Effective Communication Skills

The art of communication is very alive in our daily lives, be it in a professional setting or in a casual environment with friends. Communication skills such as the use of eye contact, gestures, tone and active listening need not be limited to the scope of  professional communication. When we engage in our daily conversations with family and friends, we can also utilise such skills for effective communication.

Evidently, as introverted as some of us may be, communication is essential for our survival. Why not practise effective communication so that our lives will be happier? :)

I have broken down the importance of effective communication into two broad categories:

1. Effective Communication as a Tool for Learning
The best example I can use to illustrate this point is the interaction between teachers and students.

I have had many teachers who inspired my interest in learning. My Accounting lecturers during my Polytechnic days were very good teachers. They were interesting to listen to, could explain the concepts very clearly and best of all they built a rapport with us students. I enjoyed attending their lessons. It is through effective communication between my lecturers and us students that I had such a fulfilling learning experience. To be inspired to learn is the best thing that any student can have.

1. Effective Communication as a Tool to Connect
We have conversations with our friends and family to connect with one another and establish relationships. Effective communication is to find suitable topics that people are interested in so that we can build conversations and make the connection.

These are some of the common topics that I have used which helped me to connect with people and forge new friendships with them. 

Soccer

Photo Credit: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b9/Football_iu_1996.jpg/300px-Football_iu_1996.jpg

Soccer is immensely popular across all genders. I use this as a common topic when talking to my male friends very frequently. Among my female friends, many of them are soccer fans as well. Those who are not think that I am very knowledgeable about soccer and find me very entertaining. Truth is, they do not mind talking about hot men. :)

Box Office Hits

X-Men

Photo Credit: http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcR_Dawvd3Kh_PFjbz5pVq3RHLzNWGShxUSmEHoSAVlIVht4JkHt

Transformers

Photo Credit: http://www.movie-holic.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/transformers-dark-of-the-moon.jpg

Harry Potter

Photo Credit: http://cache.gawkerassets.com/assets/images/7/2010/11/harry-potter-and-the-deathly-hallows-part-1-close-up-poster-1-10-10-kc.jpg

Everybody loves movies, don't we? Some of us just contribute to the profits of film distributors more than others. At the end of the day, we all know that box office hits like X-Men, Transformers and Harry Potter are not be missed out on. What an exciting conversation this can turn out to be! :)

You are the Apple of My Eye

Starring Ke Zhendong and Michelle Chen

Photo Credit: http://i883.photobucket.com/albums/ac35/hpility2u/Youaretheappleofmyeye05.jpg

You are the Apple of My Eye is one of the top grossing films in Singapore even though it did not feature any renowned stars. I decided to give this film a special mention because the storyline talks about romance in a very raw and real way. It is unlike other movies whereby watching the main characters fall in love gives you the "I-know-it-is-going-to-happen" feeling. The poignancy that this film presents tugs at the audience's hearts so much that I believe very personal conversations can be triggered by this film. We never know how such conversations will develop, but I do know that this movie open doors for people to make a special connection with one another. 

Have you watched it yet? Give it a shot if you have not. :)

Food

Buffalo Wings
Photo Credit: https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/374898_10150499819102710_502327709_8524111_499845386_n.jpg

Ice Cream
Photo Credit: https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/402647_10150486804449934_622349933_8942132_1615851296_n.jpg

From buffalo wings to ice cream, food is one of the best ways to establish connections. How can we not love food? The better the quality of our food is, the happier we are! The happier we are, the more we will cherish these times spent together! It is also in such an environment that we have the time and opportunity to engage ourselves in light-hearted conversations; for some of us it is the best time to engage in heart-to-heart conversations. Either way, food is something that really helps in bonding and connecting people. :)

Effective communication engages us in learning and connects us with people. Isn't this wonderful? This is how important effective communication is! :)