Catatan Tertunda Projek 2

Catatan tertunda.

Assalamualaikum. Salam sejahtera dan salam 1Malaysia.

Projek kedua merupakan projek individu di mana students dikehendaki mengenal pasti sebuah tapak kosong (or assumed vacant) berukuran lebih kurang 15 ekar untuk dibuat site analysis, develop a concept and prepare a layout. kami diminta untuk present tapak yang dipilih in the next studio session.

So, saya telah memilih untuk melaksanakan pembangunan di pinggir bukit for a reason. Di bandar tempat saya menginap iaitu di Muar, Johor, pembangunan rata-rata dilaksanakan di tanah rata sebab Muar tidak mempunyai kawasan berbukit yang significant kecuali di beberapa rizab Hutan Simpan Kekal yang tidak boleh dimajukan.

Melalui exercise ini, saya cuba untuk challenge diri saya sendiri tentang sejauh mana kemampuan saya untuk mengaplikasi dan menggarap konsep pembangunan di lereng bukit  dan pemeliharaan topografi selaras dengan garis panduan yang telah dikeluarkan oleh Jabatan Perancangan Bandar dan Desa Semenanjung Malaysia dan terpakai di semua Pihak Berkuasa Tempatan di Semenanjung Malaysia.


Ha, inilah dia muka depan 2 garis panduan saya sebutkan tadi. Menurut rakan di JPBD Pulau Pinang garis panduan ini merupakan bahan rujukan penting bagi Pihak Berkuasa Tempatan dalam mempertimbangkan permohonan di tanah tinggi dan bercerun. Most local Authorities would have these guidelines in their libraries.

Bagi Penang pula, they have their own guidelines mengenai pembangunan lereng bukit yang baru siap disediakan. Harap-harap adalah apa yang saya cari...

 As for my site, saya telah sediakan a 3-slide presentation sebagaimana yang diarahkan:

Alhamdulillah, para Pensyarah bersetuju dengan site yang dipilih. InsyaAllah, peluang ini tidak akan saya sia-siakan memandangkan ada juga kawan2 yang terpaksa menukar tapak. Allah bless my Lecturers... I hope I can deliver macam yang diarahkan. Walaupun this is not something totally new to me, tapi jarak masa lebih 10 tahun dari saat saya melangkah keluar dari UiTM hingga sekarang banyak mengubah keadaan...

Well... So much ramblings for now. nak siapkan assignments pulak, loads of them. Ada yang sudi nak tolong?


Bagi segmen Info Sharing kali ni, here's something for y'all to enjoy. Happy watching...

"Sustainability is now a big baggy sack in which people throw all kinds of old ideas, hot air and dodgy activities in order to be able to greenwash their products and feel good.”
― Kevin McCloud, Kevin McCloud's 43 Principles of Home: Enjoying Life in the 21st Century

Renung-renungkan....

Until our next encounter, Wassalamu 'alaikum and thank you.

Thank God it's Friday!

Thank God it's Friday! Honestly, I still couldn't understand why those Mat Salleh love Friday so much... Anyway, sebagai orang Muslim, kitalah yang seharusnya welcome hari Jumaat dengan hati dan minda terbuka kerana Jumaat adalah penghulu segala hari, tak gitu?

Dan, salam bahagia semua... kalau ada yang rasa tak berapa nak bahagia tu, bawak-bawaklah senyum... Kan senyum tu sedekah yang paling murah dan mudah, in fact tak perlu modal pun...

Studio berjalan mcm biasa. Remember my post dated 8 October 2012? My group of 3 presented our 5 slides for our Concept Evaluation presentation as follows :

Komen pensyarah :

• Penilaian adalah baik tetapi hendaklah memasukkan elemen  sejauh mana konsep yang dirancang dapat dilaksanakan dan ditepati oleh pemaju;
• Penggunaan perkataan "selfish" dalam ayat ini adalah agak "kasar" dan perlu di"tone down" atau dimansuhkan sahaja "To establish a segregated, gated and guarded, selfish, high-end living affordable only to few". Kami akur dengan teguran dari para Pensyarah. Sebenarnya apa yang kami nak sampaikan ialah, kehidupan yang ditentukan oleh kemampuan dan kuasa beli yang tinggi di kalangan sesetengah golongan memisah-misahkan masyarakat kepada "kasta" dan kelas tertentu yang hidup dalam kelompok dan koloni mereka sendiri. Cuma nak cari perkataan yang tepat dan sesuai tu agak sukar...
• Terlalu banyak ayat. Powerpoints should be about powerful points only. Huraian kita yang kena buat sendiri. 

Kami ingin merakamkan setinggi-tinggi terima kasih kepada para Pensyarah yang telah memberikan komen-komen membina, which is part of learning process, untuk memperkasakan jati diri students dan keupayaan kami menggarap the actual context of planning... Alhamdulillah...

Segmen Info Sharing
Bagi segmen info sharing kali ini, saya ingin berkongsi sebuah article  "Beyond greenbelts and zoning : A new planning concept for the environment of Asian mega-cities" oleh beberapa ilmuwan dari Jepun. Walaupun saya hanya meninjau sepintas lalu sahaja, saya yakin artikel ini is worth reading. Here's the link, go check it out :
www.springerlink.com/index/m5j62433h9v81h54.pdf

Today's quote :

• Adding lanes to solve traffic congestion is like loosening your belt to solve obesity. - Glen Hemistra 
• Houses make a town, but citizens make a city. - Rousseau

Wassalam.

Speech Pitfalls

 

Hi everyone... Selamat bersua kembali setelah lama saya tidak berpeluang menjenguk-jenguk blog ini.

Well, pada semester ni kita semua dikehendaki memberikan speech atau mengemukakan pendapat masing-masing di hadapan khalayak. Maybe sebagai persiapan kita untuk menghadapi cabaran public speaking yang lebih meluas di luar sana. So, saya suka nak berkongsi beberapa tips dan panduan yang saya perolehi dari Internet untuk renungan kita semua. Mana yang baik jadikan teladan, yang kurang baik itu kita jadikan sempadan...

Oops, sorry... saya terlupa the link locationnya... But anyway, enjoy!


If you have to give a speech, whether elevator, PowerPoint, or impromptu, remember to avoid these 12 pitfalls:

1. Failure to prepare

Unless you are Robin Williams, it’s a good idea to think through your material.  Williams was famous for not following the script during his early days in TV, and why should he?  He’s Robin Williams!  But, abandoning your material (or not having any) is the cardinal sin.   If you’re wondering where to start, ask yourself this question:  What one piece of information do I want people to remember after this presentation?   Start there, and even if your presentation is complex, you know how to point everything back to your theme.  The slides, the smiles, the gestures all serve to support that main takeaway.  Don’t just ‘wing it’, even if you are a seasoned pro. When the conversation matters, take time to prepare your ideas.

2. Disconnection

If you are saying, “I’m so thrilled to be here”, with the enthusiasm of a turtle after a long nap, you are not going to capture anyone’s attention.  Match your mood to your material, and put some energy into the delivery!

3. Apologizing for Things Beyond Your Control

Why do people start with “I’m sorry…”  for things like the traffic on Route 53?  Or the weather?  Or my haircut?  None of those things can be helped!  Now, if you are late, or the room is 92 degrees, you need to address it – those are legitimate concerns that deserve acknowledgement.  But  “Sorry for the ______” starters don’t make you appear concerned. These remarks are purely a distraction, and your listener interprets it as

• A stalling tactic
• A propped-up delay for a disconnected speaker
• Permission not to pay attention, cause you haven’t gotten anywhere near what really matters
• Asking for pity, a feeble attempt to connect with an audience on the weakest possible level.  (Not where you want to be!)

 

4. A poor opening

“Hi, I’m Tina and I run the accounting department.”  Wow – - BORING!  Sorry Tina, but every presenter that wants to put you to sleep starts with their name, rank and serial number.  How about putting your attention on the audience, and talking about what matters to them?  Your name is important, but it’s not gonna change during your presentation.  Start with your topic and your audience, those two things are most important.  “I don’t have control over the state of our industry, but in the next 30 minutes I’m going to outline our plans for new sources of funding.  The answers to overcoming the current economic crisis could be right in front of us, and your input matters to me.  My name is Tina…”

5. A Worse Opening

Starting with a joke that falls flat.  If you aren’t that funny, don’t try to start a new career.  Better to be sincere and authentic than try and create a comedy routine.  But DO remember to smile.  Even if the news is hard to hear, does it really hurt to acknowledge your audience with a positive gesture?

6. The Worst Opening, EVER

Start with a weird metaphor.  “Hi, I’m Fred, and I’m the Joe Montana of Marketing.”  Fred, what does that even mean?  You’re a retired clutch player who enjoys wearing Skechers?  If your opening is a confusing metaphor, better go back to the drawing board.  And be careful of sports analogies.  If someone needs ESPN to “get” you, you risk alienating a large part of your audience. Explain the connection to your material; don’t assume that your group knows every hall-of-fame quarterback in Canton.

7. Choosing Snoozing

If you believe that your material is boring, insignificant, or tired, your audience will reflect all of that back to you. Remember, your listener has never heard this stuff before.  Even if your topic is the Q4 inventory report, or the new ERP system, there must be a reason why you are discussing these things.  Find a reason to make it matter, if you want people to care.

8. Condescending to Your Audience

I worked with a guy named Stan.  Stan always thought he was the smartest person in the room. If you wanted to know how smart Stan was, all you had to do was ask him.  Do you know Stan?  Or…are you Stan?? If you are so fantastic that you are bombastic, your message doesn’t matter.  Relate to people on every possible level, even if (or especially if) you are delivering a difficult message.  Respect is the key to effective communication.

9. Pacing Like a Madman

A little bit of movement is a good thing.  Sometimes it’s a great thing, and it can ‘fire up’ an audience.  But make sure your movement matches your message.  Dancing because you are nervous means you need a little more practice.  Or, perhaps some decaf. Check out Steve Ballmer’s magic, it’s a classic.

10. Failing to Videotape Yourself

You know what everyone has these days?  A video camera. On their phone.  If you have a major presentation, or even just an elevator pitch, you need to see what others are seeing.  Before you see it on YouTube.  Don’t be a Ballmer.

11. Not Putting Your Audience First

I’ve been guilty of all of these sins, but especially this one!  Don’t start with selling something, instead of addressing what really matters: YOUR LISTENER.  Acknowledge (but don’t apologize for) the mood in the room.  Start off with what really matters to your audience, if you want to matter to them.  As the old saying goes,  true leadership is about finding out where people are going, and then getting in front of them.

12. Cryptic Slides

It always gets a laugh in a technology presentation when I say, “You know, I’ve gone through 14 slides and – did you notice? – there hasn’t been a single spreadsheet so far!” Spreadsheets are necessary, but spreadsheets are only part of the story.  For presenters that want to make an impact, take time to INTERPRET the NUMBERS.  Don’t let the numbers speak for themselves; explain the trends and the implications to the audience.  Make what matters matter.  Numbers are only the raw materials; you have to make something out of them, if you want to be remembered.

So, there you have it.  12most common presentation mistakes.  Have you ever made any embarrassing mistakes in a presentation? What tips do you have, when it’s time to step up and tell your story?


Good luck, guys!