Effective
communication is to convey messages clearly and without misunderstanding.
As a graduating Mechanical Engineering student, in a few months'
time I will step into a real workplace. Whatever industry I will work for,
effective communication skills will be important in daily work.
Because industrial technologies and products are not simple, people do not
work along but work in groups and teams in various projects. Some projects even
involve multi-discipline works which makes effective communications skills more
important. Although I have worked on a few multi-discipline student projects, I
am weak in communicating effectively. I found it was difficult to explain a
topic clearly to people who were not specialized in the area. People often do
not understand what I want them to know. There is a gap between what I think my
audience would know from the messages I send and what they really receive. This
happens many times, although communication is a two way process, there are
problems in my communications skills.
This course covers various communications skills including written
communication, oral communication and even some job application and interview
skills. All these skills are what I need. There are various presentations,
assignments and projects in this course which will give me lots of
opportunities to practice on communication and there are teacher and peers to
give suggestions on my communication weaknesses and strengths. I will have the
right advices and chances to correct my mistakes and improve my communication
skills. I really look forward to improve communication skills together with all my fellow classmates.
Hi zhou, I agree with you that sometime it is hard to explain things to people who do not specialize in that area. It is as though as you telling me how machine A works, its specifications etc. I think the point is when you know your stuff well, you will be able to explain it in such a way that allow s your audience to relate with stuff they do know or the necessary things that they will need to know to get things going. Overall I feel that your post is a bit short, perhaps you might want to include what equates to effective communication skills. For example, you can explain and elaborate "How giving of clear, concise instructions will benefit you and your audience?"
ReplyDeleteLastly, I also look forward to improve my communication skills with all of you.
Hi Joe,
ReplyDeleteIt is good that you provided an honest evaluation of the problems you face. I think being honest with your own weakness is the first step to improvement.
On explaining a topic with someone outside your field of specialization, I often face similar problem as you. My suggestion is to learn to put yourself in that person's shoes and try to understand what are the things he can easily related to. In that way, you can explain things in terms that they can easily understand.
Hi Joe,
ReplyDeleteI agree that the hardest part about communicating an idea is to someone who is clueless about what you're talking about.It is hard to explain a new topic to someone in a concise way and also keep them interested. Usually when we try to explain something new to someone we tend to be long winded or be distorted.Structure in communication is crucial and i believe that at the end of the course we will be equipped to structure our thoughts efficiently:)
Hello Joe! Yes, I totally agree with you regarding how sometimes one who knows his stuff very well cannot deliver the message across to his audience. This is very evident when I was tutoring one of my tutees. She told me that she could not understand what her teacher had taught her and despite her going to clarify with her teacher, she still could not grasp what was being explained to her. I realized that this was probably due to the teacher’s inability to identify with my tutee’s point of view on why she could not understand the concept that was taught. Hence, the teacher could not explain effectively to my tutee in a way that would address her doubts. On the other hand, when I was coaching my tutee, as I had previously shared the same difficulty as her, I could empathize where she was coming from, and this had allowed me to explain to her in the way which she could immediately comprehend. This is where effective communication comes in. Thank you for highlighting this example of failing to communicate effectively, as this totally did not come across to me that different understanding levels do play a role in one of the aspects that we should look out for in order to deliver a message across effectively. :)
ReplyDeleteThis is a very fine reflection, Joe, a clear and concise overview of why effective comm skills are vital for you. I like the way you methodically explain how your future workplace will involve you working with others, and how you pinpoint weaknesses you have now in such project-based assignments due to communication deficiencies.
ReplyDeleteYou also reference some of the work we do in ES2007S, explaining how feedback on various assignments will give you the practice needed for improvement.
Speaking of which, there are a few minor language issues in his post to take note of:
1) a graduating Mechanical Engineering student >>> a graduating mechanical engineering student
2) This happens many times, although communication is a two way process, there are problems in my communications skills. >>>
This happens many times. Although communication is a two way process, there are problems in my communications skills.
3) the right advices >>> the right advice
Thanks for the effort!