" You never get a second chance to make a first impression"– Will Rogers
Strangers, who may be our new classmates, interviewers or colleagues, form a first impression of us from the way we speak, dress and carry ourselves. In fact, we also judge others in the same way. Hence, the ability to communicate well is critical as we do not have a time machine to travel back in time to redo a bad impression we had given. By acquiring good communication skills, we would be able to able to express our thoughts and feelings accurately, thereby projecting a better image of ourselves. This would help us to establish good interpersonal relationships and open our doors to more opportunities as we can gain the respect and win the hearts of others.
In addition, nonverbal communication cues such as eye contact and body gestures are of paramount importance to establish effective communication. I had this experience with inappropriate nonverbal communication during one of the CCA meetings back in my secondary school days. While a senior was reprimanding me over some matters, I did not maintain much eye contact with her. This was mainly due to the fact that I was intimidated by her as she was glaring at me angrily while she spoke. However, she misinterpreted it as a form of disrespect for her which was not my intended message.
Therefore, the importance of good communication cannot be more emphasized. This is especially important in a complex setting like the workplace where we have to communicate differently depending on the rank of the person and the matter we are dealing with.
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ReplyDeleteHi Jie Li,
ReplyDeleteI can't agree more that first impression counts. You mentioned about a time machine which reminded me of the the movie entitled "Back to the Future". Indeed, we can't turn back time to undo what we did wrongly but we can learn and hone the skills of effective communication. However, it is also unfortunate that a person may find it difficult to redeem oneself if the first impression was bad. Don't you think so?
I also agree that non-verbal cues are important as they reflect a person's disposition to the conversation. Hopefully, we are able to master the art of communication by the end of this module! Cheers.
Hey Jie Li!
ReplyDeletehmm, great minds think alike; you emphasized the importance of making a good first impression, which is the same idea with Glenn. After that you talked about your experience to demonstrate the effect of nonverbal cues in communication. In the end, you related it to communication in workplace. I would say your article is rich in content!
hmm, time for critique..Following the 7CS in writing, the example of your CCA experience may be made more concise.
Hi Mario,
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comments! I share your view about it being difficult to change a bad impression one had given. This underscores the importance of effective communication. Furthermore, I think that being able to keep up with the good impression we have given is also imperative. Hence, learning good communication skills and applying them is indeed a lifelong process.
Hey June,
ReplyDeleteThanks for pointing out the weakness in my post! There is definitely room for improvement and I will take note of it next time. ;)
Cheers,
Jie Li
Hey Jie Li,
ReplyDeleteMy project leader, you possess good writing skills. I have no doubt that you will lead Zaizhi and me to produce a brilliant project report.
Back to your post, you have talked about general purpose of effective communication, like expressing thoughts correctly. By relating your personal experience, I got a better understanding of how non-verbal cues affect the original ideas.
Thanks for you sharing!
Hi Chen Zhi,
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comments! It is my pleasure to work with you and Zaizhi. Let's work hard together for our project!:)