Biodata (Post #6)

I am Loke Sau Yeen, currently in my third year of study at the National University of Singapore (NUS). Driven by my passion in discovering the complexity of sciences, I am currently pursuing a degree in Life Science concentrating in Biomedical Science at NUS. Through this course, I am given the opportunity to study the field of interest in greater depth and to have hands-on experiences in laboratory researches with reputable professors in NUS. The experiences of working in laboratories have trained me to be able to work independently and interdependently by being a good team player. Besides that, I also learnt to be more observant, detailed-oriented, analytical, objective and determined with high consciousness of time.

Striving to maintain a balance life as a university student, I have participated actively in various co-curricular activities in the years of my academic studies. Being the present Public Relations Manager of NUS Singapore Anti- Narcotics Association (SANA), I am required to liaise with organizations such as the SANA headquarters on the subject of joint- collaboration activities. The valuable experiences that I had from this position have enhanced my interpersonal communication skills which in turn have boosted my confidence when dealing with people from different organizations and background.

Besides that, having done part time tutoring in a day care cum tuition centre last summer, I have acquired the skill of communicating effectively with people from different age groups such as children, adolescents and adults. Being a tutor was a challenge for me as different teaching approaches needed to be implemented to students of different levels. Thus, my part time job as a tutor allowed me to expand my creativity in developing different effective teaching methods as well as augment my capacity to withstand the stress from parents. Moreover, I have learnt to become more meticulous and patient, which I believe are qualities that will benefit me greatly in future assignments.

In addition, I always have a strong interest for music, ballroom dances and languages. If given the opportunity, I would like to pursue a piano diploma or learning a new dance or language. With my undying thirst for knowledge, I would also hope that I am able to take up a postgraduate degree in a related science field.

A Not- So- Pleasant Phone Conversation

Last week was a real crazy period for me. There were 2 continuous assessments (CA) and an assignment which comprised of 60% of my final marks due last week. I had serious sleep deprivation as a result of numerous nights of burning the midnight oil. After I completed my last CA on Friday, I was excited as I finally got a chance to take an afternoon nap, compensating for the hours of sleep that I was deprived of. Just when I was about to enter slumberland, my sweet nap was disrupted by the ringing of my phone. Despite being very drowsy, I got up and I picked up the phone for the fear of missing any important call. The following is the conversation that I had with an unknown lady (caller):

Unknown lady: Hello, may I know who is this?

Me : Huh? Pardon me?

Unknown lady: I’m asking you, may I know who is the user of this line?

Me : Er…. I’m Miss Loke.

Unknown lady: From which branch?

Me : Huh? (I was very confused.) Excuse me; may I know who is calling me?

Unknown lady: (Speaking in an annoyed tone) I’m Laura from XXX Company. I just

want to ask you who is the user of this line?

Me : Oh. Err… I am Miss Loke.

Unknown lady: Okay, so you’re Miss Loke, right? Thanks. (Hung up)

I was quite confused throughout the entire conversation that I had with this unknown lady (who apparently addressed herself as Laura). This might be due to the inability of my not- so-well- functioning brain to process her speech as I was very drowsy at that moment.

However, when I think back about it, I feel rather mad as I find that the lady was rude to me during the whole conversation. After analyzing the dialogue, I discover a few errors that could have been avoided in order to make the conversation more pleasant. Firstly, the unknown lady should have introduced herself before proceeding to her questions. This step reflects the professionalism of the caller and it is important to ensure that the receiver (who is me) knows the identity of the caller. Secondly, instead of expressing her annoyance in her speech, she should have used a more polite tone when she is speaking with me. Her annoyance made me felt as though I had done or said something wrong which led to her displeasure. Thirdly, the purpose of this call was not mentioned until I asked for her identity. To be honest, I am still clueless as to why she called me and inquired for my name. The conversation would be more sensible if she had taken some time to explain to me about the reason for her call. And last but not least, I was displeased with the way she ended the conversation. In my opinion, hanging up on someone’s call without a proper greeting (i.e. goodbye) is a serious mistake and no one should be doing it especially when you are calling someone on behalf of your company.

As such, I feel that communication skills are very important, be it in our verbal communications such as our daily face- to face and phone conversations and written communications such as letters, emails or blogs. Therefore, as part of the society, we should pay attention to the way we communicate with each other in order to establish or maintain good, healthy relationships with one another.