In my years of school, be it at secondary level or at university, I have had to assume positions of responsibility, as I still do. Two years ago, I was Welfare Director of an NUS Student Society. As soon as I got into this position, I knew I was in trouble. My first attempts to communicate with members of the Society failed miserably. At first I thought it was because there was a general disinterest among the members. But, through feedback I later received, I learned that it was in great part because I did not know how to approach the people.
In my way of communicating, people often perceived me as either being arrogant, condescending or plain rude, even though it was far from my intention. I have tried to change that many times, but with little success. If in university I cannot communicate properly with the people I work with, then how would I fare in the working world?
During my internship those last three months, I have faced similar problems. Some of the workers even thought I was a manager at the company, so much I gave off an air of arrogance. Good you might say? Surely not! I haven’t been able to make good friends at work because of this. I have experienced it first hand: if you are not friends with your colleagues, doing a simple job gets complicated.
Being at the doors of the working world, I find it most important to sharpen those communication skills before plunging into this storm of relationships.
Having your way with words is one thing. Using them to communicate effectively is a whole other matter.
Yashfeer, thanks for your frank sharing! This is a well-focused post, one that answers the question very well. I like the personal experiences you'd shared, sheding light on why you would like to become a more effective commmunicator. I also like this post for its conciseness, and its coherence. Good effort!
ReplyDeleteWhat might make your overall message stronger is if you unite ideas between paragraphs. You concluded the post stating that "having a way with words" is one thing, but "using them to communicate effectively" is another. How do you relate this to your earlier examples of schoolmates and co-workers perceiving you as arrogant and rude? When ideas are expressed clearly and connections are made, readers find it easier to comprehend the message.
I look forward to reading more of your posts!
Hello Yashfeer! I like how you have used personal anecdotes to explain your points. It has helped me to understand clearly why you think effective communication is important to you. It has also made the post interesting to read.
ReplyDeleteI also like the two sentences with which you have ended off your post. However, as Ms. Lim has said, it would be better if you could form a link between the earlier part of your post with these two sentences. It sounds a little choppy now.
Nice work on the whole! =)
Hi Yashfeer, I sort of understand your position. You are being your normal self,or even trying to be friendly, but people think you are being arrogant. I guess you have to "act" a bit at first and give a good first impression so that they are interested in making friends with you. When you become closer, you can reveal your true personality.
ReplyDeleteIt is kind of sad that communication is so important, even if you are good at your job. I guess you HAVE to work with other people during your work life, so you have to learn to communicate effectively eventually.
Good to have you in the course.
Hi Yashfeer,
ReplyDeleteI think people automatically associate that air of authority/aloofness with you when you do not speak because you (seriously) look a little unapproachable at first glance.
Why not take the initiative to approach people in a new setting? You have brought up numerous lucid explanations in class and I am impressed at how well you can bring a point across. Deliver them with a smile and the package seems complete :D
Hi Yashfeer,
ReplyDeleteI had a similar experience during my secondary school time. Students in the school who don’t really understand me will say I am arrogant and a person hard to communicate with. My teacher advice me to smile more which will alleviate the problem and it really helps. You can have a try. Time is a good solvent that will dissolve the problem.
I like the ending paragraph. Communicating with other face to face is lot more different from communicating with words.
Yo Yashfeer,
ReplyDeleteI like your use of emotive/ visual words like "I knew I was in trouble", "failed miserably", "at the doors of the working world".
Your use of thought-provoking questions "If in university I cannot communicate properly..., then how would I fare in the working world?" really helps to engage the reader.
I think u certainly have a way with words, so if you were having communication problems, it might be more of the tone/ body language. These things are the hardest to change, but we can all slowly work towards improving it!
Hi Yashfeer, thanks for sharing. Like Jing Yuan - I have similar experiences like these too. And I always find it really difficult changing people's impression once they get the idea that they're talking to someone unapproachable. Perhaps you might want to smile more? That's my personal goal too, to change what others think of me.
ReplyDeleteYou came across pretty confident today during peer sharing, and I didn't really feel that arrogance you were so concerned about though. So that's great!
And I really like your last paragraph - it certainly highlights the importance of body language etc. in communication.