What comes to our mind when someone says effective communication? In my opinion, most people would think that it is to speak with clarity so that the other party is able to get the point that is being delivered. This point is only partially correct as effective communication not only focuses on speech but also listening and non-verbal communications.
Through the lesson, I feel that effective communication skills is not just a skill applicable to professions but also in our daily lives. I can still recall that there was once I was having lunch with my friends and I started a new topic about which area has nice "Frog-leg porridge" when they were previously talking about how yummy "Frolick" yogurt was. It does sound like a joke but this situation occur as I did not finish listening to what my friend was trying to say and started interrupting the conversation. If she was trying to convey some important message, I could have missed it. From here, I learn from my mistake and train myself to listen attentively and also not coming up with thoughts before someone finishes their speech. It did help me as I had applied it in my lecture and I am able to gain a better understanding what the lecturer trying to teach. ( I took down more notes than usual. :P)
On top of that, I also have the tendency to use very technical words especially during presentation. I'll either read off from the slides or memories a script. However, the use of stories to illustrate is really useful. For example, during today's National Day rally, I realized how Mr Lee Hsien Loong uses many stories to get his points across to the audience. In addition, he also uses a lot of pictures which is also part of non verbal communication. As there is a saying " A picture paint a thousand words" and for that I totally agree. Hence, I feel that I can acquire this skill and maybe someday I can become a leader too.
