It was our first brush up class on management communication. I was making a contribution when the faculty suddenly asked me to look up a particular word I had just pronounced. I was a bit embarrassed but I was over it in a minute because I understood she meant well. I looked it up then pronounced it correctly afterwards. The word was “Presentation.”
Oral english has never been a strong point of mine. I was relaxed and assumed my audience will figure it out eventually. But after our first class, I definitely had a change of heart. She was able to explain the reasons it is important we pronounce our words correctly at all times. I liked that she said that the goal was not to sound foreign but correct.
I learnt different methods of sharpening my communication skills, which includes habitual reading and a deliberate self development in writing and speaking. Reading helps to increase my vocabulary as it exposes me to new words and their meaning even context.
Some people will still argue why it is important to put in the effort in learning to speak and write properly, especially with the invention of grammar assistance and spell checks tools built in our devices. This argument is valid however these tools though very helpful, lack the ability to understand context. Hence are not concerned with the meaning of your sentence and simply follow a set of predefined rules.
There are situations where only you, the writer can express your thoughts outrightly considering context and your intention. Therefore, it is not the smartest idea to fully rely on these automatic checks. It is a good investment to spend some quality time learning punctuations and pronunciation.
Career opportunities are very competitive these days as every candidate seems to have the required technical skills and experience. Effective communication can be the differentiating factor, that gives you an edge over other candidates during an interview. You future employer wants to be sure that you can express your thoughts in a concise and brief manner. Also, as a future manager, effective communication empowers you to do better during presentations and when you are called upon to represent your organization at meetings with clients, you will not shy away from such responsibilities.
We went a step further to learn about the use of punctuation marks. My favorite learning that day was the use of apostrophe. I learnt that apostrophes are use to indicate ownership and to show contractions.
She asked us the proper way to address a Christmas card we wanted to give to the Bello family. Some people said, merry Christmas to the Bellos, others said merry Christmas to the Bello’s. The question that followed afterwards was very interesting, she simply asked, “what do the Bellos own in that statement, merry Christmas to the Bellos.” Everyone immediately understood and corrected themselves.
The rules are simple. The clearer your grammar, the better you are able to make your point. The goal is to achieve a clearly written, grammatical correct and properly punctuated work at all times. #MMBA3
SHOULDERS OF A GIANT