Effective Communication
The other day I went into the ‘Student Service Centre’ to inquire about the tertiary EZ-link card. The lady at the help-desk was very willing to give me details about how to apply for the card. However, since I have not honed my ‘Active listening’ skills yet, I could not properly grasp what she was saying. This led me to asking her repeatedly and within a minute or so, I could sense the confusion I invoked in the conversation. I finally rectified the situation by wrapping up the communication with a smile and a gentle nod of appreciation.
The above story clearly illustrates the importance of effective communication to me. As I have read in Brad’s blog ‘No man is an island’ it means that every man has to interact with others to go about living; whether it be a fisherman catching fish with fellow fishermen, a doctor treating a patient, a salesman trying to sell his product or a tenant sharing a HDB with a house-owner (as in my case).
An effective communication sends the correct message across to the recipient that avoids misunderstandings and let us achieves the desired outcome whether in a professional setting e.g. office/school or in a social gathering with family and friends.
As the small placard on the lady’s desk rightly says ‘A smile for a smile’, an effective communication might just be a matter of doing pleasant, simple things in life simply.
