This course has ascertained the importance of active listening for effective communication, as discussed in my first blog. Through the process of developing active listening, it not only improved my verbal communication skills with others, it has more essentially taught me a core principle of effective communication – mutual respect - which can be applied to most situations.

Since a communication process involves a two way interaction, I realized that effective communication fundamentally revolves around mutual respect. This can be exemplified in the following ways: intercultural interactions (respecting other cultures by being sensitive and being non-judgmental), written communication (respecting readers by being sensitive when formulating bad news letters), conflict resolutions (respecting the needs of each person through win-win situations), attending a meeting (respecting and being receptive to ideas of other members), attending an interview (respecting the interviewers and the organisation in the way we dress and speak) or even delivering an oral presentation (having respect for the audience to build rapport). Therefore through mutual respect, the focus on the audience and self is healthily balanced.

As I would be graduating by the end of next semester, the lessons on resume writing and job application were the most appropriate for me. I learnt about the proper formatting used in the resume, and the importance of highlighting relevant information and work experiences for a more persuasive job application letter. This course also provided a comprehensive list of potential interview questions which would undeniably be useful for tackling an interview. All these would surely place me in an advantageous position over other job applicants.

Furthermore, the video taping of the oral presentation was exceptionally useful for self-evaluation and to improve on our future presentations. The research project has also taught me the importance of team work and its collective effort in accomplishing a task efficiently. I had a wonderful semester with my project group mates CG, Miranda and Joyce!

To top things up, this course was made enjoyable because of the open communication system we had in class. It was obvious that my classmates were sincere about learning as everyone was helpful and encouraging.

Thanks to all my classmates for this great experience and especially Ms Kim for the hard work she invested throughout the semester, in planning and delivering the lessons and meticulously checking through our piles of assignments.

Kudos to all!