Dear Professor
Blackstone,
I hope this message
finds you well. My name is Royston, a year one student enrolled in the civil
engineering program at Singapore Institute of Technology. I am writing to introduce
myself so that you can get to know me better.
Prior to my education at
Singapore Institute of Technology, I completed my studies at Republic
Polytechnic with a diploma in engineering design with business in 2022. My passion
for engineering was developed by a strong academic foundation in mathematics
and science. In recent years, I discovered a newfound interest in property
development and structural design as I muse about the complexities and engineering
feats that make up each project, which eventually led me to my current pursuit
in civil engineering.
Even though my
technical skills have developed, one area that remains a challenge, and a
weakness of mine, is speaking in front of crowds. Oftentimes, I find myself lacking
confidence and unable to think when I must present in front of an audience. With
the speaking opportunities available in this module, I wish to step out of my
comfort zone and overcome this obstacle. At the same time, a communication strength I have is being a good listener. Due to the nature of my character as being
reserved, I often engage in active listening rather than speaking and interrupting
others. This allows me to give the other party my fullest attention and respond
thoughtfully to what they say, which will help me to understand them more
clearly, reduce misunderstandings and build trust with the speaker.
The two goals I have for this module are to develop
public speaking skills and improve my social skills. My struggle in public
speaking stems from self-doubt and nervousness in front of crowds. The fear of
judgement and pressure to communicate effectively make it challenging for me to
express my thoughts accurately and confidently. Additionally, when I engage
with others, I often find it difficult to keep the conversations alive which
eventually may lead to awkwardness between me and the other party.
Through this module, I look forward to working on my
goals and weaknesses under your guidance.
Regards,
Royston Lee
Edited on 7/2/2025, based on Professor Blackstone's feedback
Read and gave feedback to Zhan Yuan, Zhi Guang and Kenji
Dear Zhiguang,
ReplyDeleteThank you for taking the time to read my letter, I appreciate your time and will take your feedback into consideration.
Regards,
Royston Lee
Dear Zhanyuan,
ReplyDeleteI appreciate your time and effort you put into writing this feedback, I will take your feedback into consideration and make the necessary amendments.
Regards,
Royston Lee
Dear Royston,
ReplyDeleteIt is great to learn about how your passion for mathematics, science, and property development has guided you toward the engineering industry. Your interest in structural design and the complexities behind engineering projects shows a strong drive to understand and contribute meaningfully to the industry.
It’s normal to feel nervous when presenting, but stepping out of your comfort zone, as you plan to do in this module, is an important step toward overcoming those challenges. Your strength in active listening is a valuable skill that will serve you well in both group discussions and professional environments, fostering better communication and understanding.
I believe that with your determination to improve, you’ll make great strides in both public speaking and social interaction throughout the course. I’m confident that you’ll gain the confidence you need to express your ideas clearly and engage more comfortably in conversations.
I look forward to seeing your progress and the contributions you’ll make in this module.
Regards,
Kylie
Dear Kylie,
DeleteThank you for your kind words and encouragement. I appreciate your support as I work on improving my public speaking and social skills. I look forward to learning and growing throughout this module.
Best regards,
Royston
Dear Royston,
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your introduction letter. It was well-written, and I enjoyed learning about your journey and goals. Your self-awareness and willingness to grow are commendable. Highlighting active listening as a strength was a great choice, as it’s an essential skill in communication. Additionally, your professional tone throughout the letter makes it clear that you take this opportunity seriously, which reflects positively on you.
One area to consider improving is expanding on your strengths. While you mentioned active listening, providing a specific example of how this has helped you in teamwork or problem-solving would make your point even stronger. Additionally, while your weaknesses are well-explained, you could balance them by emphasizing how your current strengths might help you overcome these challenges.
Overall, this is a thoughtful and well-structured letter. With a bit more focus on examples and balance, it can become even more impactful.
Best regards,
Jeryl Kaw
Dear Jeryl,
DeleteThank you for your valuable feedback and kind words. I appreciate your suggestion to expand on my strengths with specific examples, I will take that into consideration. Your insights will definitely help me refine my communication skills further.
Best regards,
Royston
Dear Royston,
ReplyDeleteThank you for this fairly well developed and informative letter. You address the points of the brief in an appropriate manner.
I like learning, for example, about your evolving interest in "property development and structural design." Being in Singapore, any one of us can give a cursory glance at all the building projects and see how remarkable this field is. I wonder of there are any particular projects that have caught your attention or that you have worked on.
I also appreciate you sharing in the discussion of your comm skills strength and weakness how, regarding your fear of presenting, you are keen to "step out of my comfort zone and overcome this obstacle." One way to do so is to take every opportunity given in class to speak up, whether called on or not.
In your letter, you also explain how a "fear of judgement and pressure to communicate" can make interacting on an interpersonal level a challenge for you. Again, I'd like to challenge you to push your fears aside so that you learn that your 'comfort zone' is just that, a self prescribed area that can be expanded overnight. This is a case where practice certainly makes perfect.
In terms of your language use, this letter is a very good effort. There is, however, one sentence that I'd like you to take note of: On the contrary, a communication strength I have is being a good listener. > (incorrect transition phrase)
At the same time, a communication strength I have is being a good listener.
I look forward to working with you further this term.
Best wishes,
Brad
Dear Professor Blackstone, I appreciate your feedback and kind words. I have not worked on any projects in the construction scene in Singapore though I have hopes to work on some in the future. As I have mentioned about my interest in property development and structural design, there is a completed project that has caught my attention. It is a residential development named "The Interlace", located in the central region of Singapore. I was intrigued as it has multiple blocks stacked in a criss-cross manner which I find it to be a novel design especially in the context of residential buildings.
DeleteAgain, I appreciate your time in reading my email and I will apply your advice and feedback accordingly.
Regards,
Royston