Submission 1: More about Alexander Quah

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Hello! I am Alexander Quah, a student from the communication class MEC 1281 Group 6. I write to everyone in hopes that you will know me better.

To start off with my educational background, I have a diploma in Bioengineering obtained from the Singapore Polytechnic. I was blessed with plenty of opportunities to participate in multiple engineering and entrepreneurship competitions that require the designing of products throughout my time in secondary school and polytechnic. This sparked my interest in product design. Thus, I have applied to study Mechanical Engineering with a specialisation in Design at the Singapore Institute of Technology.

Being able to communicate is one of the most essential life skill that one should have. One of the strengths that I find in myself having in communication is being able to communicate and break the ice whenever I meet new people. I enjoy starting conversations to learn more about a person through the interesting stories that they share. For instance, I recently made a friend from Bangladesh during my stint at a shipyard. His name is Shallots and as much as we know how difficult and challenging the lives of migrant workers can be, we do not truly understand the extent of it. He shared that he misses home and while food is a common way to ease one’s homesickness, it is unfortunately very hard to find food from Bangladesh in Singapore. I also made a point to say hello and have a chat with him every time we cross paths at the shipyard.

One weakness that I have identified in communication is that I tend to get nervous when speaking in front of a crowd. This is especially so when I have to present in front of my peers. Despite having practised my speech multiple times for a presentation, my mind still goes blank when speaking in front of an audience. I am also unable to articulate my thoughts properly. Hence, I would like to work on my presentation skills.

My main goal for this module is to improve public speaking and learn how to overcome the mental blocks I face. I would also like to improve my writing skills so that I can be an effective communicator.

I hope that Professor Blackstone and my peers will assist me in these and I am eager to improve my communication skills this semester.

Best Regards,
Alexander Quah
MEC1281-T6

Commented on Wei Yan's, Shaun's, Christine's & Claire's profile


Last edit 28/01/2021

Comments

  1. Wei YanJanuary 18, 2021 at 5:24 AM

    Hi Alexander! With your concrete and clear introduction which you have written, it has allowed me to know you better as a person. Good flow of expressing your strength along with your intriguing story. That being said, I find it would be better if your introduction can be more concise.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Alexander QuahJanuary 26, 2021 at 2:36 AM

      Hello Wei Yan,

      Thank you for taking your time to read the blog post I have written! I am glad that you found it to be clear and concrete. Thanks for pointing out the improvements that can be made in the introduction. I will take a look and review it.

      Regards,
      Alexander Quah

      Delete
  2. Christine_2002442January 21, 2021 at 3:27 AM

    Overall, I'd say this letter is really well written. It has all the needed information and provides good background evidence to support your points. The grammar of the letter is good as well. If anything, I'd say that the letter could be slightly more formal and a bit more concise.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Alexander QuahJanuary 26, 2021 at 3:23 AM

      Hello Christine,

      Thank you for your positive feedback. I am glad that you found it well written. I will look into making the letter more formal and concise.

      Cheers,
      Alexander Quah

      Delete
  3. Brad BlackstoneJanuary 22, 2021 at 5:32 PM

    Dear Alex,

    Thank you for this well developed letter of intro. You cover the various assignment requirements and add fine concrete detail. The sharing about your Bangladeshi colleague is especially telling in terms of how it allows us to see into your world and get to know something about your perspective.

    I also like the detail in the section about perceived weakness, and you can rest assured knowing you will be having more speaking opportutiies as the term progresses.

    Your language fluency in this letter is quite good, but there is one sentence structure issue:

    Despite having practised my speech multiple times, my mind still goes blank when speaking in front of an audience. > (What is the main subject? Who practised?)

    Also, there is one transition word that sounds 'forced.' Do you see which one?

    Overall though, this is a fine effort. I look forward to reading more of your writing and working with you throughout the term.

    Cheers,

    Brad




    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Alexander QuahJanuary 26, 2021 at 3:09 AM

      Hello Professor Blackstone,

      Thank you for the feedback. I hope that you found my blog post interesting! I am looking forward to the public speaking opportunities available in the future.

      As for the improvements that you have mentioned for my blog post, I will look into it and review it as soon as possible. I would just like to confirm if the word "Next" in the 5th paragraph is the transition word that you have mentioned that sounds 'forced'.

      Hope to hear from you soon!

      Regards,
      Alexander Quah

      Delete
  4. ClaireFebruary 4, 2021 at 3:10 AM

    Hi Alex! Thank you for your clear introduction and your interesting story about your friend Shallots. I think it would be good if you could make your introduction more formal.

    ReplyDelete

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