In the first
lesson, the class was tasked to fill up a form with information about other
people’s experiences, hobbies and habits. It was an effective icebreaker and
sparked a lively atmosphere in the classroom, setting the tone for the rest of
the module. More importantly, I believe the exercise was an idealized
demonstration of the purpose of effective communication.
Everyone held different nuggets of information and it became an open market where information was quickly exchanged to see who had what I wanted, what I had that he needed and how we could have a mutually beneficial trade.. I say ‘idealized’ because in reality we do not get the luxury of bartering in a conducive classroom environment, we cannot assume the other parties come in peace and we do not always hold onto the same questions. However, that did not detract from my key takeaway one of the main points of communication is the response you get from others. However, I also have a sneaking suspicion that if I merely sat down in the middle of the classroom and merely eavesdropped on all the conversations around me, I would quickly garner all the information needed, which also explains why I believe listening to, empathizing with and understanding others are the most crucial skills of communication.
No man is an island. Civilization progressed because our forefathers shared their expertise and their experiences as they too rode on the experiences of others before them. Even in the height of the Cold War, the Soviet Union and United States of America took pains to create the infamous “red phone” to allow direct communication between the leaders of the two nuclear powers. Communication is therefore important because one’s survival and wellbeing is contingent on the mutually beneficial sharing of information and resources.
ADDED ON 9 SEPT: I decided to take this course as a follow-up from my previous ES module, Evaluating Academic Arguments. My limited work experience in F&B outlets and in office environments have taught me, if nothing else, that I am sorely lacking in professional argumentative and communication skills. "Office politics" would be the layman term. My casual communication skills still need some polishing too, but I don't expect that to be the focus of this module. Can communication even be divided into "casual" and "professional"? Thanks for creating such a lively comment page, please continue sharing your thoughts.
Everyone held different nuggets of information and it became an open market where information was quickly exchanged to see who had what I wanted, what I had that he needed and how we could have a mutually beneficial trade.. I say ‘idealized’ because in reality we do not get the luxury of bartering in a conducive classroom environment, we cannot assume the other parties come in peace and we do not always hold onto the same questions. However, that did not detract from my key takeaway one of the main points of communication is the response you get from others. However, I also have a sneaking suspicion that if I merely sat down in the middle of the classroom and merely eavesdropped on all the conversations around me, I would quickly garner all the information needed, which also explains why I believe listening to, empathizing with and understanding others are the most crucial skills of communication.
No man is an island. Civilization progressed because our forefathers shared their expertise and their experiences as they too rode on the experiences of others before them. Even in the height of the Cold War, the Soviet Union and United States of America took pains to create the infamous “red phone” to allow direct communication between the leaders of the two nuclear powers. Communication is therefore important because one’s survival and wellbeing is contingent on the mutually beneficial sharing of information and resources.
ADDED ON 9 SEPT: I decided to take this course as a follow-up from my previous ES module, Evaluating Academic Arguments. My limited work experience in F&B outlets and in office environments have taught me, if nothing else, that I am sorely lacking in professional argumentative and communication skills. "Office politics" would be the layman term. My casual communication skills still need some polishing too, but I don't expect that to be the focus of this module. Can communication even be divided into "casual" and "professional"? Thanks for creating such a lively comment page, please continue sharing your thoughts.
