Critical reflection

At the start of this trimester, I have set two goals to achieve in this CVE1281 Effective Communication class. They are to be more proactive in tutorials and enhance my written communication skills.

From week 1 of the tutorial till now, I can confidently say that I have grown to be a more confident communicator. Being an introvert, I lack confidence whenever I must speak to the crowd. Verbal communication has always been my weakness. Throughout this module, I constantly reminded myself that I needed to grow out of this fear. Professor Blackstone's tutorials have aided me immensely in overcoming this fear. During tutorials, Professor Blackstone would engage the class by selecting individuals to read to the class, answer specific questions, and interact with others through discussions. Through these tutorials, I managed to step out of my comfort zone to speak up, be proactive, and participate. Now, I can speak to the crowd with more confidence, as evident during the formal presentation. However, I still tend to feel nervous and intimidated by the crowd. After this module, I strive further to improve my presentation skills through constant practice at home.

My second goal was to enhance my written communication skills. Though I can write adequately, I tend to lose focus on the essay's main topic. Every tutorial, we were given opportunities to write and give constructive feedback on our classmate's writing pieces. From evaluation, we learn from one another's mistakes, which has aided me greatly in writing. Out of all the feedback given, I feel that Professor Blackstone's review allowed me to learn the most. The detailed review and consultations enabled me to understand the requirements needed to produce a good essay and look out for fine details that I often missed out on. Now, I can write and cite in APA style with better precision and fluency.

For our research project, the technical report was a unique project out of all the assignments. The technical design report has allowed me to learn extensively as it had many components that led up to the final report. Some significant highlights I would want to elaborate further would be the pitching and the technical report writing.

Days leading up to the pitch, we were tasked to brainstorm, create a pitch and sell our ideas to our classmates. In week 5, everyone had to pitch to five of our classmates. Then a handful was picked to pitch to the class. Though I was not chosen, I learned as the audience by differentiating the ones that are better at verbal communication. Professor Blackstone also provided tips on how we should present ourselves during a presentation to prepare ourselves better and to ensure that we appear confident and professional for the upcoming presentation. Through this, I took down pointers, such as confident body language, loud voice projection, and understanding the target audience — all this which has aided me immensely during the formal presentation.

Following the pitch, we did more extensive research on our topic and started on the technical report. Writing the report was tedious, from extensive research to crafting the report. Being appointed as the leader, I knew I had the responsibility to bring forward my group during every zoom meeting. I took charge of the overall editing of the report and delegated the tasks to my teammates. I am thankful to work alongside amazing teammates, Hai Hong and Sarah. They were willing to work together, and this helps us to improve each other's weaknesses.

As a team, I have learned that communication is vital. I would always ensure that my team members were on the same page to prevent miscommunication and misunderstandings. I have understood that different people have different working styles through my experience in various projects done in polytechnic. My working style would be to work as a team as I believe that "teamwork makes the dream work." However, knowing that my team has a different scheduled timetable, we decided to split up and assign the various parts and complete it before the deadline we set for ourselves. Throughout the project, I also learned that my teammate Hai Hong prefers to get work done late at night, while Sarah and I prefer to get work done in the day. Through our differences, I appreciated that everyone cooperated and meticulously got the report done.

This project has taught me to be more flexible in how I do things because everyone has a different working style. Being adept and understanding one another's viewpoints is characteristic of an effective communicator. Good communication is essential as it helps us to work with greater efficiency. I believe that the communication skills honed in this module will aid me greatly in the future, especially when I enter the workforce.

It is an honour to be under Professor Blackstone's guidance. I would like to take this opportunity to express my utmost gratitude to Professor Blackstone for such an enriching 13 weeks of learning the art of communication.  

Summary reader response #4

In the article, "Five years since the Paris Agreement, the world must get ambitious on climate action," Sharma (2020) addressed the world's efforts to reduce the existing effects on climate change at the global Climate Ambition Summit. As of the fifth year of the Paris Agreement, Sharma noted that a total of 75 leaders are committed to including net-zero energy, nationally determined contributions (NDCs), and adaptations and resilience in their plans. Amongst the submitted revised plans for climate action, he highlighted that President Xi Jing Ping announced that China would reach carbon neutrality before 2060. He also mentioned that Singapore intends to invest in environment-centric projects while Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong encourages countries to work together. Also, Sharma emphasizes that a significant change in ambition is necessary to tackle climate change. Improvements must be encouraged by the world leaders: increased international resolve and partnership. Sharma (2020) concluded that the progress on the COVID-19 vaccines had proven that nothing is impossible if everyone works together to combat climate change. I concur that individual efforts are as important as the world's partnership efforts. While world leaders set goals, individuals, including the affluent, should be educated on the current effects of climate change and their role in it, eventually taking responsibility.

 

Individual efforts in reducing the existing effects of climate change are significant because "our actions do influence the people around us" (Rowlatt, 2019). An example would be Greta Thunberg, who is a teenage climate activist. Rowlatt showcased one movement that Greta exemplified: to whisked across the Atlantic on a racing yacht instead of taking the plane to her climate change meetings in New York. As a teenager, her actions have captured the world's attention. This medium demonstrates that individuals do possess the capacity to reduce the effects of climate change. Even if our efforts might not be as large scale, I am convinced that there is still hope to reduce the effects of climate change. 

 

With that said, the affluent have a greater individual responsibility, given that they exert an enormous impact on the environment in terms of carbon emissions. According to Bhalla and Barclay (2020), the wealthiest 10% of the world's population was responsible for 52% of cumulative carbon emissions and ate up 31% of the world's carbon budget from 1990 to 2015. Their high purchasing power allows them to consume more, directly proportional to the carbon emissions emitted. Therefore, affluent individuals should acknowledge the significant role they play in exacerbating climate effects and act accordingly.

The education platform has a high possibility of shifting individuals' mindsets to act on climate change. According to Teng (2015), affluent individuals tend to receive higher education. Education is a powerful platform to raise awareness because it educates individuals to be more aware of the current effects of climate change. An educator that has raised awareness of global warming would be Bill Gates. He wrote a book titled "How to Avoid Climate Disaster” and presented his learnings about climate change with recommendations. With the affluent’s high purchasing power, they can easily access these books.

Furthermore, Sharma (2020) mentioned that climate change is not an issue that the government can solve alone, but it takes every individual to act on it. Tan (2018) stated in a survey done in 2016 that only "9 out of 10 were concerned about the effects of climate change on future generations." This statement shows that not all individuals are aware of the existing effects of climate change. I believe in educating every individual to cultivate a like-minded mindset towards reaching climate goals.

Overall, though some may feel that individual efforts do not matter because they are merely one out of the seven billion people, I agree with Sharma that everyone needs to work together to combat climate change's existing effects.

 

References:

Bhalla, J., & Barclay, E. (2020, September 24). How affluent people can end their mindless overconsumption. https://www.vox.com/21450911/climate-change-coronavirus-greta-thunberg-flying-degrowth.

Rowlatt, J. (2019, September 19). Climate change action: We can't all BE Greta, but your choices have a ripple effect. https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-49756280.

Sharma, A. (2020, December 20). Five Years since Paris Agreement, World Must Get Ambitious on Climate Action. https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/commentary/uncop26-climate-change-commitment-net-zero-clean-energy-uk-13798700

Tan, A. (2018, January 17). Climate Change: Many Think They Can’t Make a Difference.

Teng, A. (2015, July 4). Better-educated Parents with Higher Incomes Spend More. https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/education/better-educated-parents-with-higher-incomes-spend-more

Technical Report Draft 1 - Introduction + Problem + Purpose statement

Technical Report - Internet of Things (IoT) in Green Buildings

1. Introduction
The purpose of this report is to develop a response to the request for proposals on developing solutions for engineering problems.

1.1 Background Information
In this thriving revolution we live in, there is a rising need to enhance building performance. Internet of Things (IoT) is one of the growing trends in this green industry. With artificial intelligence incorporated in the building, energy consumption will be reduced, building efficiency will be improved, leading to an increase in productivity. The growing reliance on these mechanical cooling systems on buildings can “consume up to 40 to 50 percent of the total energy,” “contributing to urban heat island effect” (Muruganathan, 2020). The heat island effect is best defined by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (n.d.) explains it as a phenomenon in temperature difference between a developed and a rural region, despite being relatively near in location. The agency goes on to explain how this is due to “structures such as buildings, roads, and other infrastructures absorb and re-emit the sun’s heat more than natural landscapes such as forests and water bodies” (Manessa, 2019).  While air-conditioners cool and dehumidify the air in an enclosed environment to make the space comfortable and workable, the external environment experiences the short end of the stick with more carbon gases emitted - worsening the root issue of global warming.

A factor that leads to the heat island effect is the excessive consumption of energy would be complacency of humans. An article was written by Eco-Business, a worldwide media platform advocating sustainable development, (2018) shed light on energy consumption in Singapore’s building on average and how 40 to 50 percent of its energy is a result of air-conditioning. Many users fail to recognize that air-conditioners do require a large amount of electricity to operate. For example, during periods of heavy rainfall or cooler weather, temperatures are still set at the same temperature. In a survey, Hill (2018) stated that 68 percent of the respondents in Singapore indicated that they often encountered excessive cooling of public spaces such as offices, shopping malls, and cinemas. Through this statement, it is evident that more than half of the respondents agree that there is excessive cooling in these spaces. Furthermore, air-conditioners are often left on at the same temperature or even lower when few are in the designated space.

Based on a site visit to primary and secondary schools, it is observed that staff rooms air-conditioners are often running at full throughout the day. For instance, the air-conditioners at Raffles Girls’ Primary School (RGPS) are operated from Monday to Friday, 6:00a.m. to 6:30p.m. This means air-conditioners are left operating even when there is lesser staff in the office.
The settings of air-conditioners in buildings should be dependent on the outside temperature and humidity, and users should only use what they need, yet meeting the thermal comfort of individuals. It is observed that air-conditioners in primary and secondary schools are either in an ‘on’ or ‘off’ mode and are not ‘smart’ enough to adjust based on human needs.
Installing a Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) would aid in meeting thermal comfort while minimizing the excessive usage of energy consumption in air-conditioners. PLC is an industrial computer control system that continuously monitors the state of input devices and makes decisions based upon a custom program to control the state of output devices. This means that users can adjust the air-conditioner through a computer or a phone according to the needs of the people in the workplace. Ideally, office buildings that have implemented a PLC could allow users to adjust the air-conditioners in workspaces remotely without physically being present. Users are able to clock in their timetables as well as their preferred temperatures into the PLC. The algorithm will set the temperature based on the user’s thermal comfort and timings they are present in the office. This will in turn conserve energy with convenience.

1.2 Problem Statement
Air-conditioners in offices buildings, such as those at RGPS, are not “smart” enough to adjust in terms of thermal comfort, leading to unnecessary wastage of electricity when air-conditioners are not utilized well. The implementation of a PLC in the air-conditioning system of office buildings of secondary schools enables users to adjust the temperature through a computer or phone application according to their needs.
 
1.3 Purpose Statement
The purpose of this report acts as a proposal for Ministry of Education (MOE), specifically the Infrastructure and Facility Services Division (IFSD), to consider implementing PLC in the office building of secondary schools. This can potentially reduce energy consumption by up to 20%. To see the viability of the proposal, IFSD could do a trial run of the PLC in the office building of RGPS.

Summary reader response #3

In the article, “Five years since the Paris Agreement, the world must get ambitious on climate action”, Sharma (2020) addressed the world’s efforts to reduce the existing effects on climate change at the global Climate Ambition Summit. As of the fifth year of the Paris Agreement, Sharma noted that a total of 75 leaders are committed to including net-zero energy, nationally determined contributions (NDCs), and adaptations and resilience in their plans. Amongst the submitted revised plans for climate action, he highlighted that President Xi Jing Ping announced that China will reach carbon neutrality before 2060. He also mentioned that Singapore intends to invest in environment-centric projects whilst Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong encourages countries to work together. In addition, Sharma emphasizes that a significant change in ambition is necessary to tackle climate change. Thus, improvements must take place by the world leaders: increased international resolve and partnership. Sharma (2020) concluded that the progress on the COVID-19 vaccines had proven that nothing is impossible if everyone works together to combat climate change. I agree that individual efforts are as important as the world’s partnership efforts because the awareness of every individual matters to combat climate change.

Individual efforts in reducing the existing effects of climate change are important because "our actions do influence the people around us" (Rowlatt, 2019). An example would be Greta Thunberg, who is a teenage climate activist. One movement Greta exemplified was opting to be whisked across the Atlantic on a racing yacht instead of taking the plane to her climate change meetings in New York. As a teenager, her actions have captured the world’s attention. This clearly demonstrates that individuals do possess the capacity to make an impact on reducing the effects of climate change. Even if our efforts might not be as large scale, I am still convinced that there is still hope to be part of the solution in reducing the effects of climate change. 

With that said, the affluent have a greater individual responsibility, given that they exert a larger impact on the environment, in terms of carbon emissions. According to Bhalla and Barclay (2020), the richest 10% of the world’s population were responsible for 52% of cumulative carbon emissions and ate up 31% of the world’s carbon budget from 1990 to 2015. The high purchasing power entails them to consume more which is directly proportional to the carbon emissions emitted. Therefore, affluent individuals should acknowledge the significant role they play in exacerbating the effects of climate and act upon it.

The education platform has a high possibility of shifting individuals' mindsets to act on climate change. Education is a powerful platform to raise awareness of global warming because it educates individuals to be more aware of the current effects of climate change. Furthermore, Sharma (2020) mentioned that climate change is not an issue that the government can solve alone but it takes every individual to act on it. Tan (2018) stated in a survey done in 2016, that only “9 out of 10 were concerned about the effects of climate change on future generations.” Through this statement, it is evident that not all individuals are aware of the existing effects of climate change. Hence, I believe in educating individuals from a young age to cultivate a like-minded mindset towards reaching climate goals.

Overall, though some may feel that individual efforts do not matter because they are merely one out of the seven billion people, I conclude that every individual has a huge role to play in reaching the Paris agreement goals. Therefore, I agree with Sharma that everyone needs to work together to combat the existing effects of climate change.

 

References:

Alok, S. (2020, 20 December). Commentary: Five years since Paris Agreement, world must get ambitious on climate action. Channel News Asia. https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/commentary/uncop26-climate-change-commitment-net-zero-clean-energy-uk-13798700

Justin, R. (2019, 19 September). Climate change action: We can’t all be Greta, but your choices have a ripple effect. BBC News. https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-49756280

Audrey, T.(2018, 27 January). Climate change: Many think they can’t make a difference. The Straits Times. https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/environment/climate-change-many-think-they-cant-make-a-difference

Jag, B and Eliza B. (2020, 20 November). How affluent people can end their mindless overconsumption. Vox. Climate change is accelerating because of rich consumers’ energy use. Here are some solutions. - Vox

Summary reader response #2

In the article, “Five years since the Paris Agreement, the world must get ambitious on climate action”, Sharma (2020) addressed the world’s efforts to reduce the existing effects on climate change at the global Climate Ambition Summit. As of the fifth year of the Paris Agreement, Sharma noted that a total of 75 leaders are committed to including net-zero energy, nationally determined contributions (NDCs), and adaptations and resilience in their plans. Amongst the submitted revised plans for climate action, he highlighted that president Xi Jing Ping announced that China will reach carbon neutrality before 2060. He also mentioned that Singapore intends to invest in environment-centric projects whilst Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong encourages globally to work together. In addition, Sharma emphasizes that a significant change in ambition is necessary to tackle climate change. Thus, improvements must take place by the world leaders: increased international resolve and partnership. Sharma (2020) concluded that the progress on the COVID-19 vaccines had proven that nothing is impossible if everyone works together to combat climate change. I agree that individual efforts are as important as the world’s partnership efforts because the awareness of every individual matter to combat climate change.

Individual efforts in reducing the existing effects of climate change are important because our actions influence the people around us. Rowlatt (2019) affirms that “our actions do influence the people around us”. An example would be Greta Thunberg, who is a teenage climate activist. One embarkation Greta exemplify was opting to be whisked across the Atlantic on a racing yacht instead of taking the plane to her climate change meetings in New York. As a teenager, it is speculated that it has captured the world’s attention. Clearly, the example of Greta has demonstrated that individuals do possess the capacity to make an impact on reducing the effects of climate change. Even if our efforts might not be as large scale, I am still convinced that there is still hope to be part of the solution in reducing the effects of climate change. 

With that said, the affluent have a greater individual responsibility, given that they exert a larger impact on the environment, in terms of carbon emissions. According to Bhalla and Barclay (2020), the richest 10% of the world’s population were responsible for 52% of cumulative carbon emissions and ate up 31% of the world’s carbon budget from 1990 to 2015. The high purchasing power entails them to consume more which is directly proportional to the carbon emissions emitted. Therefore, affluent individuals should acknowledge the significant role they play in exacerbating the effects of climate and act upon it.

A solution that helps shift the individual mindset to act on climate change would be the education platform. Education is a powerful platform to raise awareness of global warming because it educates individuals to be more aware of the current effects of climate change. Furthermore, Sharma (2020) mentioned that climate change is not an issue that the government can solve alone but it takes every individual to act on it. Tan (2018) stated in a survey done in 2016, that only “9 out of 10 were concerned about the effects of climate change on future generations.” Through this statement, it is evident that not all individuals are aware of the existing effects of climate change. Hence, I believe in educating individuals from a young age to cultivate a like-minded mindset towards reaching climate goals.

Overall, though some may feel that individual efforts do not matter because they are merely one out of the seven billion people, I conclude that every individual has a huge role to play in reaching the Paris agreement goals. Therefore, I agree with Sharma that everyone needs to work together to combat the existing effects of climate change.

 

References:

Alok, S. (2020, 20 December). Commentary: Five years since Paris Agreement, world must get ambitious on climate action. Channel News Asia. https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/commentary/uncop26-climate-change-commitment-net-zero-clean-energy-uk-13798700

Justin, R. (2019, 19 September). Climate change action: We can’t all be Greta, but your choices have a ripple effect. BBC News.

https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-49756280

Audrey, T.(2018, 27 January). Climate change: Many think they can’t make a difference. The Straits Times.

https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/environment/climate-change-many-think-they-cant-make-a-difference

Jag, B and Eliza B. (2020, 20 November). How affluent people can end their mindless overconsumption. Vox.

Climate change is accelerating because of rich consumers’ energy use. Here are some solutions. - Vox

Summary reader response #1

In the article, “Five years since the Paris Agreement, the world must get ambitious on climate action”, Sharma (2020) addressed the world’s efforts to reduce the existing effects on climate change at the global Climate Ambition Summit. As of the fifth year of the Paris Agreement, Sharma noted that a total of 75 leaders are committed to include net-zero energy, nationally determined contributions (NDCs), and adaptations and resilience in their plans. Amongst the submitted revised plans for climate action, he highlighted that president Xi Jing Ping announced that China will reach carbon neutrality before 2060. He also mentioned that Singapore intends to invest in environment-centric projects whilst Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong encourages globally to work together. In addition, Sharma emphasizes that a significant change in ambition is necessary to tackle climate change. Thus, improvements must take place by the world leaders: increased international resolve and partnership. Sharma (2020) concluded that the progress on the COVID-19 vaccines has proven that nothing is impossible if everyone works together to combat climate change. Hence, I agree that individual efforts are equally as important as the world’s partnership efforts to reach climate goals.

Firstly, I believe that individual efforts in reducing the existing effects of climate change are important.  Based on the BBC article “Climate change action: We can’t all be Greta, but your choices have a ripple effect”, Rowlatt (2019) stated that our actions do influence the people around us. An example would be Greta Thunberg, who is a teenage climate activist. In the article, an embarkment Greta lived out would be opting to be whisked across the Atlantic on a racing yacht instead of flying the plane to her climate change meetings in New York. While many of our individual actions may not be as magnanimous as Greta, I am convinced that there is still hope to be part of the solution in reducing the effects of climate change.

Secondly, I reckon that education is a powerful platform to raise awareness of global warming. It was mentioned that climate change is not an issue that the government can solve alone but it takes every individual to act on it. In the article, “Climate change: Many think they can’t make a difference”, Tan (2018) stated that in the survey done in 2016, only “9 out of 10 were concerned about the effects of climate change on future generations.” Through this statement, it is evident that not all individuals are aware of the existing effects of climate change. Hence, I believe in educating individuals from a young age to cultivate a like-minded mindset towards reaching climate goals.

Lastly, I conjecture that the affluent do have a greater impact on the environment. In the article “How affluent people can end their mindless overconsumption”, Bhalla and Barclay (2020) stated that a report from Oxfam and the Stockholm Environment Institute, that the richest 10% of the world’s population were responsible for 52% of cumulative carbon emissions and ate up 31% of the world’s carbon budget from 1990 to 2015. In my opinion, I agree that affluent consumption matters much more because of their high spending power, which can, arithmetically, add up to make a critical difference. Therefore,  affluent people should have a shift of mindset, through encouragement from people or even reading up to change their habits and lifestyle.

Overall, though some may feel that individual efforts do not matter because they are merely one out of the seven billion people, I concluded that every individual has a huge role to play in reaching the Paris agreement goals. Therefore, I agree with Sharma that everyone needs to work together to combat the existing effects of climate change.

 

Alok, S. (2020, 20 December). Commentary: Five years since Paris Agreement, world must get ambitious on climate action. Channel News Asia. https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/commentary/uncop26-climate-change-commitment-net-zero-clean-energy-uk-13798700

 

Justin, R. (2019, 19 September). Climate change action: We can’t all be Greta, but your choices have a ripple effect. BBC News.

https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-49756280

Audrey, T.(2018, 27 January). Climate change: Many think they can’t make a difference. The Straits Times.

https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/environment/climate-change-many-think-they-cant-make-a-difference

Jag, B and Eliza B. (2020, 20 November). How affluent people can end their mindless overconsumption. Vox.

Climate change is accelerating because of rich consumers’ energy use. Here are some solutions. - Vox

 

Summary Draft 1 - "Five years since Paris Agreement, world must get ambitious on climate action"

In the article, “ Five years since Paris Agreement, world must get ambitious on climate action”, Sharma (2020) addressed the world’s efforts to reduce the existing effects on climate change through the global Climate Ambition Summit. 

As of the fifth year of the Paris Agreement, Sharma noted that a total of 75 leaders is committed to include net-zero energy, nationally determined contributions (NDCs) and adaptations and resilience in their plans. Amongst the submitted revised plans for climate action, he highlighted that the UK government will stop providing new support to the overseas fossil fuel energy sector. He also mentioned that Singapore intends to invest in environment centric projects whilst Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong encourages globally to work together. COP26 President and UK Secretary emphasizes that a significant change in ambition is still required to tackle climate change. Thus, some furtherance must take place: increased international resolve and partnership. 

Predominantly, Sharma (2020) stated that everyone has a stake in the environment. For a better future, the world must work together promptly to reduce the existing effects of climate change. 

Alok, S. (2020, 20 December). Commentary: Five years since Paris Agreement, world must get ambitious on climate action. Channel News Asia. https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/commentary/uncop26-climate-change-commitment-net-zero-clean-energy-uk-13798700

Self-Introduction Letter

Subject: Self-introduction

 

Dear Professor Blackstone,

 

I hope that you will be able to know me better through this introductory email. My name is Regina Lee, and I graduated from Temasek Polytechnic in 2020 with a diploma in green building and sustainability. I am currently a year 1 student undertaking a Civil Engineering degree programme at the Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT).

 

Frankly speaking, I did not have much interest in engineering during my first year in polytechnic as I was gravitating towards graphic design. My interest in this field only sparked in the second year of my diploma when I started taking architecture modules such as Sustainable Design and Tropical Architecture. Reading more articles about climate change has also piqued my interest in environmental sustainability. Therefore, I decided to pursue civil engineering because of its diverse sector, covering aspects of engineering, architecture, and the environment. I aspire to make a difference in climate change by contributing to a more sustainable urban city in the coming years.

 

My biggest inspiration is Greta Thunberg, a teenage activist who is passionate about reducing the existing effects of climate change. One inspiring quote by Greta Thunberg that I live by would be "I have learned you are never too small to make a difference.". Since 2018, I started being more eco-friendly by making a conscious effort to practice the 3Rs - reduce, reuse, and recycle. I strongly believe that my small change can impact people around me to do the same.

 

A communication strength I believe I possess would be having empathy. Being able to empathize with others allows me to listen and understand my project mates and colleagues’ opinions and ideas. For example, during my internship at Cushman and Wakefield, my supervisor entrusted 3 Green Mark projects to me. As a leader, I often considered and respected my team’s ideas and points of view. In terms of weakness in communication, I lack confidence whenever I have to speak to a crowd. I often fear that what I say may not be relevant to the audience.

 

By the end of this module, I hope to be more proactive in class and to further enhance my written communication skills. With practice, I believe my confidence to be more vocal and to write a report with more precision will improve. I look forward to unleashing my communication potential under your guidance.

 

Best regards,

 

Regina Lee

CVE 1281, Group 5

I commented on Iqbal, Marcus, Ming Hao and Ivy's blog post

The Importance of Communication Skills for Engineers

 "Developing excellent communication skills is absolutely essential to effective leadership. The leader must be able to share knowledge and ideas to transmit a sense of urgency and enthusiasm to others. If a leader can't get a message across clearly and motivate others to act on it, then having a message doesn't even matter." 

Gilbert Amelio, President, and CEO of National Semiconductor Corp

Summary: 

Communication is the key to being a successful leader. One should be driven and concise to influence the audience. A leader should also possess excellent interpersonal skills, charisma, and determination. The message should be conveyed effectively for others to be influenced.