I have to say I used to be a very timid and shy girl who even feared oral examinations and the PW group presentation in both secondary schools and junior college that I was so stressed for at least a few days. My verbal English language skill is very weak because I only communicate with my family and my friends using Chinese. And indeed, I was ever so afraid when I had to talk to Caucasians in U.S.A and to non-Chinese race in Singapore. And also to the extent that I do not talk unless necessary to Chinese who are “ang moh” in the sense that they only speak English. Yes, maybe I still have this fear inside me all the while and I am still trying to conquer it till now. To even have effective communication skills, firstly I am sure we need to possess the ability to speak clearly and confidently to others and get your message across to them. So having this basic skill of being a good communicator is also important.
Recently, some friends around me are having this two “clique” war. Both sides of people are telling me stories that are completely different and leaving me as a confused kid. Why? In the end we found out that everything stems from misunderstandings, misinterpretations and miscommunications. And so I believe in order to survive in this complex world out there and your workplace, being a good communicator and possessing the right skills is very crucial to me.
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Hi Huiwen! This post was written based on your personal experiences and this actually makes it more endearing as it allows me to relate more to why effective communication is important to you. So good job! I would also like to add that besides speaking clearly and confidently to others to reduce misunderstandings, non-verbal cues are also important as it reveals what we think of ourselves and whether we are being sincere and genuine in what we say.
ReplyDeleteHey Hui Wen,
ReplyDeleteI would like to say that you need not be shy to speak to your non-chinese friends as i beleive that your sincerity in the conversation and gestures will certainly make them understand you...Well, i perfectly understood you when I spoke to you for the first time. so, don't lose hope in your communicational skills as i feel that you have really good skills after all..:)
Cheers,
Rathi
Hey Huiwen!
ReplyDeleteBeing more on the chinese-speaking side too, I understand your hesitations when comes to speaking English in public, especially when you have an audience.
I once had a game of Taboo with my friends and under the stress of the ticking clock, all our broken English and Singlish came out. Such a senario might be normal,perhaps even funny, to the locals. But it may be an embarrasement in front of foreigners.
So, let's work hard in be coming a better communicator!
Hi Huiwen,
ReplyDeleteI can relate to your personal experiences too because I came from a Chinese speaking family and I am not strong in my English. Sometimes, I find it hard to express my thoughts in good English and the lack of confidence makes it worse. Hence, I agree with you that to be able to speak clearly and confidently is a key to effective communication. Your courage to overcome the weaknesses is really admirable and hopefully we will be able to improve our communication skills after taking this module. =)
Hi Huiwen,
ReplyDeleteI appreciate your honesty to express your worries. The problem you are facing directly explain why effective communication is important to you. I hold the same thought with you that I would like to speak Chinese if the guy I speak with can speak Chinese, no matter how bad his/her Chinese is. Sometimes, I lose confidence to speak in English when I know my audience can speak chinese. I hope we can get rid of this fear finally.
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ReplyDeleteThank you guys for all the comments. Really appreciate it. =) With all your advices and encouragement, I am sure I will take a big leap forward. Haha. And may all of us be the best communicators after taking this course! :)
ReplyDelete