Apparently today I had a training scheduled for me :D. Actually I’m already aware about the scheduled training. But with many projects running simultaneously, I simply forgot that today is the day.

The training is about communication in workplace. The reason my boss enrolled me to this training is because I requested for it. My last project was not really end well. It was completed, but with much heated arguments between myself and the user. The arguments were mostly about how after I spent so much effort completing a functionality, the user simply no longer wanted it. At the end, it made me question my ability to communicate/negotiate. Thus, I brought it up to my manager and requested for communication/negotiation training.

The trainer (or facilitator as he prefers to be called) is John Toh. He has been in the training industry/consultancy for more than 13 years. Beside communication, he also provide training on creativity and negotiation. He also doing consultancy on Human Resource strategy. Apart from that, he is also a reverend in a church somewhere in Little India.

So, the first day of the training was fun. On the first day we learn and discuss about the concept of communications, what internal and external factors that could hinder it, so on and so forth.

Things that I learned today:

1. Communication is considered successful when the message received, and action was carried out according to the message
2. We are all have biases and prejudices. These will affect on how we interpret a message
3. We can improve our communication by having:
   1. Active listening: seek clarifications, maintain eye contact, taking a note (after asking for permission)
   2. Control tone of voice
   3. Positive body language: Open-hand gesture, body straight not slouched
   4. Positive language: encouraging words, no demeaning remarks

I guess that’s all for now. I’ll share another interesting things I found from this training in the next post.

Last night game between Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur was superb. Manchester United finally played the kind football we are all been missing. It’s been a while since Manchester United played this well.

Although almost conceding own goal right from the start (courtesy of Phil Jones), United managed immediately control the game. On the left side, Ashley Young combined really well with Marouanne Fellaini and Daley Blind. Their passes was flowing nicely, leaving the Tottenham players in disarray. On the right side, Juan Mata hold the ball really well. Whenever he lost the ball, Antonio Valencia immediately covered it, and sometimes steal back the ball.

Man of the match for me would be either Michael Carrick, or Fellaini. Both have parts in the first two goals.

Manchester United’s starting eleven:

Tottenham Hotspur’s starting formation:

Here’s the match highlights and all goals:

My car had a breakdown yesterday. My wife was driving the car alone when suddenly the engine lost its power. Luckily my wife was able to manoeuvre the car to the roadside. Safely parked the car, she then realized that she didn’t bring her phone.

After managed to borrow a phone from a female passerby, she called her own phone hoping that I will pick it up. Sadly, I was taking a nap at home and her phone was on silent mode. After calling more than four times, my wife gives up. Seeing this, the kind lady asked my wife where does my wife lives. Since our house is quite near, the kind lady offered my wife a ride home.

Reaching home, my wife woke me up then explain what has happened. It was late afternoon, so we thought that no workshops are still open except Shop&Drive. Since we didn’t know their contact number, my wife asked one of her friends who is a regular customer there. Too bad, my wife’s friend also didn’t know Shop&Drive’s phone.

So the three of us rode my motorbike going to the nearest Shop&Drive. After telling them the situation, the mechanic suggested that the car’s battery is flat and need replacement. At first we objected, because the battery’s age is just slightly over one year. Then the mechanic argued that we might be just unlucky, to have a battery with a short life. I guess we had no other choice but to replace the battery.

So the four of us rode motorbikes to the roadside where my wife parked the car. The mechanic brought with him a new battery. A million rupiah later, my car alive with the new battery.
Only then the mechanic told us that our car didn’t charge the battery properly. Ouch!