Resolving interpersonal conflicts

Project work, especially those disguised in the form of essays, has always been the bane of every science students’ brief existence in the intellectual hub known as a university. Students scramble madly for potential groupmates that have at least some semblance of diligence about them, while those taking the course with friends try to steer clear of the melee. The ones who are left behind after this frantic round of ‘musical chairs’ are doomed to seek out others in similar predicaments. Thus, Kenny found himself doing the group essay with Yong. (Names have been changed to protect the privacy of anyone involved)

Everything was smooth sailing at first; they conducted their meetings, decided on the topic and split the work evenly, with each of them taking charge of half the essay. Kenny conducted his research by borrowing countless books and poring over each one to make sure that he got all the minute details correct. He often stayed up well into the night in order to complete his part on time. When the time came for them to combine their parts, Kenny got a rude shock when Yong said he didn’t manage to complete his part. It turned out that Yong was too busy struggling with his other modules and did not have enough time to do the essay. Kenny became visibly agitated after skimming through Yong’s part of the essay and finding numerous inconsistencies as well as factual errors. When confronted with it, Yong simply shrugged and admitted that he had only used one reference source and did not have the time to proofread.

That was quite simply the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back. Unable to keep his anger in check, Kenny let loose a torrent of accusations. “How could you be so irresponsible? I shouldn't have done the project with you. You are such a lazy ******* ” Yong remained impassive; he felt that he had already done his best given how time-consuming his other modules were. Frustrated, Kenny stormed off to complete the rest of the essay himself. As expected, neither of them managed to get a good grade for that module. However, that incident remained in Kenny’s mind for a long time and he couldn’t help but wonder if there was any way he could have handled the situation that day more tactfully..

Effective Communication: Important or Impotent?

Communication is like a two-edged sword. Wielded properly, it can become a powerful tool to bend the masses to your will. However, a word out of place, a misstep, can prove costly, resulting in great rifts of irreconcilable differences. It is an inescapable part of our daily lives, from conversing with the auntie at the coffee shop, to consulting our professors for clarification, and in the future, interacting with our colleagues in the workplace. It is therefore, important to learn the art of effective communication. In the corporate world, employees who are skilled in this area, are able to secure lucrative deals with prospective clients, and hence, are highly prized assets in the company.

Good communication is vital in a myriad of jobs. This is especially so in the teaching career where valuable communication skills play a pivotal role. As a recipient of the MOE teaching award (an MOE-funded scholarship for prospective teachers), I am well aware that educating eager young minds will soon become my raison d'être. Therefore, I must learn how to connect effectively with my target audience - the students.

Throughout my schooling years, I have seen more than my fair share of mediocre teachers. They are unable to teach well not because they are lacking in knowledge; rather, it is due to their inability to present their information in a form that the students will understand. Furthermore, a teacher’s job does not just end in the classroom. They play the role of a mediator too, especially when dealing with children from broken homes or troubled family backgrounds. All of these require teachers who have high levels of emotional intelligence or E.I., where effective communication skills are an essential trait.

Besides, having good communication skills will boost my employability, just in case ( crosses fingers :P )
I decide to part ways with a teaching career in future!

The importance of effective communication

This cartoon is solely the property of Mark Parisi and is borrowed from http://www.offthemark.com/