of effective communication.
Best regards,
Sean
Dear Ms. Lim,
My name is Sean and I am currently pursuing a degree in Sustainable Infrastructure Engineering (Land) in the Singapore Institute of Technology. I graduated from Singapore Polytechnic with a diploma in Environmental Management and Water Technology. I am writing in to share with you on my strengths and weaknesses in terms of effective communication, as well as what I would like to takeaway from this module.
Communication is an integral part of our everyday lives. Apart from the expedition of the process of sharing and exchanging ideas, knowledge and information, it is also paramount in the development and the maintenance of relationships with others.
Now I will be talking about my strengths.
The communication pipeline goes both ways, and engaged listening is just as paramount as speaking. I feel that that active listening is one of my strong suits, and subsequent to that, I can provide the other party with appropriate responses to his/her problems/dilemmas.
Open-mindedness is also another one of my key strengths. By listening to another party's point of view with an open-mind as opposed to blatantly jamming my points down another person throat, I feel that is the best way to have meaningful, as well as productive conversations.
Respect is another key part of conversation, and that is something I do not lack. Speaking to someone verbally, for example, it is essential that we maintain eye-contact, as well as avoid from using our phones whenever the other party is talking. Respect and active listening goes hand in hand and it ensures that we make the speaker feel appreciated and that they do matter.
Now I shall move on to my weaknesses.
One key weakness that I have is confidence as well as my non-verbal communication skills. For example, whenever in presentations, I start to become jittery even after multiple rehearsals. For example, in my polytechnic presentations, I will tend to "play" with my hair, as soon as I get nervous, as pointed out by my classmates. I also tend to not use hand gestures to aid with my presentations, which could bore the audience.
Another weakness that I have is the usage of placards/notes in my presentations. Written on these placards are not pointers that should aid me while presenting, but a word-for-word script on what I should say. I also tend to read off the slides. Again, these habits would bore the audience and result in an astonishingly "unprepared" presentation.
There are a few things that I would like to takeaway from this module.
Firstly, I would like to become a lot more confident. Being introvert in nature, I feel that social anxiety issues should not hinder me from becoming my best, and that is something that I would like to work on in this module.
I would also like to learn on the various techniques on group presentations, how to effectively engage the audience, as well as gain more insight into the art of effective communication.
Best regards,
Sean
Hi Sean,
ReplyDeleteI find that your post is interesting with clear examples and experiences to further explain your strengths and weaknesses.
I agree that it is important to give respect and pay attention to others when they are speaking. This helps to build interpersonal relationships as they will feel that we are interested to know more about them. It also gives them a sense of 'good feeling' that someone is hearing them out.
As for your weaknesses, I agree that people tend to fidget when they feel nervous. I understand from your post that you 'play' with your hair when you are nervous, and you had also highlighted that you are lacking in hand gestures. As part of my personal experience, I would like to suggest that maybe you can change the habit of playing with your hair to using hand gestures as a way of coping with your nervousness. It would seem more natural.
I agree that most people will refer to slides or placards when they are presenting, but being over-reliant on it would make the audience feel that the presenter is unprepared. I feel that it is alright to write important key points on the placards and refer to it, but the explanation should be done in the presenter's own words. This will show that the presenter understands the topic that is being presented well. I believe with ample practice, you will be able to do it too.
One of the areas that you can improve on your blog post is your letter's format. The sender's and recipient's full name, tile and address should be included in the letter. A more clear and concise subject title, such as 'My Strengths and Weaknesses in Communication' can be used instead, as 'Communication Strengths & Weaknesses' may refer to general strengths and weaknesses instead of your reflection. Other areas you may improve on are your grammar and to avoid using symbols in formal writing.
Overall, I feel that you have responded well to the requirements of the assignments. I hope that my suggestions will be of help to you. Let's work together in the coming classes to improve our communication skills.
Best Regards,
Lim Mei Jiuen