Why Effective Communication Skills are important to me?

Remembering the first few day of orientation in NUS during my first year, I was given the great opportunity to get to know many people. From the fellow year to the seniors, it was a big mingling session. It was, however, also a very pressurizing moment. Exciting as it may be to meet new people, the fear of leaving a bad impression is always there. Yet, the social skills needed in meeting new people are going to be needed for the very long future ahead that I have in my life.

With many ways to leave a bad impression on a fellow student which ranges from having a glum look to unpleasant behavior, I have just begun to realize how communication is an essential tool in leaving this good, lasting impression.

This is especially true when I had the first hand experience with communication failure after having seen this particular student from China who had problems communicating with the class in one of my tutorials. This, in turn, resulted in a lack of common topics to be formed between us and retarding the progress of a conversation. However, it was fortunate that this lack of communication skills had not caused any misunderstanding between him and our other classmates.

I do hope that my communication skills will improve as I transit into this new life of mine. Without it, I would be vulnerable to many possible scenarios of miscommunication as well as the inability to connect with friends. I believe, precise and effective communication, through the right choice or words, tone and body language, will get me to where I wish to be…