Verbal Communication: A vital life skill

Recently, I damaged my relationship with a colleague because I shared negative feedback over an SMS instead of calling and explaining the situation clearly. My excuse was that I was pushed for time. But the hurt I caused brought home to me how important verbal communication is in a relationship. However much we might swim in the digital age and use SMS, email or social media to communicate, the vital essence of a human relationship still lies in face-to-face and/or verbal communication. A broken relationship is counter-productive as we are all humans and dependent on others for cooperation. The skilled use of verbal communication many a times is the distinct divider between two equally qualified individuals who may have unequal career trajectories.

Mastering the art of verbal communication can help you build better personal and professional relationships. In fact, the very first stage of career development is the job interview where foremost of all your verbal communication skills are assessed. Plus, in the progress of your career verbal skills are even more important as you need to be able to articulate your ideas, negotiate your point of view, train your subordinates and gradually increase your area of influence. Thus, it is vital that you invest your time in developing good verbal skills.

Most of us, even though we speak, we ourselves don’t know what we sound like. One of the ways you can train your voice and your speaking skills is by reading and recording a story or a poem and hearing it yourself.

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