Soft skills : Are we really implementing it?
Communication plays a key role in day to day activities - at home, at office or with your buddies and is a two way process. In our Indian context where our rich culture is home to 122 languages, the need to adopt effective and interactive communication (unified) has been gaining momentum for quite some time now due to developments taking place every other day. With globalisation, bodies such as schools, colleges and workspaces are implementing and imparting soft skills to help students and employees future ready.
But why adopt soft skills?
- English is a corporate language.
- Soft skills build confidence.
- Majority of the companies stress on excellent communication skills.
- You now better understand news and other information around you.
- Once confident, you can guide others.
Challenges :
- Cultural & regional barriers.
- Lack of access to technology in certain regions.
- ‘Who cares’ outlook
- Illiteracy rate.
- Lack of confidence.
Need not necessarily be English :
While English has been treated as king as far as soft skills and communication is concerned, please note that it is just out of necessity that companies around the world are encouraging it. Soft skills can be associated with any language such as Telugu, Hindi, Bengali, Kashmiri or even a foreign language. How well you are able to carry out day to day conversations / interactions is the core agenda of a soft skill session.
Practice matters :
There are special language and soft skills institutes spread across India, where students enrol in large numbers. A teacher will do his/ her duty and close the book. Ultimately, it’s you who needs to sharpen your axe. Merely attending soft skill classes will not take you anywhere. You have to speak regularly, establish more despite mistakes and explore more from your end. It is only then that a command starts getting laid. Don’t worry what others will think of you. Just speak, make mistakes and learn.
-Happy learning