Critical Reflection

In the beginning, I told myself that I would like to better my understanding of professional and academic tone in writing and focus specifically on maintaining coherency in a concise manner. A specific goal which I wanted to achieve was to understand which words were appropriate for said tone while communicating online Although this has not explicitly been achieved, I believe the different in-class practices has taught me the appropriate words that should be used and avoided while writing in a particular tone. During this module, I should have taken up the initiative to write formal emails to interview professional or experts in the field to gain experience.

This module has emphasised the importance of plagiarism and proper citations. During the write up section of the research project, Prof Brad emphasised the importance of writing in the APA 7^th Edition Style. I believe that this is a good practice to start my journey in university. By starting with a solid foundation, I believe that I will gain confidence and continue to build on my understanding of citations and academic standards by applying this knowledge to the many reports and presentations that

await me. In terms of writing, there were many practices such as paraphrasing, avoiding plagiarism and referencing required. In terms of presenting, the pitches and critical thinking practices has benefited me to project and speak effectively. It was a joy to learn how to engage the audience with the use of presentation slides with visual aids and effective body language.

Acknowledging comments or even feedback from peers or Prof Brad was another important factor that was emphasised on. Be it emails or even replies to our blogs, Prof Brad made it clear that it was important to acknowledge that we had read their comments. This allowed for two-way communication that prevented misunderstandings between us. The module was also a good practice for us to accept criticism and compliments from one another, increasing confidence in each individual with their work.

Although this year we were not given the opportunity to have a showcase due to the pandemic, watching the other groups present their idea to the class was a great way to evaluate and understand them in terms of their speaking and presentation style.

Prof Brad made his class objectives clear: for everyone to grow in terms of language, be it speaking or writing. I believe that he has done a good job at it, although it may not be favourable to all. The push he gave us has played an important part in my journey here.

Overall, I found the entire Effective Communication module to be the most beneficial module during my first trimester here. With this strong base, friendships were made, bonds were created and it was a good sneak peek at adult life – working in an environment where not everyone favours you and where everyone has a different level of knowledge in certain areas. However, with the correct mindset, work can be done more efficiently and also with more coherence between one another.