Why are effective communication skills important to me?

Communication is the method of disseminating information, exchanging of messages and ideas via verbal and non-verbal actions. It is also a key to maintaining a healthy relationship with friends, loved ones and colleagues.What I would like to focus on is effective communication, which involves communicating with others with the right technique without being misunderstood.

Personally, effective communication skills such as being able to give clear, concise instructions are important. They ensures that everyone is on the same frequency as me, know exactly what I am talking about and how exactly things should be done. This shows that what I want to say is plan beforehand and I am confident of what I am delivering. This is something that I have learned during my job as a secondary school camp instructor. Clear and concise instructions have to be given so that safety is not compromised. I address key values like teamwork and communication which they learn from the team building activities with their experiences in school.

Different contexts require different forms of communication. For example, if I were to give an expedition briefing to secondary school students, I know exactly how it should be done. It should be delivered in a jovial way so as not to bore the participants, yet ensuring that my message still get across.  However, if I were tasked to pitch a business proposal in front of a board of directors, I would have no clue as of how I should go about doing it. This is why i choose to enroll into this module as I hope it will equip me with the necessary skills for my career in future.

All in all, from the first two lessons, I have learnt that effective communication is not just a linear model, but also a continuous cycle which consist of not just talking but active listening as well. I have picked up some useful pointers like questioning techniques and how I should structure my ideas before presenting it to others. One thing I learn as I type this blog post is that always aim to be to the point, concise and avoid lengthy sentences. Imagine something like "Jane is sitting in the corner quietly because she is starving" as compared to "The lonely girl in the corner of the room, with sadness etched across her face,silence enveloping her,felt helpless as pangs of hunger hit her". Although the latter still gets the message across but it is a mouthful to read. This is what effective communication really is about, being able to communicate with others in clear, concise sentences without having to fear of being misunderstood. I look forward to learning more from the modules together with my fellow classmates.