Critical reflection on Effective Communication

For the past 10 weeks while undergoing this module, I discovered things that I never knew existed and hence, I was able to further improve my communication skills. English has never been my strongest subject and I just assumed I was naturally bad in it. However, after undergoing this module, some of the 'hidden' flaws I had before were identified and was addressed.

In the past, my mindset was that a presentation requires no practice and it's just whether you naturally have presentation skills or not. Throughout my polytechnic days, my presentations had always been spontaneous and more to reading off the slides. Hence, I tend to use filler words and talk fast in order to smoke through the presentation. However, from the recent presentation, not only did I rehearse my presentation but I also presented my points without referring to the slides and using stories and humor to relate to the audience which I feel immensely improved my presentation. 

As for writing skills, I have always been focusing more on creating a sentence that sounds 'right' rather than it being grammatically correct. This include the use of inconsistent verb tense and repetition of a particular word in the writings. After feedback from Brad and my classmates, I strived to address these flaws. Ever since, I always try to keep my sentence structures simple while retaining the meaning in it. By doing this, I was able to reduce the use of a particular word, especially connectors, and also ensure that it is grammatically correct.

Through this module, I discovered that there is still a lot more that could be done to further improve my communication skills. Hence, to end it off, I would like to share a quote that I started living by not too long ago:

               ''The biggest room in the world is the room for improvement''.
               -Anonymous

Analytical reflection on oral presentation

My team had to think of an engineering problem and come up with a solution for it. The group decided to tackle the issue of water efficiency in SIT@Dover. The solution to improving water efficiency level in SIT@Dover is to retrofit the water equipment into more efficient ones. As the solution is very technical-based, my group had to think on how to sell our idea to the audience and not make them feel overloaded with content.

For my part, I had to present on the current situation in SIT@Dover. In order to create an impactful presentation, I presented the equipment in toilets by using the public's general morning routine before they go to work/school and also represent the amount of water used by each equipment in terms of 1.5 litre water bottles. I also included questions and humor as an opportunity to engage the crowd and pull them back into the presentation in case they start to wander off. Not only was I able to make the audience relate to the content and remember easier but also make them feel interested to listen to what I have to present. Despite the strong points stated above, my presentation had flaws in it as well.

I had received comments by my peer group during the mock presentation that I used a lot of filler words. In order to improve on that point, the 2 things I did differently in the real presentation was to rehearse beforehand to gain confidence and to talk slower. Despite that, I still used filler words in the real presentation although it was way lesser.

In conclusion, despite the measures I took to prevent the same mistakes from happening, it occurred again although it was lesser. Thus, I need to make sure that I know my content well and rehearse more as this will increase my confidence and performance for the presentation. This will also ensure that filler words will be used less frequently.

Reviewed readers response on The Detroit House

In the article "This Detroit house is being turned into a living model of cost-saving sustainable design", Peters (2016) introduced ''Motown Movement'' as an initiative undertaken by three architecture students to design a sustainable living environment through affordable means. She then shared that the students were inspired to increase public awareness of sustainable and cost-effective ways to reconstruct houses, through workshops conducted in the revamped Detroit house - a living exhibition filled with green ideas. The people in Detroit would be imparted with knowledge of green sustainability tricks which they could easily replicate in their houses through the planned workshops aimed at addressing sustainability and cost effectiveness. Peters summed up on how the students collaborated with local organizations and their university to create projects flexible enough to accommodate varying conditions and spread the idea of Motown Movement to a worldwide level. While "Motown Movement" was a successful case on how sustainability can be implemented, figuring out on how to get the different involved parties to come together for this cause will be a challenge.

In order for sustainability to flourish, fostering cooperation between the different involved parties by coming up with sound policies which benefit all parties will affect the success rate of the plan. According to the students, the people in Detroit ''were much more positive'' than expected despite the bad living conditions in Detroit. Due to their positive mindset, they were more open to new ideas introduced to them which made it easier to work with them in executing the plan. According to Vinh (2013), one of the challenges faced by the Vietnamese government in promoting sustainability is influencing organizations and the general public in utilizing eco-friendly products and implementing green measures to save energy. In Vietnam's case, organizations were not keen in implementing eco-friendly measures as resources had to be spent unnecessarily while the local people are more focused on preserving the natural state of the land and are not open to change as compared to the people in Detroit. However, by involving the local people in the preservation process and convincing business that by using eco-friendly equipment they will save energy and money, Vietnam was able to progress in terms of sustainability.

Even for developed countries, fostering cooperation to implement sustainability can be a challenge due to the mindset of the people in those countries. According to Puritt (2012), in the United States, negative perceptions on the greenness of a green product was one of the factors hindering the growth of sustainability in the country. Puritt also stated that while consumers believe the words of environmental experts and scientist, they do not believe the claims of officials such as the government or businesses. According to a study by TerraChoice, an environmental marketing company, out of 1753 green products tested, all but one were misleading and are just false claims. This study alone will be enough to break any trust consumers have on green products available.

In conclusion, while meeting the involved parties needs to foster cooperation is important, promoting trust between the parties will just be as important in affecting the success rate of the plan. While efforts are being put in in creating these sustainability plans, more efforts will have to be directed in influencing the mindset of the people worldwide to be open to new ideas and also to make everyone have a common goal in mind. Hence, the success of the plan will be highly dependent on the trust and cooperation that each involved party have with one another.






References
Bonini, S., & Oppenheim, J. (2008). Cultivating the green consumer. Retrieved on 24 September 2016 http://ssir.org/articles/entry/cultivating_the_green_consumer


Peters, A. (2016). This Detroit house is being turned into a living model of cost-saving sustainable design. Retrieved on 19 September 2016 from https://www.fastcoexist.com/3061563/world-changing-ideas/this-detroit-house-is-being-turned-into-a-living-model-of-cost-saving-s


Puritt, J. (2012). Challenges to being sustainable, and how to overcome them. Retrieved on 24 September 2016 from http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/08/14/challenges-to-being-sustainable-and-how-to-overcome-them/http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/08/14/challenges-to-being-sustainable-and-how-to-overcome-them/


Vinh, L.D. (2013). Urban blueprints: Khanh Hoa province, Vietnam. Retrieved on 24 September 2016 from http://www.worldcitiessummit.com.sg/urban-blueprints-khanh-hoa-province-vietnam

Email to Wendy Lim for water usage in the campus

To: Miss Gwee

Subject:  Request for information on campus's water consumption and equipment

Dear Miss Gwee,

I would like to take this opportunity to introduce myself. I am Azrie, a first-year SIE (Building Services) student. I am writing this email with regards to an assignment from my Effective Communication class by Brad Blackstone. Together with 3 other members, we were tasked to identify an engineering problem and propose a solution. After consulting Brad on our topic of focus, we were advised to consult you for information related to our topic.

The topic of focus that our group has decided on is the sustainability of the campus, in particular the water efficiency of the equipment installed. As the campus is not a green mark certified building, our group would like to do an analysis in order for us to propose a solution to better improve the water efficiency in the campus.

To better improve the water efficiency and consumption in the campus, our group will focus mainly on water outlets that are heavily utilized on a daily basis such as the toilets. We are planning to implement a total revamping of the old and inefficient equipment into new ones that will be water efficient and also cost effective in the long run. And if possible, we will also propose to implement new water measure that are not available in the building yet.

In order for us to develop a more solid and concrete solution,we will need to acquire some background information on the water system, in terms of the water output, in the building. As such, the main aspects that we need clarifications on are:

1) When was the last time the campus had a minor/major change in terms of water equipment such as those in the toilets(tap, urinal, toilet bowl, shower heads, etc) ?

2)  We noticed that there a mix of old and new equipment in the building. For example, there are both manual and sensor taps in the same toilet. Another example will be that some toilets have the dual flush systems and some do not. Is this already part of an existed plan to change all inefficient equipment into efficient ones? Or is it something else?

3) What is the campus's ideal water consumption and how it differs to the real water consumption?

4) Will SIT@Dover remain as the headquarter for the next few years since SIT@Punggol building construction has yet to start?
If that is the case, has SIT ever considered acquiring the Green Mark Certification for the Dover campus since this is the only building out of the 6 by SIT that does not have a Green Mark Certification

5) Are there any future plans to better improve the campus's water efficiency or sustainability as a whole?

We would also appreciate if you could share with us the campus's water consumption for the past years.

It would be of great help if you could share with us your expertise and knowledge on the campus's current water system and equipment. We really appreciate you spending your time reading this email and assisting us accordingly. We look forward to your reply.

Best regards,
Muhd Azrie
Sustainable Infrastructure Engineering
(Building Services)

Letter of Transmittal

Letter of Transmittal

Dear Mr/Miss xxxxx,

To start off, we would like to introduce to you our group, Team Water Hunters. We have been tasked with the assignment to solve an engineering related problem with the goal of making an impact to the community. With the goal in mind, we have decided to focus our utmost effort and attention into making SIT@Dover a more sustainable environment in terms of its water efficiency level. Thus, attached in this letter is a proposal about a plan our team had crafted to better improve the water efficiency level in terms of output in SIT. We hope that you would consider implementing this proposed plan with the utmost consideration.

As SIT@Dover accommodates to students from 6 degree courses out of the 43 options offered, water is a heavily utilized resource in the building especially from the toilets.  To add on, it is the only campus out of the 6 by SIT to not have a Green Mark Certification. All existing buildings in Singapore have to go through the process of the Green Mark certification by 2020 but however, SIT@Dover have the waiver for the Green Mark Certification under existing buildings. Thus, the focus of this proposed plan is not to make SIT@Dover a green mark certified building but it will be to improve the water efficiency in the building so it can run more efficiently for the next couple of years. As SIT@Dover will remain as the headquarter until the Punggol campus is completed, improving the water efficiency level in the building will allow the school to save utility cost for the next couple of years .

In the report attached, it contains background information on SIT, an analysis on the current situation on the water output by all equipment in the toilet, the thoughts behind the proposed plan & its benefits and lastly, how the plan can be executed without causing too much disruption in the building.

To end off, we would like to thank you for your time and attention in reading through the proposal and considering the plan to revamp the current water equipment in the toilets. We hope and look forward to seeing the plan to make SIT@Dover a more efficient building a reality.

Best regards,

Muhd Azrie

Team Water Hunters

Sustainable Infrastructure Engineering

Building Services

Readers Response 3rd draft

In the article "This Detroit house is being turned into a living model of cost-saving sustainable design", Peters (2016) introduced ''Motown Movement'' as an initiative undertaken by three architecture students to design a sustainable living environment through affordable means. She then shared that the students were inspired to increase public awareness of sustainable and cost-effective ways to reconstruct houses, through workshops conducted in the revamped Detroit house - a living exhibition filled with green ideas. People will be imparted with knowledge of green sustainability tricks which they could easily replicate in their houses through the planned workshops aimed at addressing sustainability and cost effectiveness. Peters summed up on how the students collaborated with local organizations and their university to create projects flexible enough to accommodate varying conditions and spread the idea of Motown Movement to a worldwide level. While "Motown Movement" was a successful case on how sustainability can be implemented, Peters failed to consider other potential factors which may affect the success of the plan worldwide.
The first factor which the article failed to address was the living and environmental condition of the focused area. 'Motown Movement' was based purely on the culture and living condition of Detroit with the article only focusing on factors pertaining to it which might not be the same case with other areas. Meanwhile, in developing countries like Brazil, basic necessities such as drinking water and healthcare were already lacking which makes promoting sustainability to them a challenge as they have different priorities. In Brazil, natural calamities were common on slums which were built on unstable ground such as hill slopes. Thus, the plan for sustainability there will be deemed as unfeasible.
The last factor which the article failed to address was the mindset and culture of the people in the focused area. As the people in Detroit ''were much more positive'' and were more open to new ideas given to them despite their bad living conditions, this made executing the plan in Detroit feasible in comparison to other areas. According to Vinh (2013), one of the challenges faced by the Vietnamese government in promoting sustainability was influencing organizations and the general public in utilizing eco-friendly products and implementing green measures to save energy. In Vietnam's case, organizations were not keen in implementing eco-friendly measures as resources had to be spent unnecessarily while the local people were more focused on preserving the natural state of the land and were not open to change. In order for sustainability to flourish, fostering cooperation between the different involved parties by coming up with sound policies which benefit all parties will affect the success rate of the plan. Even for developed countries, implementing sustainability can be a challenge due to the mindset of the people. In an article by Puritt (2012), in the United States, negative perceptions on the greenness of a green product and the performance quality of a green product as compared to their conventional counterpart was one of the factors hindering the growth of sustainability in the country.
In conclusion, while their efforts in trying to promote sustainability by making it easy for the community were commendable, the success of their plan worldwide will be highly dependent on factors such as the living condition, culture and mindset of the targeted community which the article failed to address. As the main focus was on Detroit, it made the article fell short on information which could have made it relevant to more people. While there may be plans for sustainability to thrive, the success of the plan will be highly dependent on the people in the focused area.

Bonini, S & Oppenheim, J. (2008). Cultivating the green consumer. Retrieved on 24 September 2016 from http://ssir.org/articles/entry/cultivating_the_green_consumer

Peters, A. (2016). This Detroit house is being turned into a living model of cost-saving sustainable design. Retrieved on 19 September 2016 from https://www.fastcoexist.com/3061563/world-changing-ideas/this-detroit-house-is-being-turned-into-a-living-model-of-cost-saving-s

Puritt, J. (2012). Challenges to being sustainable, and how to over them. Retrieved on 24 September 2016 from http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/08/14/challenges-to-being-sustainable-and-how-to-overcome-them/

Vinh, L.D. (2013). Urban blueprints: Khanh Hoa province, Vietnam. Retrieved on 24 September 2016 from http://www.worldcitiessummit.com.sg/urban-blueprints-khanh-hoa-province-vietnam

Problem and Purpose Statement of Technical Report

Problem statement: 

SIT@Dover has a mixture of both efficient and inefficient water equipment. Unless these inefficient water equipment are replaced with more efficient ones, this will result in large accumulated volume of water wastage through the year.  

Purpose statement:

The purpose of the project is to propose the retrofitting of water efficient equipment throughout SIT. By introducing these equipment, SIT will be able to conserve more water in the long run. A research on the benefits in comparison to its drawbacks will be done on the different types of water equipment.