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I could not agree more that effective communication plays a vital role in our lives. In the workplace, this is a necessary skill which presents us the opportunity to climb up the hierarchical ladder. In addition, it also preserves harmonious relationships between colleagues and also among family members. In my opinion, this is a particularly valuable skill which can be polished over time.
According to the course book "the science... the workplace" by Chew and Lee, communication does not only involves verbal actions, but also written and non verbal actions (body language). I admit that I do not lack courage in expressing my true feelings on daunting issues. But I personally feel that I lack the sharpness and accuracy in conveying my intentions to others. In most occasions, I would have to repeat myself a couple of times before others get my point. On hindsight too, I mainly focus only on my deliverance but less on my listening skills. Effective communication actually comprises of both a good speaker and an active listener, which I believe dramatically reduces the possibility of information being distorted. Lastly, many ignore the symbolic indication of body gestures. Being a culprit myself, I sometimes do not bother of such gestures during my presentations as I'm more concerned of adhering to time constraints. However, I feel that it is a good gauge of how well the audiences are receiving us. If the purpose of the presentation is to convince about a proposed change, isn’t it extremely important that the audiences direct their full attention to it?
With rampant competitive spirit, I believe that a good communication skill sets one apart from the others in a workplace. In a nutshell, effective communication is a necessary tool which prepares me for the challenges ahead in my career and life.
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Hi! Indeed, we do need both a good listener and a good speaker to communicate effectively - it takes two hands to clap. That part about body gesture reminded me that a good communicator is one who can compensate and adapt to the situation. By looking at body gesture, we can determine how they are receiving our ideas and we can fine-tune our delivery to make sure our message hits home. For example, if the audience appears uninterested (slouching in seats, talking amongst themselves and not paying attention to you, etc) when the speaker is presenting, it may be a good idea to quickly wrap that part up and proceed to other parts which may interest the audience more.
ReplyDeleteHi Rauf, I definitely agree that communication is a two way thing, the speaker has to be able to engage the audience and the audience must practice active listening. Otherwise the speaker’s point may not be brought across properly. On your next point about communication skills in the workplace, it is true that being able to communicate effectively is vital. Because not only does it strengthen relationships between colleagues, it also reduces the chances of mistakes from happen as a result of miscommunication.
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