Curtain Call!

"Oops you just had a communication breakdown! You should save it for your blog-module thingy"

Ever since I took up Professional Communication, my girlfriend has been analysing our daily 'communication' problems, be it in school, work and play. And with every communication breakdown, she would then highlight to me whether it was juicy enough to be put on the blog or not!

And despite going through one semester of "Principles and Practices" of Professional Communication, I still experienced numerous communication breakdowns and miscommunications that was 'juicy enough for the blog'.

Not that I am accusing the course of failing to equip me with the skills to prevent any forms of misccomunications, I am just saying that putting principles and practices learned in classrooms into real life takes time. Furthermore, it is the 'trials and errors' that you encounter in real life that also make you understand the importance of proper communication. 

My views on communication is still the same as my first post: That effective communication is important in maintaining relationships, in preventing any misunderstandings, and in saving time etc.

The most important thing I learned from this 13 weeks would be that never take for granted the importance of communication, and don't assume that there are no miscommunication. Miscommunication will appear out of nowhere, when you least expected it.

Thank you everyone for an enjoyable semester! I hope you have enjoyed my company as much as I have enjoyed yours!

About Me: A Third Party Perspective

Lam Chee Kiang is currently pursuing a pharmacy degree at the National University of Singapore (NUS). He plans to specialize in oncology or ambulatory care management within the next 5 years upon graduation, and also obtain a masters in business administration or health management. Among the career prospects Chee Kiang plans to venture include hospital healthcare, government enforcement, clinical research, pharmaceutical marketing, and pharmacy profession development.

Born and bred in Malaysia, Chee Kiang has been living in Singapore for almost 5 years now. He is well adapted to the Singapore lifestyle, and has no qualms about living independently abroad.

Chee Kiang believes that dreams are only achievable if you act on it. This is evident from the non-pharmacy related activities he has been participating in thus far. His interest in radio presenting has motivated him to join the NUS campus radio station Radio Pulze. To push himself further, he even obtained a part-time internship with local radio station Lush 99.5, a position usually given to communications and media students.

Chee Kiang also believes that success is not only defined by paper qualifications. This is especially important in the pharmacy career, where soft skills such as inter-personal communication, patient empathy, ethical considerations and human resource management are crucial.  This is well in accordance to his belief that such skills are best acquired through involving oneself in a multitude of activities out of the classroom and a practical, realistic environment such as co-curricular activities and internships.

 

 

 

Whatever Happens in Romania Stays in Romania

Have you ever noticed that people in movies or television series never take their shoes off unless in a situation requiring them to do so? And when they are in their bedrooms, they lie on their beds with their shoes still on?

Living on campus with students coming from various parts of the world, the way to distinguish an Asian room from an “Ang Moh” room would be the presence of shoes outside their rooms. The Asians would leave theirs outside, while the westerners would not. There are exceptions of course, but it is true most of the time. 

"Ang Moh" is a colloquial term in Singapore/Malaysia for describing "Caucasians". Literally translated as "Red Hair", it may be interpreted as discriminatory among the Caucasian population in this region. However, to many locals it is just a term used interchangeably and affectionally with "Caucasians" in Singlish/Manglish (Singapore/Malaysian English). For the purpose of this article, the term is used for a local Singapore appeal. [Edited 08 March 2009]

My inter-cultural experience brings me back to Romania last summer, where my classmates and I represented NUS in an international pharmacy students’ conference. 

Falling asleep while voting for a motion

On the second night, we decided to have a “Noodle Party” among the Asia Pacific delegates. Of course, we were not the only ones playing host to parties that night – there were the wild Slovenians, the drunken Australians, and who can forget the Canadians!

Arguably the most innocent party that night, we were happily slurping our Asian noodles when a Danish friend of ours, Greg, dropped by with some Polish delegates.

The moment they entered the room, the whole room went silent. Not because they were half drunk, loud, and white, but because THEY HAD THEIR SHOES ON.

“Why is this party so quiet?” asked our fair-skinned Danish friend Greg.

“Why are there so many shoes outside? You’re not wearing your shoes! You’re dirty!” said one of the Polish delegate.

Somehow this got me annoyed. I stood up and asked them to take their shoes off. Greg obliged, while the Polish went on murmuring something in their own language.

“Hey, is this the nude party!?” said a topless Slovenian who was standing outside our door. Apparently, word got out that we Asians were having a “Nude Party”. They must be quite drunk or sexually motivated to mistake “Noodle” for “Nude”!

“Nope, they’re all clothed!” replied the Polish delegates while leaving the room.

Spot Greg the Ang Moh

The next day, I was having lunch with Greg when he asked if I was offended by the shoe incident. I told him that we were not offended by what they did, although taking off your shoes is a sign of respect to the host in many Asian societies.

“Then why did you all quieten down when we entered?”

I could not explain that, neither could I explain my annoyance when the Polish commented on us not wearing shoes. In my heart I was trying to convince myself that I was open minded in intercultural situations like this, and that I would understand if a westerner walked into my room without taking his shoes off. However, this situation clearly showed that we were not ready for such a revolution!

“I guess it could be hygiene?" I replied eventually. "Since we don’t wear our footwear in, you might have brought in whatever dirt that you all have stepped on before.”

We may think that learning about intercultural communication will make us more understanding towards others, but the fact is that we will never know how we will react until that situation happens. I still think that I was never offended by their actions, but after writing this, I think I am very much Asian with strong cultural traditions after all!

 

 

 

E-mail or F(ail)-mail?

This year, I was selected by (insert random name) School to participate in an annual scientific congress organized by (insert another random name) University. This blog post will explore the correspondences I’ve had with the secretariat. As this congress is a science and engineering related one, and that readers of this blog are most likely to come from these two faculties, I shall not comment further on the name or nature of this congress.

E-mail #1: Congress Acceptance E-mail 

(Dated 13 November 2008)

Dear Students,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been selected to participate in the 14th NUROP Congress. Congratulations!

More details on the Congress will be sent to you by email later once we receive them from the Faculty of Engineering who is the main organizer of the NUROP Congress in 2009. Please check your emails regularly for more details and the things that we will need you to prepare such as the submission of your poster.

Thank you.

Regards,

Ong Lili 

The E-mail was a good news message that achieved most of the 7Cs in effective communication, and also the strategies in writing good news messages. The correspondent informed me of the good news in the opening paragraph, and ended it by commenting on the further actions needed to be done. Although there was not much concreteness and completeness in terms of congress details, the correspondent justified the lack of information by requesting me to check for subsequent E-mails.

About one and a half months later, I received another good news message from another correspondent. 

E-mail #2: Another Good News Message? 

(Dated 29 December 2008)

Dear Students,

Thank you for participating in the 14th NUROP Congress on 18 Feb 2009 as either oral or poster presenters. To prepare yourselves for the event, please refer to the attached document.

More information will be sent to you in due course, do check your e-mails regularly.

Thank you.

Regards,

Eunice

This E-mail sounded like a follow-up of E-mail #1, since more information has been provided in the “attached document”, and the awareness that there were two types of presenters (oral or poster).

To analyze E-mail #2 further according to the 7Cs in writing and principles of business correspondence, the poster presenter section of the attached document (or memorandum) is provided here. Note that I have not been informed about what type of presentation I would be doing.

Attached Document/Memorandum: Guidelines for Poster Presenters

14th NUROP Congress 2009 on 18 February 2009

GUIDELINES FOR POSTER PRESENTERS

Please get your supervisor’s approval before printing the posters.

POSTER SESSION

1)      The poster session will be held at the foyer.

2)      ALL posters must be of size A1 in portrait format. The poster must include the NUS logo, and should be pasted onto an A1-size poster board backing.  Soft copies of the poster (in ppt format) to be submitted to Ms Ratna (engrsba@nus.edu.sg) by 19 January 2009.

3)     The project title, name of student, name of supervisor(s) and school/department must be printed on the poster.

4)     Poster presenters are expected to be present during the poster session at their posters and be prepared for informal discussion with guests, visitors and fellow participants.

5)     Preparing a poster will take much of your time. There are always things that may go wrong, so do not wait until the last minute to do even the minor task. Back up your files, save it to a disk and allow for contingencies.

6)     Your faculty/department may have the printing facilities for printing A1-size posters.  You may like to approach them for assistance.

7)     ATTIRE FOR POSTER PRESENTERS: Long-sleeve shirt and pants for all males (no jeans are allowed); blouse and skirt for all females.

Generally, the attached document managed to achieve most of the 7Cs in effective communication. The document was courteous as it adopted the “You” attitude, and used gender-neutral terminologies such as “Posters presenters are expected…” It was also correct in terms of language, formality, grammar, punctuation and spelling. It fitted the concise category, writing in point format to avoid wordy expressions and redundancies. In addition, the instructions were clear, in order and have a sequential relationship pattern. Lastly, it was also coherent and cohesive.

However, there were some problems with the concreteness and completeness. Specific information such as type of presentation, time of report, time of presentation etc. was not included in the document. In the end, I had to probe the correspondent further to find out more information about the congress.

Misunderstandings were present in the document, but only to be found out in subsequent correspondences. In Point (2), it was stated that soft copies of the poster must be submitted to the secretariat by 19 January 2009, while in Point (6), it was stated that students may approach their respective faculties or departments to obtain contacts or assistance in printing facilities. Piecing these two points together, it can be assumed that I am supposed to submit the soft copy of my poster to the secretariat, but source for printing facilities on my own. The subsequent E-mail got me all confused!

 

E-mail #3: To Print or not to Print? (Dated 9 January 2009)

Dear Poster boys and gals,

A gentle reminder… I hope your posters are work-in-progress.  Plse work closely with your respective supervisors.  You have about 10 more days to send it to Ms Ratna for printing.

Regards,

Eunice

It turned out that I didn't have to print the poster on my own. If that was the case, why put Point (6) in the attached document? Although it managed to be concise by writing in point format, there were redundant statements within each point as well!

The above miscommunication was just the tip of the iceberg. There were other issues whereby the correspondent failed to achieve the 7Cs in effective communication. Firstly, although the E-mails were courteous in adopting the “You” attitude and using gender-neutral terminologies, the correspondent failed to reply in a timely response. The correspondent tended to reply a few days later, and most of the time leaving me more confused. There was also a rehearsal date planned one week before the congress, to which I couldn’t attend. I made numerous attempts to contact the secretariat for advice, albeit no responses. In the end, a circulation was sent out to all presenters a few days before the rehearsal, informing us of the cancellation.

I was very enthusiastic and elated for being accepted to present at the congress. However, the correspondences experienced so far has made me lose motivation and interest. The obvious lack of planning, as can be seen in the late E-mail replies and last minute cancellation of rehearsals, will only show that there will be more hiccups during the day of the congress itself. 

Author's note: I'll be presenting a paper on Consumption of Complementary and Alternative Medicines among Ambulatory Breast Cancer Patients in Singapore this 18th February! Do drop by  =D

In between the post: Sequel to the Summer of ‘07

Alright, if you’ve been following my posts so far, the last time saw Jason and his subordinates (me included) stomping off in different directions. Here is what happened next.

The situation was much tensed. We refused to work even though the competition was getting nearer. In the end, Jason called Michael (again, name not real), one of the engineers, for a talk. Michael was like the trade union leader trying to negotiate with the employer for more recognition. The negotiations went nowhere for some reason which I cannot remember. We ended up shaking hands and “forgetting about it”. Do you think shaking hands solved everything? The fire was still raging in some of us.

So we decided to go for supper to discuss our plight. We came to a consensus that we needed to suck in our ego and finish up the work for the competition. All of us agreed that it was not worth coming this far and deciding to stop. You can say that we hid our anger and portrayed that things were fine.

The next few events would have sort of improved our relationship with Jason, though we did not put in much effort to mend the hatred. Firstly, we were the champions. We were so elated and overjoyed that we "forgave Jason". I guess when you are happy, all your problems just go away.

Secondly, he promised to buy us beer. That significantly changed everything =p

Now that two years have passed, I guess we have put whatever that was in the past as in the past. When I decided to work with him, I did not think about whether we would end up in the same situation again. Perhaps Jason has also changed his personality and managed his anger better from this incident.

 

 

The Summer of '07: My Interpersonal Conflict Experience

“Non-cooperation is a measure of discipline and sacrifice, and it demands respect for the opposite views”

Mahatma Gandhi, Father of the Nation for India

My interpersonal conflict experience happened during summer of 2007, where I was part of the engineering committee for Sheares Hall’s Rag and Flag.

(Rag and Flag is an annual event held in the beginning of the academic year in NUS, where faculties and halls of residence have to build a themed float from recyclable and environmental friendly materials.)

The engineering committee consisted of six members, including team leader Jason (name not real). Initially, we bonded well and respected each other’s suggestions, discussing ideas to come up with engineering concepts for different segments of the float. What started out as a fun-loving team became one that was full of conflicts between the members and their leader.

Over time, designs became complex, deadlines drew closer, and stress levels began to rise. Our discussions with Jason turned into quarrels, until it came to a point where he started ignoring our suggestions. Furthermore, he was absent most of the time, returning after working hours only to criticize our workmanship. Coupled with the lack of sleep, my team mates and I started feeling frustrated, overworked, and under-appreciated. We started isolating ourselves from him, giving him one-answered response should he converse with us. Occasionally, we would go for supper after work, where we complained about work and Jason.

Obviously, Jason noticed the change. Since he knew me longer than the rest, he consulted me about the situation, and I told him everything that was happening. He acknowledged whatever I said and vowed to change. The situation did change, just that it got worse, with conflict reaching climax.

We were working on a segment of the float when he came to voice his disapproval, giving us his “suggestion” that was too complex to construct. We decided to proceed with our initial concept without consulting him. When he saw what was happening, he yelled derogatory remarks at us. He walked away, and so did we, but in different directions.

We patched things up eventually, and worked until the competition day itself. Perhaps the whole fiasco could have been prevented if we had a clearer picture of the end goal in mind – to be champions of the competition. Although we all remained friends with Jason, we swore never to work with or under him again.

There were many factors which brought us to such a situation – stress, miscommunication, personality difference etc. What could we have done to resolve the situation? In fact, what could we not have done to avoid that situation?

Author’s note: We won first place and Jason and I are currently working on another hall project. 

In between the Posts: Patient-Healthcare Provider and Active Listening

Image by http://www.vpul.upenn.edu/

Here’s a question for you to ponder – when the doctor tells you to take your medications two hours after food, will you take them TWO HOURS AFTER food? If the pharmacist advises you to stop smoking, will you do that immediately?

Throughout my internship stint at a Polyclinic, I have seen patients from all walks of life – patients who come in just for the MC, patients who think they can cut the queue because “I pay my taxes too”, and patients who will not admit to their mistakes etc. But what worries (or frustrates?) me are chronic patients who fail to follow their medication regime, and patients who fail to listen to their healthcare providers’ advice.

While working at the counter, patients will come with their leftover packets of medications, telling me to cut down on the prescription since they still have the medications. Some people might not think too much of this, but for us healthcare providers, it is a cause for medical intervention. Usually, medications prescribed for chronic diseases such as high blood pressure and diabetes mellitus are just enough until the next appointment. Having leftovers just mean that patients have not been taking their medication according to their doctors' orders. I would have to sit them down in the counseling room, and guide them through their medications (we call it medication reconciliation). Some patients would then recall what their doctors have told them before, while some have no idea what I am talking about. 

There were a few days where I shadowed a clinical pharmacist who was consulting patients with diabetes mellitus. When she asked the patients whether they did what she advised them to do such as exercising, eating healthy food, stop smoking etc, they would tell her grandmother stories and beat around the bush before admitting to not following her advice.

All these lead me to more questions – is there active listening between the patient and the healthcare provider at all? If the doctor tells the patient the medication regime, why would there be leftovers? Or when the pharmacist advises the patient to eat healthily, what is stopping them from doing so?

What do you think?

The Importance of Developing Effective Communication Skills

“The problem with communication is the illusion that it has been accomplished.” 

- George Bernard Shaw, Irish playwright.

Since birth, conveying messages and expressing thoughts and emotions via communication has been an integral part of our lives. However, communication can be such a complex process that it can easily breakdown, resulting in various interpersonal conflicts. As such, effective communication is an important tool which comes with experience and skill, and can be applied in every aspect of life, personal or at work.

Miscommunication begets misunderstandings and breaks relationships. This is so when people misinterpret what was said and start making assumptions dismissing any attempts for clarification. During my term as Vice President for NUS Radio Pulze, a director did not listen during meetings and reacted defensively when provided with constructive feedback. Her lack in effective communication skill has led to other directors refusing to cooperate with her, although her intentions meant well most of the time.

Effective communicating skills can allow me to have a better understanding over a particular situation as well. Through skills such as active listening, it will allow me to view things with a more balanced perspective, rather than obtain a biased judgment brought about by miscommunication.

Being an effective communicator can potentially save time. Just a few weeks ago, I met up with a childhood friend of mine for lunch at a restaurant called “Old Taste”. However, my friend heard it as “Old Town”, the name of another restaurant located in another part of the neighbourhood. Due to the inherent Malaysian traffic jam, he arrived 30 minutes later. Translating this to more important events such as meeting the customer and invading Iran Iraq, miscommunication can be a factor for inefficiency.

Hopefully, the skills learned will allow me to understand the various barriers and strategies to effective communication, allowing me to prevent such barriers from happening, or deal with the situation in a professional and calm manner should the barriers persist. 

And the Blog is Born

image courtesy of antoniofreire

Hello!

Welcome to my blog made specially for the module Professional Communication ES2007S!

Stay tune for more insights on communications and what not!