Why effective communication skills are important for me:
Effective communication is more than just exchanging information,
it is also about understanding the emotion behind the information delivered.
While communication is something we cannot do away with in life, effective
communication becomes important to me as it allows us to better understand a
person or a situation, resolve differences we face in daily interactions, build
trust and respect amongst peers and family members, and create an environment
where creative ideas and problem solving can flourish.
As simple as communication may seem, much of what is being
communicated in the process gets misunderstood, and this can cause conflicts
and frustrations in our personal and professional relationships. Thus, learning
about effective communication skills will equip me with a vital set of soft
skills in maintaining happy and long-lasting relationships, as well as boosting
my self confidence and establishing successful social interactions. These
skills include active listening, non-verbal communication, managing stress and
emotional awareness. Active listening refers to understanding how the speaker
feels about what they are communicating apart from the information communicated.
Non-verbal communication refers to our body language that is powerful in
conveying to others how we feel than words ever can. Managing stress is
essential especially when it gets overwhelming, because it hampers effective
communication by disrupting our capacity to think clearly and act appropriately.
This will likely cause us to misread others and send back off-putting
non-verbal signals, which may eventually lapse into unhealthy knee-jerk
patterns of behavior. Lastly, developing emotional awareness allows us to
understand and empathize with the speaker, even if we do not like the message
that is being delivered to us.
Finally, I am entering the workforce soon and effective communication
skills are very important for me in pursuing my career. First will be the
written form of communication that encompasses my resume and application letter
writing, which serves as my stepping stone to a successful career. Next will be
to perform well at the interviews and secure a job for myself. Last, to do well
in the job and advance in my career, effective communication will enhance my
opportunities for personal growth in aspects such as leadership abilities and
networking skills which are highly sought after in today’s competitive and
high-paced job market.
Hi Jie Ying!
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your insightful post (: I do share your views on the importance of effective communication. Especially for graduating students like you and me, the skills which ES2007S imparts to us throughout this semester are really vital to our survival in the workplace, don't you think? As our generation can be really competitive at times, I am glad that ES2007S is here to help us shine and stand out confidently as an effective communicator & successful individual.
All the best for this semester & I hope good job opportunities will come your way! (:
Hi Jieying!
ReplyDeleteThat was a informative post! Yes I am of the same mind that knowing the emotions of every communication process is important! Its in fact an important factor in knowing your audience! In fact, this skill can be used in enhancing communication with someone who might be reluctant to communicate at all in the first place. Removing that reluctance is key to communicating effectively as it breaks down barriers which are often the cause of misplaced assumptions. Communication with such emotional awareness is also key in drawing closer relations with others. In that sense, is beneficial to both professional and non professional relationships.
I have also chosen to take this module for the same reasons as you have posted, especially since its my final semester in NUS. Look forward to more enjoyable and engaging lessons ahead. See you in class tomorrow!
Thank you, Jie Ying, for this comprehensive discussion. What it sacrifices in conciseness is made up for by its completeness. You also tie together the general (as what is relevant for all of us) and the specific (important to you) in quite a creative fashion. You just need to be a bit careful when mixing the first person singular (I or me) and the first person plural (we), as the following example shows:
ReplyDelete...effective communication becomes important to me as it allows us... >>> ...effective communication becomes important as it allows us....
I really appreciate your effort with this, and I look forward to reading more of your posts.
Thank you, Brad, for your feedback. For the later posts I will take note in being concise!
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