Intercultural Communication

What is intercultural communication? At its foundation, intercultural communication's objectives are to establish and understand how people from different cultures behave, think or do. Once this is appreciated it is then possible to help people overcome intercultural differences and make for a better environment.

Having studied in the local educational system for more than a decade, my learning process had always been done via imitation and observation, to reproduce the right answers when called for. More often than not, disapproval was expected from the tutor when the wrong answer was given. As such, voicing out questions and opinions in class was never encouraged in the education culture.

Even at the university level, Singapore’s education culture is still clearly evident. Many of our university lecturers come from diverse cultural backgrounds and believe in interaction and discussion to facilitate learning. Now recall a scenario in which the lecturer poses a question to the students in the lecture theatre. How many students actually offer to answer?

Time and again, lecturers/tutors end up answering their own questions after periods of awkward silence. Some eventually adapt to the culture and stop posing questions to the students, while others continue trying. Effective intercultural communication can be applied in this scenario. By understanding the local education culture, teachers can try to see the perceptions of the students and organise the lesson in a different manner, stating the expectations of the students. The body language and verbal messages are important in encouraging the students to voice their opinions; instead of rejecting with disapproval, responding positively to an incorrect answer could potentially invite conservative students to open up. 




Edited 04/10/11

Application Letter

Blk 123 Pasir Ris Drive 1 #03-321

Singapore 123456

11^th September, 2011

One Fullerton
1 Fullerton Road #02-01
Singapore 049213

Application for Researcher Position

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am currently a final year Environmental Science and Engineering undergraduate at the National University of Singapore, with a keen interest in the global energy industries. I am delighted to learn of the opportunity to work as an entry-level Researcher in your esteemed organization through the advertisement on NUS Career Centre’s E-Job Centre.

The scope of my course has equipped me with the quantitative and qualitative skills to handle multi-tasks concurrently and effectively; such as having to meet tight project deadlines, work with different team-mates and do well in my courses while pursuing my interest in co-curricular activities. Assuming various leadership roles in the course of my education, I understand that discipline and self-motivation are essentials to lead and keep the team motivated to excel and win. The success of my teams bears good interpersonal skills, my goal-orientation and drive to succeed.

During my summer internship as an Investment Banking Operations Analyst with Credit Suisse, I demonstrated my ability to manipulate data within Microsoft Excel, revamping the presentation methods of the management information and also automating the process of the report production. In recognition of my work, I was awarded a certificate for outstanding contributions towards Operational Excellence. My previous working experience in a call-centre environment with Starhub allowed me to hone my qualities in critical thinking and communications; such as in a situation where I have to pacify a disputive customer, while analyzing the root of the dispute and offering the best possible solution. During my service with Starhub, I also received complimentary emails on good service, which testifies for my meticulous nature and trustworthiness in my work when dealing with sensitive information, such as personal information and monetary issues.

I am willing to learn and improve myself, at the same time, expand my network and improve my knowledge of the working life and I believe that this position would provide me with the ideal opportunity to obtain a stepping stone into the working world. My ability to grasp new concepts quickly and perform tasks efficiently can make me an asset of the team. Enclosed is my resume with further background information.

Please contact me at (65) 96365596 or through email at bernard.lim.qh@gmail.com if you have any questions. I look forward to hearing from you. Thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,

Bernard Lim

Resolving Interpersonal Conflict

With every interaction between people, the chance for disagreements occurs. The difference in opinions could be just about anything; work distribution, meeting timings, lunch locations or even lunch itself. Every individual has his/her own unique personality, wants and needs. Conflict is inevitable. Consequently, conflict management is a key to better relationships with friends and colleagues, and ultimately success in life. Often, conflicts can be anticipated and avoided with Emotional Intelligence and communication.

Emotion Intelligence (EI), also known as Emotional Quotient (EQ) can be defined by five elements: Self-Awareness, Self-Regulation, Motivation, Empathy and Social Skills. To illustrate the importance of EI, here’s an account of a relevant conflict that I encountered previously.

Harry and Ron were friends who had known each other for some time. Coincidentally, the two of them were elected as the Vice President and Camp Director of the Faculty Student’s Club respectively. As Camp Director, Ron’s responsibility was to welcome the faculty’s freshmen with an enriching, fun-filled orientation camp, while Harry was to play an advisory role in overseeing this project. After assembling a dedicated planning committee, Ron worked closely with Harry to deliver the task at hand.

During the orientation camp itself, spirits were high. The excited freshmen always looked forward to the next activity. A grand finale night ended the freshmen’s orientation camp with beautiful memories. The event was a success.

However, things were not going as well within the committee after all the good work. Harry felt that the event closure was not appropriately done. Harry wanted to have an After-Action-Review with the rest of the committee, but Ron felt that an online meeting with key appointment holders would suffice. Ron justified his suggestion in explaining that many of the members had plans for the rest of the summer and would be extremely difficult to gather the entire team. The exchange of words was done via email. When Ron did not respond after a few days, Harry sent a reminder email, with the following words to restate his point;

“Hope this will be the last reminder to you and your committee despite the number of times I have reminded you about the outstanding matters.

As I have said before, an online meeting with only the team heads will not suffice. I am giving you until Wednesday to settle this. Please schedule an AAR with the full committee and let me know of the date.

I heard that you’ve had outings with the team. Meeting up for the AAR should not be an issue right?”

Ron, checking his mail a few days later, felt that Harry was being inflexible and sarcastic in his reply. The matter was then escalated to the Student Club’s president.

What would you do to resolve the conflict if you were the Student Club's president?

Why effective communication skills are important to me

Ideas without actions will only be dreams. Effective communication is the key to translating these great ideas into reality. However, this is easier said than done. In fact, communication is only successful when both the sender and the receiver understand the same information as a result of the communication. More often than not, these ideas are misinterpreted as a result of poor communication skills, causing confusion and most importantly, wasted effort and opportunities.

Imagine this scenario: You are an entry-level analyst in a high profile company and you have a brilliant idea that could potentially bring huge savings to the firm, paving your way up the ranks in the process. The senior management has allocated you 10 minutes to pitch the idea to them.

Without effective communication, what you receive at the end of the presentation could be blank faces suggesting that they did not understand anything from the past 10 minutes. They leave the room, dashing your hopes of promotion and a great opportunity is lost, for both the company and YOU.

What I have described earlier is a fictious scenario based on my experiences during my 10 weeks summer internship, which I was given several opportunities to deliver project presentations to the senior managers. However, the time allocated was limited; therefore I had to capture all the information in a complete, concise manner, while ensuring it was presented with clarity and coherence. Condensing 10 weeks of work into an impressive 10 minute presentation was a challenging task. That made me realized the importance of effective communication in my career. Opportunities do not come in numbers and when they do, I want to make the best out of them. Transforming communication from a barrier to an asset is the first step.

Edited: 26/08/11
Added pictures!