Public Service Reform and Human Resource Management - Assignment Example

(First 24 April How Attentive I Was to Bill Roches Lecture? I was attentive during the lectures. I was prepared. I got my notebook with me. A pen – I was ready to jot down important information from the lecture. I wanted to grasp the key information as much as I could. The last time we had a speaker, I was a bit unprepared because I thought he would slow down for his international students. Let’s find out what happened during Bill Roche’s lecture about Public Service Reform and HRM: Ireland in Comparative Context. Did he clearly present the objectives to his listeners? No. The presentation was not clear to me. I do not know if the rest of the attendees were able to grasp the objectives of his lectures. For me, the presentation of the objectives of the lecture is one of the most important parts of the discussion. I would ask myself: Where are we heading into? I had a notebook in my hands, but I did not able to scribble something on it because he talked fast. I knew that he had presented the objectives; however, he failed to present it well. The lecturer is supposed to emphasise the objectives of the lectures clearly and precisely. The speed affected the clarity of the lecture. When the speaker talks a lot – the clarity is compromised. During the first five slides, he talked fast. He was fast in presenting each page of the slides, especially the first five pages of the presentation. Oh wait, I need to jot down notes, you see? To be honest, I want to raise my hand amidst the lecture because I was there to learn. Moreover, most of the information presented could not be seen on the power point. It was in his notes – or memory. Well, I need a flash drive to get access to the information from his brain… I am kidding, but I want to dig more facts about the lecture and I knew he had it. He seemed to be knowledgeable about the subject matter, but he failed to realise that international students sat before him. Did he really know the subject matter? Yes. I am sure about that. He talked fast and he knew what he was talking about. He was clear over the platform. But there are more aspects Bill Roche must consider in order to convey the message clearly to his audiences. In other words, he knew the subject matter – but he did not know whom he was talking with. He was talking with international students. Vocabulary wise – I got less than a native speaker of the English language. He should have taken that into consideration before starting the lecture. How critical he was with the extant knowledge of Public Service Reform and HRM? With the help of the slides, I have noted few examples. I can say that he was critical about the status quo of public service reform and HRM, especially in Ireland. He presented a few examples of the events on public service reform. He had presented a few facts about the creation of public service executive agencies in the UK. He talked with confidence – one of the signs that he knew what he was trying to teach us. However, I need more concrete examples. I need examples that are easy to understand. Presentation of complex ideas can be aided with examples that can easily connect to the lives of the listeners. A lecturer should discuss with the students as if he was in the shoes of these public sectors. Is it hard? But it is an effective approached if achieved. I remember the last time we had a similar lecture like this. How I wish the speaker could present examples that can be easily comprehended. Did he clearly explain the methodology during the lecture? He used bullets. That was helpful. Rather than presenting the slides with paragraphs, he broke the ideas into pieces of information. But a concise presentation of ideas is critical, sometimes, the more the lecturer summarises the information presented on the slides, the more it becomes incomplete. A concise presentation should clearly present the key ideas. As I mentioned earlier, most of the details and important jargons of public service and HRM were not presented on the slides. For not native speakers of English like me, it was hard to follow the discussion. Can you slow down, please? Yes. He seemed to hear me though, but I already missed a lot of ideas in the first few pages of the slides. Did he add information that would help students understand the topic clearly? What is the bottom line of the lecture? Why instructors do lectures? For me, lectures are done so that the students or the audience can understand deeply about the subjects. The purpose of the slides is to help listeners understand the topic at hand. It is a powerful aid. It must contain the key information of the discussion. The failure to achieve this will lessen the effectiveness of a particular discussion like this. Bill Roche had presented bullets as earlier mentioned. He made tables and other graphical presentation. But as I looked back at the power point copy that I have, the presentation of the graphical information was less appealing. Did you understand the discussion, sure? I might be too demanding, but I want more. I want more examples. I want more clarification. I want more… Lastly, presentation lacks the proper citation of references. Bill Roche also failed to give us recommendation for further reading. References should be clearly presented at the very last page of the slide – that would make the presentation more reliable. That supposed to help us examine the facts about the data presented by going through the cited sources. Bill Roche tried his best I know, he presented the conclusion well enough – but I always long for a lecturer that would ask himself first: Who are my audiences? He could not make a better presentation without clearly knowing who his listeners will be. Reference: ROCHE, B. (2014, April 10th). Public Service Reform and HRM: Ireland in Comparative Context. [PowerPoint slides]. Presented at (place of presentation). University of Limerick. Did I Grasp Alan O’Leary Lectures? Let’s talk about medical jargons and facts about Pharmaceutical Chemical and Medical Sector in Ireland. This would be a review about Alan O’Leary’s lectures on the said subject. I am scanning my notes right now – did I able to jot down important data during the lectures? The Presentation of Ideas Firstly, I love the slides. It was appealing to me. Red can attract more eyes, isn’t it? Well, it does not hurt though it is not as cool as blue. Indeed, the physical presentation of the lecture can catch the interest of the listeners. I was glued into my seat. Did my impression last? I was grateful to Alan for having a good introduction. That was a good start – he had found ways to turn the lecture lively. He had a good sense of humour. Nevertheless, one thing he missed – the objectives! The objectives again?! I do not know if you will agree with me – but for me – lectures like this must be laid out with objectives. But I forgave him for that. Anyhow, he was at a good pace. I was able to use my notes for important key ideas. The Speed of O’Leary’s Lecture I was inclined to listen to the discussion because the topic was fairly interesting. I knew that some terms were new to me – medical jargons! But since I am a health conscious person, I wanted to learn more about the lectures. The speed was not consistent, though. There were parts that he slowed down – he often injected humour to the lectures. But there were times that he got serious with the presentation of the ideas! I like that style. Alan O’Leary’s Critical Analysis He was critical. He cited numerous examples. He slowed down a bit to look at his audience as if asking: Do you follow me or do you like my face that’s why you are looking at me? I hope that the humour makes sense. As he changed the slides to the next one – he made sure that everyone could jot down important details about the lecture. The PowerPoint presentation contained bulleted information. He had explained the information with confidence. He gracefully talked about the other details that were not included in the slides. However, though the presentation was quite good – I still have the problem of understanding certain details. For me the slides were not enough for this somewhat technical subject. I need a fact sheet. The Practical Presentation of the Available Facts and Examples He was telling facts rather than telling a story. Yes, there were lectures that lecturers are not practical in their approach. O’Leary had given us real life examples. His presentation of data was reliable. For me, he knew how he could keep our attention from the start to the end. On the other side, there were a few ambiguous ideas. Moreover, the importance of the subject to our economy was a driving force that helped me focus on the lecture. I realised that pharmaceutical and medical devices are friendly to the environment. In addition, he clearly explained as to why these sectors keep the purity of water and air. I have observed that most business firms, especially manufacturing firms contribute the pollution of the water and air – but pharmaceutical and medical sectors are friendly to our nature! That was promising. I was taught that pharmaceutical industry contributes 55 % of the total Irish exports. That was huge! In addition, the highest number of people in Europe is working on medical devices. That’s a lot of money, isn’t it? Do I have the chance to work with pharmaceutical industry, too? I was engaged with the discussion because it is more about economic stability. Who would ignore that? Presentation of Key Conclusions O’Leary had a good presentation of the key conclusions in bullets. He has not just explained the concluding facts, but he presented it on the slide on big fonts – in a clear and noticeable marker. He concluded that Pharmaceutical Chemical and Medical Devices Sector are the main drivers of the exports growth in the country. In this part of the lecture, he summarised all the important key ideas. Did I able to follow the lecture this time? Yes, I did. But it was not a flat one grade for me. English was the medium of the discussion, and somehow it would affect my ability to grasp every detail of the discussion. Recommendation of Further Research or Study The reference part was not included in the slides; it would have been helpful to the listeners if he presented the resources of the presentation. I love to check recommended reading resources, I am an avid reader of online journals in my vacant times to improve my vocabulary, and I never overlook recommended resources. Google has become very popular. It became the new library for instructors and students alike. Since I have the notes, I can browse Google instead of further reading. O’Leary missed citing this very important part of the lecture. Conclusion Did I able to grasp Alan O’Leary’s lecture? Yes. I jotted down notes during the lectures. Though the speed was not consistent, I sensed that he wanted us to learn from the lectures. He inserted humour in the serious discussion. It helped a lot in order for us to stay attentive during the lecture. Though the lecture includes pharmaceutical and medical jargons – the importance of the topic to our economic growth is one of the factors why I was attentive even though it was not a perfect lecture. It seemed that my request was granted – Alan O’Leary asked himself first before the lecture started: My listeners are international students. Knowing our audience when we organise a lecture can help us find the most effective methodology so that we can disseminate precise information to our audience. Reference: OLEARY, A. (2013, March 13th). Collective Bargaining in the Pharmaceutical Chemical and Medical Devices Sector. [PowerPoint slides]. Presented at (Place of the lecture). University of (Name of University). Read More