Developing effective communication skills. Is it important???

Communication is a phenomenon that is happening ALL the time. Our entire lives have been dedicated to communicating with others either formally or informally. This is because we are situated in an environment where we are always surrounded by people (unless we are being castaway in some remote island devoid of any living souls) hence interacting with others is something that we cannot avoid. Humans are biologically designed to be social creatures, a characteristic trait that is essential for survival due to our dependence on others. Even the socially inept will have to communicate some point in their lives no matter how infrequent their interactions are. This is probably the reason why prisoners are placed in isolation cells as a form of punishment to prevent them from having any social contact with the outside world. In fact, being imprisoned in an isolation cell is extremely torturous for many prisoners where I’ve heard that some have gone insanely mad from being isolated too long. Hmm…




Modern technological advances have inevitably caused us to be placed on a global frontier, thus effective communication skills are necessary tools to enable us to have a competitive edge. Communication can reveal much about oneself, whether you’re just a brawn with no brains or a blonde who do actually possess some substance despite stereotypical notions.


A blonde can actually be a lawyer?? No kidding.

Companies want someone who can communicate well so that he or she can represent a good corporate image for the organization not just locally but on a worldwide stage. Therefore, developing effective communication skills is important as it helps one to score an interview, clinch a deal and build interpersonal relationships with business associates.

In an informal setting, communication allows one to foster friendship ties with others so as to widen one’s social network, which can prove to be useful later part in life. It also enables one to resolve conflicts so as to ensure a more peace-loving and harmonious society, making the world a better place… ideally speaking. Hah.

These days, chasing someone of the opposite sex is a difficult task unlike the Stone Age times when members of the opposite sex just come together and mate. Even then, I do believe they possess some non-verbal communication cues to signal one another that they are ready to ‘go forth and reproduce’. Non-verbal communication cues still exist in the dating arena today but they are subtler. Sometimes it is hard to interpret what the other party is thinking. One way to judge whether he or she is interested in you is through their body language, eye contact, tone of voice and touch. Moreover, being attractive no longer just means being good-looking but knowing how to speak well too. How many times have you caught sight of a gorgeous guy or girl but only to be turned off once they started talking? On the other hand, if someone is able to speak eloquently and with confidence, he or she may exude a charisma that makes he or she attractive even though they may not be that good-looking. This could be why some guys employ flowery words to ‘dupe’ the women they are interested in. Haha.

Lastly, having good communicative skills not only can aid oneself but help others as well. For example, motivational speakers who enrich the lives of others and inspire them to live a better, fulfilled life. Randy Pausch, a professor from Carnegie Mellon became a worldwide sensation due to his presentation on ‘the last lecture: Achieving your childhood dreams’. At that time, he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and his days were numbered. His moving presentation shows people that he is not going to let the days go by him but to live the fullest as he can. Unfortunately, he passed away this late July. He was an exemplary figure of how effective communication can touch and inspire the lives of many.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ji5_MqicxSo
Website of Randy Pausch's video on 'the last lecture'

On a personal note, effective communication skills are important to ME because they affect how others view me as a person. Somehow my friends often do not take me seriously probably because of the way I talked. They even frankly told me that I speak rather brashly, peppered with lots of 'lahs' and 'lohs'. In other words, they feel that the way I talk is ATROCIOUS! One of them even commented that if I'm going to talk like that during my job interviews or when meeting clients, I'm totally going to screw it up. However, when some of my friends read my essays, they were impressed that I can write so fluently yet talk like crap. Furthermore, I'm always overwhelm with anxiety when preparing for job interviews that when it is my turn, my mouth would clamp up and I'll be totally lost for words. Expectedly, I didn't get the job. Therefore, it is crucial for me to brush up on my communication skills so that I can articulate my words properly and to prove to my friends that I'm NOT as DUMB as they think I am. Also, I hope to one day clinch my first job interview!

To sum it off, communication is intricately intertwined with our lives and we cannot live without it. In order to survive and be on top, it is therefore important to develop effective communication skills. =)

Edited: 2/9/08