A Satisfactory or Unsatisfactory module - Anyone?

Last semester, I took a level 1000 computing module- a module that can be read as a Satisfactory or Unsatisfactory module . One mode of assessment for the module was a group project. It was my first group project in NUS; hence I was looking forward to it. We formed our groups during the first tutorial session. There were 4 members in my group. Among us was Mr. Q – a third year student.

It was decided that a meeting was to be held on weekly basis. However, for most meetings, Mr. Q was absent, citing excuses such as having other errands to run.

For this particular project, a lot of research was required. He would complain that he was assigned the heaviest workload and most of the time, he would do half of it, or even less. This greatly slowed our progress as we ended up having to do his remaining work. The worst had yet to come.

One component of the project was oral presentation and each of the members was expected to present. I suggested rehearsing for the presentation. However, Mr. Q was not keen on it and said that he had done lots of presentation and it was unnecessary, assuring us that he would do fine on the day itself.

On presentation day, he arrived in shorts and slippers despite the formal wear dress code that was required of us. He was stammering throughout the presentation itself and was unable to answer the question that the tutor posed. From the expression of the tutor, I thought our group was not going to get a good grade. True enough, it was reflected in my grade. As you would expected, he S/U-ed the module.

If you were in my shoes, what would you have done to motivate him to work?
(Edited)

Why is Effective Communication Important to me?

Being the only child in the family means that the only people I get to communicate with at home will be my parents and occasionally a couple of elders who might be staying over. These people are nice people who dote on me. However, frequently, I feel that it is difficult to hold a lengthy conversation with them over certain issues. Perhaps this can be attributed to the fact that I lack good communication skills.

Since I am the only child and do not get to speak much at home, I tend to speak a lot when I am out with friends or in school. When a conversation starts, I can go on and on non-stop. Very often, I will forget a very important factor of communication – to listen.

Aspiring to be a teacher in the near future, I feel that effective communication is one of the most important skills I will need to grasp in order to excel in my job. In today’s context, being a teacher is not just about teaching, it is about reaching out to the students too.  To be able to do so, it is pertinent that I am able to connect with students – to guide them along and also, to listen to them. With effective communicative skills, I am certain that I can, on top of delivering academic content effectively to them, give them guidance on the other aspects of life.