Communication skills are a vital soft skill to develop in school or college. It is useful in school projects, competition, college management to job application and face-to-face interview. It is essential to know how to develop communication skills in students to excel in studies and job placement interviews.
Some of the interesting facts which make communication skills a vital part of our daily lives. We speak about seven thousand words a day and send sixty-seven messages daily on an average. These are data from a research paper published by a leading university in the USA.
Given the importance of communication skills in changing job requirements, the importance of interpersonal skills, the highly competitive job market, and advanced digital mediums, it is very important to learn communication skills at the earliest.
Tips for Developing Communication Skills in Students
Active Listener
Before learning how to talk, learn to listen. Listening is an essential part of learning communication skills. Whether it is school, college or interview board, listen carefully and show interest in what the speaker is saying.
It shows your attentiveness, interest and effort to understand better. In other words, if you listen clearly, you will have all points clear and better prepared to reply or answer.
Participate in conversation
Be an active participant in any conversation. Enrol in school debate competitions, group discussion in college and actively participate in the process.
You need to participate in sharing your thoughts and perception. As a participant, you need to speak about the topic, debate with other participants about points of the topic. This will improve your confidence and communication skills.
In group discussion during the interview, active participants get more value from HR and the recruiter. They observe your grip on the topic, leadership qualities, logical discussion, and energy. The recruiter expects an applicant to be a good listener and active participant in the workplace.
Record and practice
One unique and effective way to improve communication skills among students is to record conversations and practice them. Record any communication where you were a participant, play it and observe how you did as a speaker, listener, tonality, and confidence while speaking.
Make a list of points for improvement and practice at home on those weak points. This is a simple and very effective way to improve any communication skill. Students can also use this for foreign language learning.
Watch movies and web shows
Movies contain several vital communication skills, including body language, eye contact, replying, response, paraphrasing etc. The conversation is the basic element of communication skill, and movies are all about dialogues full of conversation.
Students can learn a lot about communication skills through movies. For better learning, teachers or professors, or parents should choose which movies to be seen. This is need to be done because movies can divert more than other modes of entertainment.
For example, watch a movie, pause at a scene, and ponder what the character wants to express or say by a particular posture or gesture. Use subtitles to learn new words because words are essential for verbal and written forms of communication.
Online mediums and technology
Use online mediums and technology to improve communication skills. There are hundreds of tutorials available on online platforms such as YouTube. Several Edutech companies are providing video tutorials on how to develop communication skills in students. They provide well-researched content for step-by-step learning and improving communication skills.
Students can also avail various audio recordings. Hearing helps in improving pronunciations, pauses, and the use of unique words. Audio notebooks are great to practice for effective verbal and written communication.
Various communication experts also post videos about tips and ways to improve communication skills. Students should follow and subscribe to them on social media and YouTube. Watch their videos and learn from the achievers.
Team-building activities
Students should participate in team building activities such as group discussion, school/college events and tournaments. These team-building events improvise both written and oral types of communication.
School/College choose a topic, and a group of students discuss the given topic among themselves. They speak about their viewpoints, debate on points, and support each other for a common goal of achieving a consensus on the solution.
These types of teamwork activities improve several soft skills that will help in career and the workplace. A practised student will stay ahead in the curve in placement interviews and working in the office.
Organize School/College Events
Schools and colleges organize multiple events around the year. Show initiative to organize the annual day or fresher day, or any big day in school and college. These events provide a great opportunity to prepare yourself for a better career.
Events require coordination with faculty, administration body, vendors, participants, sponsors, and all other stakeholders. You also might be required to take appropriate permission for conducting events outside of the premises.
These activities will give you great exposure for improvising communication skills. Organizing an event requires several soft skills, including negotiation, leadership, coordination, persuasion, vendor management, documentation and many more.
Creative Thinking
Students should participate actively in assignments and various exercises for developing critical thinking. Colleges and schools conduct such sessions, competitions frequently to improve communication in students.
Students should understand the importance of such activities and participate with full dedication. These activities will help improve your critical thinking abilities that will be useful for your career and workplace.
Critical thinking and problem-solving skills are major skills considerations for selection in job interviews. Recruiters and HR look for people who can critically analyze the situation and develop a suitable solution.
To instil critical thinking in your skill-set, you must attend these assignments and complete them with full dedication.
Conclusion
Communication skills learning at the student level is a building block for a stable and successful career ahead. These are some of the major tips to understand how to develop communication skills in students. The most important requirement for developing any skill is your self-determination and will to learn.
