At the start of the course, I have set two objectives I
aimed to achieve. The first objective is to learn to better understand other
people, and I feel that it has been achieved. In this course, I learned how to
actively listen to the person I am talking to. I applied active listening when
I was having a conversation with my mother and learnt more about her feelings towards
the subject we were discussing. When conversing with her, I involved myself by
responding to her and tested my understanding my asking questions. I made sure
that I did not interrupt her nor change the subject to let her know that I was
interested.
The second objective is to be able to communicate my
thoughts and ideas accurately and clearly. I feel that it has not been achieved to a
certain extent. I learned how to develop competence in emotional communication
before an emotional display, however I still find it a little tough to follow
the steps. There were a few times where in lab classes, the lecturers would
comment on my lack of participation in fabrication. It did not quite matter to
me in the beginning because I knew that I was helping my team members well.
However, I felt frustrated every week because they kept “picking on me”. I was
not able to own my feelings and let them get the better of me. Nonetheless, I
am able to analyse the situation and think of possible consequences. I will
learn to manage my feelings and make sure that I do not react immediately to
other’s comments. I will learn to pause and reflect before I convey my thoughts
clearly.