MM 105

COMMUNICATION FOR BUSINESS

MICHELLE TAN HUI LIN

961009-01-6694

220200611

JANUARY 2019
INDEX

INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................ 3

QUESTION 1 ................................................................................................................... 4

QUESTION 2 ................................................................................................................... 6

QUESTION 3 ................................................................................................................... 7

QUESTION 4 ................................................................................................................... 8

QUESTION 5 ................................................................................................................. 10

REFERENCE.................................................................................................................. 11

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INTRODUCTION

This workshop would be everything about innovating. In the previous part, I teamed up

with a partner to carry out the project. Instead of working alone, I need to communicate

with people to understand their problems and find a solution. The experience in Part A

was great because after giving the gift, I was shocked by the positive feedback given.

Indeed, a small thinking in design can make a huge difference.

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QUESTION 1

Before this I never engaged with anyone when thinking for ideas, I thought that a good

gift is simply something within budget and practical. After the activity then I realised,

everyone has different perspectives on different terms. For example, a person might not

think a perfume as practical as I did due to personality or life habits. I think engaging

with people is very important because I can understand the person’s thought for the

thing I am designing and the problem I am solving.

I think this brings a lot of benefits to me because I put myself in people’s shoes realise

when I interview them, I have the chance to, this is essential in finding the potential of

the product. This method can also ensure people like and accept my product in the

market and lowers the risk of product development. However, the disadvantage is I need

to analyse some unpractical suggestions and some ideas cannot be approachable for

certain people.

If I think of ideas without relating the problems to people, I might miss a few things and

affect the potential of my product. For example, if I am a tutor, I need to think of ways

to help my students memorize the important points in a topic. If I do not connect with

my students, I might end up wasting time and creating a set of ways to simplify and

memorize points which might not be helpful to them. Instead, it becomes a burden.

Besides, without this process, I might design a gift which the person do not like and end

up with a sour relationship or wasting money.

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Hence, engaging with people in the designing process is vital because it lowers the risk

of product development, ensure the full potential of the product and get more ideas as

well as eliminate blind spots.

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QUESTION 2

Frankly, showing unfinished or last-minute work is very familiar to me. It feels simply-

bad. Others might have the opinion that I am a lazy person, or a person who cannot be

trusted in huge projects. I feel guilty and of course disappointed because I did not show

my work to its full potential. I think this workshop has challenged my attitude. To

complete the workshop, I think it challenged my attitude which are positivity and

activeness. I think being positive is important to complete the workshop because a

positive person will keep on finding answers and keep on trying when he or she gets

stuck. However, I am used to brushing things aside when I face problems or when

things get difficult, it eventually becomes procrastination of work. Positivity is indeed

essential in the innovation process because I need to keep trying and believe that things

will work out eventually. I would consult ideas from friends or mingle with more active

and positive friends and learn from their mindsets.

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QUESTION 3

The pace of the workshop for me was quite fast and the time limit given was very tight.

Luckily, it was alright for me because I am an impromptu person. I think best under

pressure. However, it challenged my impatient personality. I get frustrated easily

because the person I am interviewing was not giving me the answers I was looking for

within the time limit. I think I should learn to not let things that I cannot control affect p

my emotions. I should not get angry when the person or thing is not catching up with

my pace. By not being that impatient, I can think more clearly and do not give up easily.

By the way, innovation don’t always work, I cannot just throw tantrums and give up

when I can’t see the result within the time I expected. To be a more creative person, I

should learn to calm down and think for ideas.

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QUESTION 4

My partner and I only ended up in the part of designing prototype of the gift. If given

more time I would focus on finishing the prototype. This is because, in the early stages

of the prototype I realised that things can be design in different ways compare to the one

I drew on paper. Besides, I can test it directly on my friends and get instant feedback. A

prototype will be essential in ensuring that I did not miss anything.

Another thing I would improve on was my emotions and my ability to work with a

person. In creating a prototype, I got frustrated because my partner and I had different

ideas. It was very difficult for me to try to accommodate all the ideas. If I need to object

any of the ideas, I would need more time to explain my thoughts and ensure that I don’t

hurt anyone’s feelings. Being able to work with others in the innovation process is vital.

People have diverse personalities and diverse opinions. This diversity quality is what

makes our designed products special!

I think the most valuable part of the workshop was the part where I was required to

build a solution. This is because it has trained my ability to integrate all the problems

faced and build the best product to solve all the problems stated. For example, a

problem with phones without touchscreen is it slows down the process of making

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selections – Steve Job created the first touch screen smartphone. I believe this ability

would aid me greatly in becoming a creative person.

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QUESTION 5

The one principal that I have learnt and would like to use tomorrow is to be human-

centric because “The best solutions come out of the best insights into human behavior.”

(Kohrman, 2013) As I am a person who is impatient and want to do things that I only

like, I would get stuck in becoming a creative person if I do not learn to become a

person with empathy. I can only create good products and designs while implementing

this principal. Some problems that I might not see can be a major person for others.

I can implement this principle in my work too. I work as a marketing manager in a

tuition centre. I should put myself in students’ shoes to understand what their problem is

when choosing a tuition centre so that I could design the best marketing plan suited for

students. Besides, most of the decision for academics is mostly made by parents in

Asian countries like mine. So, by implementing this principle I believe I can design a

service best suited for parents who want their children to excel in their academics but

are afraid of the hassle especially for working parents.

Hence, this principle that I have learnt is indeed valuable in my career.

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REFERENCE

 Deb, K. (2008). Innovization: Innovative solution principles using multiobjective

opitmization (1st ed.). Berlin: Springer.

 Drucker, P. F. (2015). Innovation and entrepreneurship practice and principles.

London: Routledge.

 Tamaki Yoshikawa. (2016, December 09). 10 Design Thinking Principles for

Innovative Organizations. Retrieved from https://blog.btrax.com/10-design-

thinking-principles-for-innovative-organizations/

 Kohrman, M. (2013, November 20). Google Reveals Its 9 Principles of Innovation.

Retrieved from https://www.fastcompany.com/3021956/googles-nine-principles-of-

innovation

 Foley, N. (2010, November 01). Eight principles of innovation | Thinking. Retrieved

from https://landor.com/thinking/eight-principles-of-innovation

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