Sunday, January 17, 2016

Strengths And Challenges Of Communication


"A good relationship starts with a good communication"


Communication is a way to interact and transfer information from one place to another, verbally and non-verbally. Verbal Communication is communicating with the use of words and sound to the individual, directly or indirectly. For example, face-to-face communication and television advertisement. Non-Verbal Communication is communicating with gesture and body posture, which are displayed through body language or movement between the communicators.


My strength in Communication is that I can express myself confidently at times. One example is that when I have the knowledge and experience on a particular subject. As I have been learnt Additional mathematics during my secondary and Polytechnic life, I am experienced enough to be able to teach my classmates confidently. Another example is when I plan or practice what I want to say before a discussion or presentation. The old phrase, “Practice made perfect.” works for me. Continuously planning or practicing a presentation helps to build my confidence, in order to express myself confidently.


My challenges in communication is that I can be quite straightforward with my words. Even though, I do occasionally think that being straightforward is good. There are times that I do tend to offend people with my words, without noticing, and I do get trouble with it. I believe that, with the help of this module, I would present myself better. Another weakness in communication that I had is that I tend to get nervous in presentation as well. Even though, sometimes, I did prepare myself before presentation. I tend to let my nervousness take control of me and lost my pace of speaking to the audiences. 

Hence, I hope that through Interpersonal and Work Communication that I can further improve my presentation skills, express and understand myself better.

Edited: 3rd February 2015


Commended on: Steven, Marcus and  Daphne

7 comments:

Angela said...

Hi Meiying, being around you for quite sometimes, I do realise that you are a very straightforward person and that might come across as being rude to others, in their perspective. However if someone is close to you, they would understand that you mean well and would also come to you for advice as they know that you wouldn't beat around the bushes with them and give them the close hard truth when needed. To improve on that, you can try asking yourself the following questions before saying things out loud. Will what I said hurt others feelings? Will what I say be taken wrongly? Will i come across as rude when i say this? By going through all those questions, you reflect on the things you plan to say and briefly understand what it feels like on the receiving end of those words. Hope my advice helps and good luck in improving yourself during COM150. :)

Unknown said...

Hello MeiYing,
I think that it is good that you can communicate confidently which is what i am lacking.Perhaps, you could give me a few tips on it ?

Being straightforward is both your strength and weakness And I do agree with Angela that you are a very straightforward person and that if people that do not know you well would think that you are rude but you actually mean well.

Just bear in mind that being straightforward is good, but do not jump into the point in a very harsh way. You need to know the limits, and you should step back and take a good look at the situation before saying something. Think twice, maybe thrice and imagine how serious the situation is before saying whatever is on your mind. Like what many people are saying words are usually more powerful than actions, so be weary of that.Hope it helps.

Daphne said...

Hi Meiying, it is good to have confidence and go through thorough planning before a discussion and presentation! Like what others had said, being straightforward can be a double edge sword at times and people might misunderstand you.Be mindful of the environment and settings and maybe for start you can test water to judge whether the person is someone that can take the straightforwardness. It is always good to think twice before doing anything, do not let the natural instinct do something that might harm you.

Zheng said...

Hi Mei Ying, i am also a straightforward person like you. In the past, i would speak without thinking. In the process, i had hurt some of my friends and family members feelings. After feedback given from them, i realized that i need to improve. I had learnt to be more sensitive, mindful and observant. These allows me to segment target group based on the different characteristics of my friends or family members, who can i be straight forward to and who i can't. I am also learning to phrase differently so as not to hurt their feelings. If you like, i can teach you a trick or two.

Brad Blackstone said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Brad Blackstone said...

This is a well organized post, Mei. You introduce the topic well with info from the reading and our discussion (even though there is some confusion in your use of terms). You also clearly describe a strength and some weaknesses in your communication.

What I'd like to see more of is a wrap up, or conclusion of your ideas. It seems to me you are hurrying your thoughts by the end of paragraph #3.

Here are some other areas to consider:

1) Verbal Communication / Non-verbal Communication / Additional Mathematics during my Secondary and Polytechnic >>> Verbal communication / Non-verbal communication / additional mathematics during my secondary and polytechnic life(check on capitalization rules at https://owl.english.purdue.edu/engagement/2/1/42/ )

2) gesture, body posture gestures... >>> meaning?

3) By continuously planning or practicing on a presentation, helps.... >>>
Continuously planning or practicing a presentation helps.... (What constitutes the subject of a sentence?)

4) Another weakness in communication that I had is that I tend to get nervous in presentation as well. >>>
Another weakness in communication that I have is that I tend to get nervous in presentation as well. (verb tense)

I appreciate your effort though and the fact that your classmates have given good feedback.

Unknown said...

Hi Mei Ying! I am envious of you at the fact that you can express yourself confidently to others. This is something that i lack of and i wish to improve on. Perhaps i should practice and work on my flaws to improve myself. Truthfully, i believe being straightforward is much more beneficial than hanging around the bush and the constant lies. I would rather face or say the truth rather than living around lie. Well that is my take but it's for you to decide what is best for you. For presentation wise, maybe you could seek Yar Zar for help. Yar Zar is very good in portraying himself in front of others as he possess the confidence to speak up. Hope this helps.