ELTWeekly Vol. 3 Issue#105 | November 21 | ISSN 0975-3036

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It is rightly said that a person with a gift of the gab is successful. Speaking and writing are important and essential communicative skills in real life situations. Besides both these soft skills are essentially productive skills which can be honed through practice. It is not merely enough to have the knowledge of the alphabet, the vowels, consonants and vocabulary of a language, but it is equally important to use them accurately in speech/writing which amounts to good communication. Teachers needs to very closely observe their students so as to pick out the best speakers in the class and use them for special programmes conducted in the school/college. The low achievers in the class also need to taken care of and prodded to speak among the peer groups or pairs. In this way they come out of the fear zone and become independent speakers. The support given to the students/peer group/teachers plays a very important role in ushering confidence and better results.

What is Good Communication?

Good communication involves listening, speaking and writing. As communication involves two or more people it is very essential that the speakers understands the purpose of communication, how to communicate and what he/she expects from the communication. In speech, it is essential that one uses correct speech sound, appropriate intonation/stress/pause, apt words, eye contact, and proper body language to suit the context. Some studies have revealed that body language and gesture takes a major role and one can be understood or misunderstood based on this non-verbal communication. Good communication involves putting across the message as simple as possible. As Dr.K.Alex (2011) rightly puts it in his book, Soft Skills, Communication (speaking) must follow the Kiss Principle – ‘Keep It Short and Sweet’. As good communication involves an array of skills, it becomes imperative that students are trained in these skills from the primary level itself. The skill involved in writing a resume is different from the skill involved in a live presentation. Therefore, it is through continuous training that students can excel in the art of communication. (more…)