It is a big deal, a rather huge deal to me. Truthfully, effective communication is a life skill which I have been learning but can never comprehend it completely. We can easily find information on the internet, and in courses given by renowned speakers such as Dianna Booher, who conducts effective communication courses especially for business organisations. We can also learn by observing how other people around us communicate. Nevertheless, the secret recipe for me is still learning from my own experience. It is through my everyday encounters with different people that I slowly pick up communication skills. The reason I start to practise that is because I realise it is extremely important in my walk of life. :)
I definitely do not want to walk alone, but with many others. Effective communication is closely connected to good interpersonal skills. How is this so? If we were not able to express ourselves well and appropriately, people might not understand or might even misunderstand our meanings and this will be a barrier to build a closer relationship with them. It is essential for me to acquire good communication skills in order to develop better interpersonal relationships. It can reduce and prevent unnecessary conflicts and misunderstandings between my friends, colleagues and family members. I would want to have relationships that last and effectively communication is one of the key to it. :)
My commitment also puts me in situations where I am required to exhibit good communication skills. I have to be effective in conveying and disseminating information to people, in the meantime receiving accurate responses from them. My desire to be a good leader and encourager in my church would require me to be able to express myself well both verbally and non-verbally, in order to be a good influence to them. I was rather weak in expressing my thoughts and idea clearly, and this gives me greater drive to improve on it.
I have put considerably amount of time contemplating my directions after graduation. One of the options is to be a counsellor. Although this has nothing to do with my Life Science studies, I realise that I can give more in this area than in Life Sciences. However, in order to be a counsellor, I would need to have excellent active listening skills and communication skills. It will be horrible if the person I counselled felt worse after the session! If this path is set, ES2007S will not be my one and only communication course I would take for sure. :)
All in all, it is definitely important for me to communicate effectively, to have ease and joy in both my personal life, and my workplace. :D
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Hi Napalie!
ReplyDeleteEffective communication would indeed affect many aspects of our lives.Just like you, i would want good relationships with others.Misunderstandings can be frustrating!This has given me more motivation in improving myself.
Upon reading your post, it made me realise that being a good leader requires more than just verbal skills. I used to think leaders just needed to be confident in their speech, to gain trust in others. As i reflect,it occurred to me that active listening was also an essential skill.
i am sure through this module, you will be able to better equip yourself with skills that will help make you a great leader.
Ruth
Thank you, Nappy, for this detailed discussion. You make a clear case for the importance of effective skills to you, especially given your social/professional goals. I also appreciate your thought of going into counseling. As you state, it will be your own experience (and motivation) that prepares you the most for developing useful and transferable skills. Still, we can all achieve insights from what we learn from others and from our guided study of certain principles. In combination with our personal experience, that learning will make for a very solid foundation.
ReplyDeleteHi Napalie,
ReplyDeleteI agree with Brad that you can gain insights from personal experience and guided study, which explains why you are taking ES2007S and how this module would make you and the rest of the class a better communicator.
Being a counsellor would require not only verbal and non-verbal communication skills but also the ability to observe and advice. Am i right? This would also include the appropriate facial expression, body language and tone used. Other areas such as a warmth touch or welcoming gesture would beak the ice and make it easier for you and the patient to get started.
I believe ES2007S would help equip you with the necessary skills to work towards your goal. :) All the best!
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ReplyDeleteHi Napalie!
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that one of the secret recipes of mastering effective communication skills is through our daily encounters with different people. It does take a lot of practices in order to improve our communication skills, isn’t it?
Building relationships with others requires one to express him/herself effectively. I have trouble expressing myself clearly sometimes and it does frustrate me. Hence, I’m grateful that I have the chance now to improve my communication skills. Let us enjoy the process of learning to become a better person together!