Critical Reflection

 Before the first lesson, I presumed this communication class to be the same as what I have done in polytechnic, where I will just be doing reports and giving presentations without significant improvement in my communication skills. As I used to always think that communication is not something that can be trained or improved in a short time. However, after this class, I realised that that is just one of my many assumptions that I never questioned before, and this class genuinely assisted me in evaluating their validity in relation to my real-life experiences in class. 

Throughout the class, I have completed tasks such as writing an introduction letter, technical report, a summary reader response and giving an oral presentation in which all contributed to invalidating my presumption of this class. In terms of writing skills, I have learnt about different frameworks that will aid me in writing. There are many different aspects to consider from grammar to style and tone. Through the writing assignments, I realised my writing lacks clarity. Good writing should be easy to understand even for those who are not even for those who are not experts on the subject. I am weak in my sentence structure, word choice and overall organisation of the content. I tend to lump all information into one paragraph without proper summarisation and organisation. Upon receiving feedback from the professor, I reflect on my writing and identify those weaknesses for improvement and work to refine my approach over time.

After my oral presentation in this class, I realised that I have improved since my polytechnic times but there are also some areas where I could have further improved. Specifically, I noticed that I did not project my voice enough at times which made it difficult for the audience to receive and fully absorb the information. Additionally, I could have done a better job in using the slides as my visual aids to illustrate some of my main key points in my presentation. Even though I was also very nervous, I have tried my best to remain composed. I was not as anxious as compared to my days in polytechnic as I think this module has prepared me well enough from organising content to actually delivering verbally. Despite those areas for improvement, I found myself having a solid understanding of the topic which I was doing and was able to convey the information effectively. Positive and constructive feedback from the professor and some of my classmates helped me develop confidence in my ability to communicate complex ideas. In the future, I intend to work on slowing down my delivery and including more visual aids in my talks. I also want to continue to broaden my subject expertise so that I can answer any questions that may arise during future presentations or normal conversation with people.

It was a challenging process to debunk my assumptions as I needed to confront some of my biases and preconceptions. However, by engaging in these module classes, I was able to broaden my perspective and become more open-minded through the discussion and exercises I have done in class. Finally, I understand the importance of acting upon what I have learned in this class. Overall, this communication class has been a valuable experience for me. It has challenged me to think critically about my assumptions and has given me the skills to communicate more effectively. I have found myself to be more comfortable talking in front of groups of people at the end of this module. I am grateful for this opportunity to learn and grow, and I look forward to applying what I have learned in my personal and professional life.