Why effective communication skills are important to me

Personally speaking, the ability to communicate well seems like the only way to differentiate oneself from the rest in the working world. In our endless chase for academic success, it seems that everybody has a degree these days. What allows one to get ahead in this rat race is really the ability to communicate well.  Coming from the Science faculty, I have always heard that Science students are unable to articulate themselves as well as their peers from Arts or Business faculties. It is because of this that I feel that Science students are often disadvantaged when it comes to interviews for jobs. As I am soon graduating from NUS, I hope to brush up on my communication skills in order to prepare myself adequately for the working world.

Effective communication skills are also useful in one’s social life. This includes your family and friends. Being able to communicate effectively would mean that I would be able to deepen and richen my relationships with them. To me, this is perhaps the most important reason why communication skills are an essential skill set.

Over the past two weeks, I have learnt that communication skills are not limited to your ability to speak alone. It includes many other areas such as how you listen to people, hear them out as well as how to interpret their non-verbal communication cues. Being able to get my message across effectively as well as to read other’s messages is vital to the success of any relationship. These relationships may be built at work, home or even when out socialising. I feel that humans are very much social creatures. They want to be always connected to others. There is no better way to connect to others except through building solid relationships with them. Effective communication skills would serve us all well in reaching this aim.