FTS: Interpersonal Skills Seminar & Team Building

On the 21^st day of July year 2014, we had our interpersonal skill seminar and team building activity that was held at University of Southeastern Philippines Social Hall. It was then announced that we will be having the said event at 8 am and we must be at school before 8 in the morning so that we will have the chance to prepare and arrange the venue. But there were circumstances that we cannot avoid to happen and one of this is that the official of the Social Hall came and opened the venue almost 8 am. So with this kind of situation, we were all in a hurry to decorate and arrange the chairs because the director of the UGTO and at the same time our lecturer in the seminar have arrived and we must start right away to cover the things that are in line in the objective of the event and to finish the said event early. Having this kind of encounter is a reminder to inculcate that time management is really important. We must have a time management especially that our flight or our field trip to Manila is near because if we don’t practice this in ourselves, definitely all the things that were planned will be fall into pieces and also we must put it in our mind that we are not only the one that will be get into trouble but also the people in the group or in the class will be affected. There were things that I really liked to see and one of this is the cooperation or the team work among the class. As I have witnessed, through the hard work of our class officers and also helping and cooperating with each other is the main reason why we successfully had an interpersonal skill. We are group and yes, we worked also as a group with different tasks to perform and for me, that is the best mind-set we execute at that day. It is really sad to hear knowing that it should be a group work then unfortunately our actions does not fit with what we say “group work”. Honestly, I really admire the way our class president handled us because she is truly committed with her work. Without her guidance and also her words of encouragement, we cannot make it in our own.

  One of the things offered by Model A in which majority of us choose this model has a 2 hours interpersonal skills (but for me, we spent more than 2 hours and it is really worth it). At first, there were curiosity came up into my mind why we need to take up this interpersonal skills thingy before we will have our major field trip in Manila. But as the discussion goes by, I just have realized that it is really important knowing that we came from different programs, which is evening and day program and not all of us knew each other personally and also, we have different personalities to deal with. We will spent the rest of the first semester together so it is not good to see if we will not give any attention or simply by saying “hi or hello” to our classmates for a reason that we never knew them literally or we are just too shy to show the first move. Having this interpersonal skill in our chosen model is really a big help for us as an individual and as a group. It showed us who we really are and the things that we must continue and also the things in ourselves that need for improvements or changes. Interpersonal skills are just like a communication skills that we should possess everyday in our lives. We need to communicate and to interact with other people for us to know their sides, feelings or opinions and also to have a good relationship with them. Interpersonal skill is like a bridge to know the things that we are not aware with other people through socializing with them. Having good interpersonal skills is one of the key to be a successful in our chosen path. It taught me how to be a listener as well as sharing my thoughts and opinion to other people. It is also an eye opener for me to broaden my understanding when it comes to the things that needs to be aware of.

The theme we had in our interpersonal skill seminar is called “Journey to Inner Space: Key to Effective Interpersonal Skills”. As our instructor in the seminar said, it is about thinking or making reflections on the things that are happening in our everyday lives. Through this, we will know what are the things that need to be improved and changed in ourselves to be able to communicate or interact effectively and deeply understand the people in our surroundings. A lot of things were discussed by our instructor on that day. We also had the chance to experience the activities prepared by our instructor that were connected in showcasing our interpersonal skills. Before we proceeded in our first activity, our instructor grouped us through counting one to five, so definitely there was a big chance that the closest friends of us will not be in the same group. This kind of style was also a way to know each other in a short span of time though the people in the group are not that close. For me having this type of grouping is really a big help as a member of the group because I had the chance to know them, to make some conversations, and to brainstorm with them. And also through this, the walls between the people in the two sections were gradually broken. Based on the things that I had observed, we really had fun in doing those things that are in lined in the activity given by our facilitator. She gave activities like choosing an object or things that could represent and reflect in ourselves and also, she let us reminisce our childhood memories that mold us to be what and who we are right now. Furthermore, hearing and knowing the story of each of us is very much helpful to understand them genuinely. Knowing their past we can appreciate the things that they have been through. We could realize how strong and tough they are facing those trials and obstacles they had experienced in their lives. We could also have the chance to learn from their own experiences and give importance to the people that surround us and not take them for granted. On the other hand, the most important thing is that we cannot do the activity if we have not shared our thoughts and ideas, and participate and cooperate with the group. We give so much our efforts in doing the task that were given to us so we deliver and perform it successfully.

Aside from the activity, we also had the chance to understand the things discussed by our instructor. She stressed out the advantages as well as its disadvantages and the components of the interpersonal skills that we must have to imply in ourselves to have effective interpersonal skills. Though sometimes I felt sleepy whenever she discussed something in front but all the things she had shared, I learned a lot. Honestly, most of the things that our facilitator discussed are very new for me; I mean I never encounter those term that are actually called and found in the identity of one person. I am not perfect and I believe that no one is perfect, so some of the not so beautiful things in one person mentioned by our facilitator are found in me or I may say that I always do like depending on the others. With this kind of encounter, it awakened me to change my attitude and improved myself more. I am ashamed because I could relate what she had shared and with no doubt, it really strikes me. A lot of reflections pertaining to myself I made in that day. I also learned that we must not compare ourselves to other people and we must respect them when it comes to their lives because we do not have the same journey or path and experiences we took. I just realized also that to be able to be a better person towards other we should be a good listener, interact them with respect and understand every situation they will be facing. Aside from the seminars, we also experience what they called team building. Our class officers prepared a three game and in every game there were also different group so we had the chance to know other classmates aside from the original one. In the team building I can see the cooperation and participation among the group. There was also sharing of ideas for the techniques and strategies to be applied in every game and I realized that as time goes by, there were no hesitation and shyness towards other. It is really nice to see that we are united as one, and helping each other to win the game. We really enjoyed the game though we wanted more and it was full of laughter and scream echoing in the venue. For me, the experiences together with them are worth to treasure.

All the lessons I got in our interpersonal skills seminar cannot be paid by money or anything found in this world. Moreover, it cannot only be applied in our FTS (Field Trip & Seminar) subject but instead, it can also be applied in any situation. As I have stated above, interpersonal skill is very much important in our lives because without this we cannot fully understand other people. We need to socialize and to interact with them to know their point of view, their feelings and most especially to know their attitudes for us to have a good relationship with them. I think if we don’t showcase our interpersonal skills, there is a big possibility that our nation has no future, I mean there is no unity among the people because we don’t know how to listen and work together with them. Having this kind of character, we really need to make a change for the betterment of ourselves and to our nations. Just like in our upcoming field trip in Manila, we need to have this interpersonal skills seminar so that we could bond and not be shy with each other since we will be together in five days. This seminar taught me how to mingle with them, how to appreciate little things, how to reach out without hesitation and also it bring me out into my shell since I am a type of person that do not want to get exposed or in other words, I just prefer to be in the corner of the room. Somehow the seminar brought a big impact into my life (I think if someone will read this, they will think that I am too over acting, but honestly it is true, this is absolutely what I feel). A lot of realizations were implanted in my mind when I stepped out in the venue. It changes my perception not to judge and compare myself to other people and it is instill now on my mind. It also taught me to have a self confident and to reach out with other people because if I will limit myself to explore and not to join or to interact with them, for sure I could not reach what I really want in my life. It needs to communicate and to interact to other people when it comes to work, to school , at home, or in any place because if we could not acquire these kind of interpersonal skills, we could not meet the things that we want. Also there is no harmony since we work on our own and there is also a possibility that a lot of problems will come because there is no interaction among the colleagues. How could we solve the problems as a group if we have this kind of characteristics? So it is really important that we should practice to have good interpersonal skills towards others. It is a proof that interpersonal skill is highly needed when achieving a goal as well as the unity that we absolutely aim for.