Reflection on Developing Communication Skills

When I started this module, I was not sure of what to expect and did not have any interest in the module. However, after completing this module, I have become more confident in writing. As cliche as it may sound, I believe that success comes from perseverance and hard work.  Throughout this module, I could see improvements as I was doing my assignments.

Reader response was an interesting assignment where it equips me with skills such as referencing. This is important in formal writing and I believe that this is a necessary skill set in the working world.  Through the word count limitations for assignments, I have also learnt to be concise in my writing.

Additionally, I have improved on my summarizing and editing skills. I have also gotten better at spotting vocabulary and grammar mistakes that I usually make. With the lecturer’s guidance, I have learnt to effectively support my points with concrete evidences.

When it comes to presentations, people tend to overlook the importance of non-verbal cues. I personally feel that body language affects the overall delivery of a presentation. Even though I was able to engage the audience, I could have done better by being more consistent in my engagement. One mistake that I made was neglecting eye contact with the audience sitting to my right.

To quote Lao Tzu, “A journey of a thousand begins with a single step”. I am glad I have taken the first step in trying to improve my professional writing skills. However, Language acquisition is a long process, and it is important that I continue to practice my writing skills. With practice, the technical report that I write will just get better overtime.

Oral Presentation Reflection

My group’s presentation was on ‘Lift panel upgrade’ and the focus was on the upgrade of lifts in mature estates. It started off smoothly and our audience were mostly engaged throughout our presentation. However, our presentation was monotonous as compared to other groups. At one point of the presentation, my groupmates left out information regarding the pictures, but I managed to fill up the missing information. Because of this initial hiccup, I lost focus and the delivery of my presentation was affected.

I tried to be concise with my points and avoid reading off from the slides. I had also included pictures to engage the audience and explain my points. I thought that this is a good strategy to capture the attention of the audience, and to make my presentation interesting.

I think the overall presentation was smooth, and the information presented was concrete. I also prepared a list of questions that audience might ask, which was helpful for the Q&A section. However, I made some minor errors on the delivery of my speech.  An example would be that I neglected eye contact with the audience sitting to my right. I felt that I could have done better by engaging them. Furthermore, I was stiff throughout the presentation and my body language could be improved. I could have adopted a better posture, and used hand gestures to direct my audience's attention towards key points.

A takeaway from this presentation is that preparation is very important. I will adopt the habit to prepare for a Q&A, as it helps us to deal with questions more professionally. Furthermore, I will look up for relaxation techniques to improve my focus during my presentation, as I feel that the success of the presentation depends primarily on the focus of the presenter.

Reader Response 3rd draft: The concrete advantage

In the article “The Concrete Advantage”, National Ready Mixed Concrete Association states that the installation of waterproof concrete will simplify the design, building and maintenance processes. The article also discusses about the advantages of using waterproof concretes and how various stakeholders will benefit from using it.

The article claims that the unique characteristics of the waterproof concrete make it commercially viable, and mentions that the permanent built in waterproofing makes it less prone to wear and tear, and allows for easier identification and reconditioning of the minor defects. In addition, the article explains how the defects can be rectified with polyurethane grout injection repair, and it can be done without disrupting the green roof. Hence the article evaluates that it will shorten the drafting process, lower the per square foot costing as membranes are omitted and there will be a reduction in the overall construction cost.

Constructions should utilize waterproof concrete as its unique characteristics make it commercially viable as it simplifies construction processes and makes maintenance easier.

The first reason is the omission of the waterproofing membrane. “Case study of Miami Science Museum Aquarium” (n.d.) observes that the addition of a special mixture into concrete mix enhances waterproofing in adverse conditions, even without the application of waterproofing membrane. “Hycrete Benefits” (n.d.) estimates that this approach reduces the construction cost by 30% as the design phase was shortened due to the omission of the costly membranes. This supports the commercial viability of using waterproofing concretes in greenroofs as compared to the application of waterproofing membrane.

Furthermore, National Ready Mixed Concrete Association explains about the complications of repair work relating to traditional waterproofing method. In a supporting article written by Kadlubowski (2014), the common problem of waterproofing layers is the damage of the fragile layers due to rough handling during constructions. Kadlubowski (2014) also mentions that the grade of waterproofing layer is essential as it is very difficult to carry out maintenance work thereafter. In addition, National Ready Mixed Concrete Association suggests that with the use of waterproofing concrete, there will not be a need to wait for the concrete to cure before applying the membrane, taking away precious time of the construction. This reduces the overall construction cost, as time equal cost and a longer construction period will elevate the cost on site due to rental of construction machines and manpower.

In addition, National Ready Mixed Concrete Association claims that with the use of waterproofing concrete the use of root barrier for the greenroofs can be excluded. In a research study by Tan, Chew and Wong (2012), they share that plants with growing roots tend to penetrate the waterproofing layer causing severe damage to the membranes. Tan, Chew and Wong (2012) warn that tremendous amount of effort and money are needed to carry out the tedious repair works and explain that the process will kill the green plants as the top layers have to be removed to reapply the membrane. National Ready Mixed Concrete Association states that minor cracks from the penetrating roots can be easily identified and resolved with a grout injection repair that is cost efficient. The unique characteristic simplifies the maintenance work needed for waterproofing concrete and it reduces the future maintenance cost.

In conclusion, National Ready Mixed Concrete Association discusses valid points, and is able to justify the advantages of using waterproofing concretes. The supporting articles further highlight the strength and characteristics of the waterproof concretes, showing the commercial and technical viability of using such concrete. Hence, the use of waterproofing concrete will benefit various stakeholders of the construction process.

References:

The Concrete Advantage. (n.d). Retrieved from http://www.greenrooftops.org/advantage.html

Case study of Miami Science Museum Aquarium. (n.d). Retrieved from http://www.hycrete.com/wp-content/uploads/Hycrete-Case-Study-Miami-Science-Museum_v9-8-17-16.pdf

Hycrete Benefits. (n.d). Retrieved from

http://www.hycrete.com/products/hycrete-benefits/cost-savings/

Richard P. Kadlubowski (2014, November 26). An Overview Of Waterproofing Solutions. Retrieved from

http://www.constructionspecifier.com/an-overview-of-waterproofing-solutions/

K.K.Tan, M.Y.L.Chew and N.H.Wong (2012, May 9). Effects of plant roots on waterproofing membrane. Retrieved from http://www.bse.polyu.edu.hk/researchCentre/Fire_Engineering/summary_of_output/journal/IJAS/V8/p76-88.pdf

Reader Response: The concrete advantage

In the publication “The Concrete Advantage”, Green Rooftops states that the installation of waterproof concrete will simplify the design, building and maintenance processes. Therefore, various stakeholders will benefit from the advantages of using waterproof concretes.

The unique characteristics of the waterproof concrete make it commercially viable. It has permanent built in waterproofing which makes it less prone to wear and tear, and allows easier identification and reconditioning of minor defects. Defects can be rectified with polyurethane grout injection repair, and can be done without disrupting the green roof. These shorten the drafting process, lowers per square foot costing as membranes are omitted and allow the reduction of overall construction cost.

From the article, it shows that the use of waterproofing concretes for greenroofs will make it commercially viable, as it simplifies the processes for maintenance and construction.

The first reason the article talked about was the omission of the waterproofing membrane. In a case study done by Miami Science Musuem Aquarium, it is shown that the addition of a special mixture into concrete mix enhances waterproofing in adverse conditions, even without the application of waterproofing membrane. This approach reduced the construction cost by 30% as the design phase was shortened due to the omission of the costly membranes (Hycrete benefits). This supports the commercial viability of using waterproofing concretes in greenroofs as compared to traditional application of waterproofing membrane.

Furthermore, the article by Green Rooftops mentioned about the complications of repair work relating to traditional waterproofing method. In a supporting article written by Kadlubowski (2014), it stated that the common problems of traditional waterproofing layers were the damage of the fragile layers due to rough handling during constructions. Kadlubowski (2014) also mentioned that the grade of waterproofing layer is essential as it is very difficult to carry out maintenance work thereafter. However, the article by Green Rooftops mentioned with the use of waterproofing concrete, there won’t be a need to wait for the concrete to cure before applying the membrane, taking away precious time of the construction. This supports the commercial viability, as time equal cost and a longer period will elevate the cost on site due to rental and manpower.

The other advantage mentioned was the exclusion of root barrier for the greenroof. This research studies that is similar to the author’s article mentions that plants with growing roots tend to penetrate the waterproofing layer. Adding on to the pain is the tremendous amount of effort and money to carry out the tedious repair works that are needed from time to time. Not only that, the process will kill the green plants as the top layers have to be removed to reapply the membrane (Tan, Chew and Wong, 2012). As such the problem is not a big issue for waterproofing concrete as there will not be any membrane. However, there will still be minor cracks which can be easily identified and resolved with a grout injection repair that is cost efficient. This supports the commercial viability as it simplifies the maintenance works.

In conclusion, the author’s stand that waterproofing concrete is more cost efficient is reliable, and supported by many similar studies. The article is also comprehensive as it has discussed about simplification of processes during the different construction phases, which helped to reduce cost. These unique features helped in revolutionaizing the way constructions are being carried out.

References:

The Concrete Advantage. In Green Rooftops. Retrieved from http://www.greenrooftops.org/advantage.html

Case study of Miami Science Museum Aquarium. In Hycrete. Retrieved from http://www.hycrete.com/wp-content/uploads/Hycrete-Case-Study-Miami-Science-Museum_v9-8-17-16.pdf

Hycrete Benefits. In Hycrete. Retrieved from http://www.hycrete.com/products/hycrete-benefits/cost-savings/

Richard P. Kadlubowski (2014), "An Overview Of Waterproofing Solutions". Retrieved from www.constructionspecifier.com

K.K.Tan, M.Y.L.Chew and N.H.Wong (2012) , “Effects of plant roots on waterproofing membrane”. Retrieved from http://www.bse.polyu.edu.hk/researchCentre/Fire_Engineering/summary_of_output/journal/IJAS/V8/p76-88.pdf

The Concrete Advantage Summary

With the high initial investment of the greenroofs, various stakeholders will benefit from the enhancement of the greenroofs with the installation of waterproof concrete as it simplifies the design, building and maintenance processes.

The unique specialties of the waterproofing concrete yield positive outcomes. Waterproof concrete has permanent built-in waterproofing which cannot be tampered or worn out as compared to green-roof membranes during or after the construction phase. Minor defects such as cracks can be identified and reconditioned easily. Defects can be rectified by adopting the polyurethane grout injection repair to fill up the gaps from the bottom deck and it does not damage the plant life. Application of membrane can be eliminated thus shortening the drafting process. The cost per square foot for installation not only decreases but it also lowers the overall construction cost.

The idea of adopting waterproof concrete helps elevate the prospects of different group of people. For the designers, the detailing process is shortened and hence constructions can commence earlier. Construction is also simpler, efficient and inexpensive hence increasing the value of the property for the owner.

All in all, waterproof concrete is not only durable, but cost effective, less risky, environmentally friendly, having a high investment value in the long run and having a shortened duration for construction.

Descriptive reflection: Your English Learning Language

Truthfully, one of the biggest regret I have is that I did not put in effort to improve my command of English language when I was young. I come from a traditional Chinese family and Mandarin was the language spoken most often at home. This had a negative impact on my English language skills since young and I could often be seen struggling as compared to my peers.

This struggle surfaced as early as when I was 7 years old. During my first week in primary school, I had trouble conversing with my classmates in English and would often have to use a mix of both Mandarin and English in conversations. To make matters worse, curriculum in schools were taught in English and I had a hard time understanding classes. English was my worst subject and I would more than often get bad grades for its major exams.

As I got older, I realise the importance of being proficient in English. In a bid to further improve my English, I set on a mission to read as many English books as I can, both to improve my grammar and vocabulary. Henceforth, the grammatical and vocabulary errors I made reduced significantly. I have also gained the confidence to give formal presentations in English.

The main takeaway from this experience is that English language cannot be mastered overnight and lots of initiatives and efforts are needed to be able to see progress. As the saying goes, "Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out" as quoted by Robert Collier. I believe that if I diligently work on my English and be consistent, my English today will be better than my English yesterday.