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Critical Reflection

Dear Prof Brad Blackstone,

Looking back at the past 13 weeks, I have seen myself grow exponentially in terms of writing and speaking proficiency. I was surprised by my abilities when applying the knowledge that I learned in class to my part-time job as a Sales Technical Staff at YouthGenesMarket.

I felt that Kolb’s Experimental Learning Style has the greatest impact on my learning throughout the module. This learning style consists of 4 different parts, it started with coming across an experience that could be new or a reinterpretation of an existing experience. It leads to reflecting on that new exposure and identifying the inconsistencies of that new exposure with our past experience. Subsequently, we will be able to modify or create an imaginatively new concept and apply it to our daily lives. This learning style provides a framework for how I am able proceed when I was exposed to a new working environment.

It can exemplify in my part-time job where I have to pitch our product to customers. Having this learning style in mind provided guidelines and checkpoints for dealing with obstacles. By incorporating my experience in the service industry and the essence of an engaging sales pitch. I was able to develop my style of speaking and it has been working well ever since. As a result, I believe that by further honing this learning style through multiple iterations, it will definitely enhance my learning capabilities in my future workplace.

In the project assignment, I teamed up with Mandy and Aun Hao to prepare a technical report and pitch our proposal to the rest of the class. Initially, our group was quite hesitant to share our opinions and contribute ideas. However, with the tight timeline that was framed for us. We have to step out of our comfort zone and start our engines. Through this assignment, I discovered that each member has a different kind of approach to each obstacle. Hence, I have to be very careful with the method used to communicate with each team member. This ability is very beneficial in the working world where politics and communication are the key factors of being a good employee and key player.

However, I felt that the most important takeaway from this project is learning how to structure and format a technical report properly. I have to unlearn the method that I used to write for my final year report during my polytechnic studies. Frankly speaking, I attempted to gain insights and suggestions for our technical report by reading my polytechnic final year technical paper, but it has left me bewildered and speechless. Additionally, writing the report was also a challenge for me in terms of citing my sources and material in the APA 7th edition. There was a lot of precision in the formatting, and I had to pay attention to what kinds of sources I was citing, questioning myself if the source is reliable. I was aware that my English proficiency wasn't up to par with my peers, and I have to constantly seek help from my other group members, asking them to vet and provide feedback on my work. Through this experience, I found out that learning is not a one-man job as your teammates may be able to provide you with an alternative viewpoint when facing challenges.

We also have to present our ideas for our proposal and convince the stakeholders about the advantages of our product. In the beginning, I was confident in my speaking capabilities, and I will be able to excel and able aid my peers as I have experience working in sales. However, after reviewing Garr Reynolds’ presentation tips on how to open and close a presentation, and lastly crafting an elevator pitch. It humbled me as I learned that there are many skills in a presentation that I assumed I had mastered but is actually lacking.

Overall, I felt my communication skills have improved because of the module. I have learned essential communication skills and gained insight into critical thinking. I hope that I could apply this crucial skillset in my future assignment and workplace. 

I hope to see you again as a successful working adult where we can reminisce about the past.

Well Wishes,

Jing Dao


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