Communication skills: The ladder to a successful professional journey

The initial steps for building our future starts in school or college. It is important to understand the soft skills required at every step.

Google the meaning of communication skills and you get a good number of explanations with examples. But the real concept can be understood by practical knowledge alone.

There are many things involved in communication. Other than oratory skills or a command over language, it is the combination of listening and absorbing and knowing where to stop the conversation.

Students should know how to communicate effectively as it is a major characteristic of a good leader. The benefits include teamwork and bonding – good communication skills help the team members achieve the desired goals.

These qualities, if acquired during one’s academic days, will boost a student’s career prospects. Students can focus on webinars or online sessions organised for them in colleges for personality development. These sessions usually focus on all the skills required for an interview in one’s professional life.

Several standalone courses are on offer for enhancing the skills that can benefit students from a career perspective. These skills add points to the resume while applying for any position, boost your personality and open up the best opportunities for a dream career.

The importance of strong communication runs deep within a business. The demand for such skills spreads across different industries and businesses. Employees who communicate effectively with their team members, manager and corporate leaders are considered valuable assets to an organization. This is the skill that keeps them above the competition in the market.

Here’s how good communication is crucial in different ways, for various aspects of business:

Innovation and team building

What makes people unique and different is the ability to speak and openly communicate innovative ideas without fear in front of everyone at the discussion table. Making a strong and effective team is all about communicating well with the team members and solving the puzzles together for any business project. Giving effective strategies and working collectively can result in better conclusions, ensure employee satisfaction and improve their morale.

Growth in every perspective

Communication can be observed in either of the two ways – internally and externally. That simply means that the skills you possess internally can deliver a message externally if you hold a strong expressive language – this can result in a successful journey in your working life.

Everyone has their degree, knowledge, experience – so what makes people differ in their career growth? Life is not all about hard work and continuously working without self-consciousness. When you are awakened about the environment around you, you can modulate yourself and act as a stimulus towards success. This awakening is directly proportional to communication skills, i.e you will speak things according to the environment you are in and benefit from the opportunity.

Strong management

When superior team managers are strong communicators, they can manage their teams well, assigning tasks and addressing issues like dispute management, relationship building, motivation, and other management responsibilities. They are the presenters of their company; if they hold strong skills, they can convince clients as well as customers with their ability to freely communicate with their peers, colleagues and superiors.

Conference calling

There was a time when everything opened, but the COVID situation made many things shut down again and made people work from home. Video conferencing became the norm again, making it imperative to express your ideas confidently and lucidly during a video call. There are virtual conferences where the meeting resolutions are successfully implemented due to the confidence and skills of a team member; this is the way people can be influenced.

Resolving conflict

During a conflict situation in companies and the working environment, solving problems requires clear communication. Effective communication is not about telling who is right or wrong. It’s all about having an open mind, and honest, positive and energetic discussions to ensure that everyone’s needs are satisfied. Your power of resolving the conflict and restoring the amicable environment at work is the only thing that can make the work culture enjoyable.

Everyone is suffering from the COVID crisis – the outbreak of a new variant has made the situation tough again for corporates, industries, schools and colleges as all work has shifted back to the digital space. Effective communication is key to solving all the problems in the digital space as well, with a good conversation to boot.

(Neelima Kamrah is the principal of KIIT World School, Gurugram)