Which is the Most Important Soft Skill?

When you ask this question to any corporate employee, most of the responses would be communication skills. Let us discuss why communication is considered most important soft skills.

Organization is a group (team) of people with varied skills working for a common goal, and hence exchange of information, coordination and mutual respect becomes vital. Hence top key skill for any employee, even for a manager or a leader is communication skills. Communication holds the key in customer (internal and external both) satisfaction

Research says, poor communications costs businesses $1.2 trillion annually. It reveals that effective communication remains a problem for many brands and businesses, and it is increasing their costing. It has become even more challenging now because of hybrid or remote work model.

Business leaders are aware of this problem and 96% of them agree that effective communication is essential for delivering results. However, most of them also agree that organizations give little importance to improving communication at work place.

Research also points out that businesses must stop ignoring the impact of poor communication and commit to improve communication so that it gives a competitive advantage to improve agility, efficiency, collaboration and do better for customers and employees.

Then why do communication is still a problem? Communication skills is presumed. We learn to speak from the day we start understanding and exploring the world around. But communication is just not about speaking.

When we look at the types of communication, we will come across these five types,

·?Verbal (words we speak),

·?Non-verbal (body language, gestures, tone, eye contact, facial expressions),

·?Written communication (writing letters, emails, blogs),

·?Listening (being completely with the speaker, focused on verbal and non-verbal)

·?Visual communication (communicating with pictures, PPTs, images in the blog)

When organizations try to improve the communication within the organization, the focus is on helping to learn verbal skills or language, or non-verbal communication. Employees get tips on how to write an email or a letter or use pictures or make PPTs. They are also taught listening skills. But the problem still remains. ?

Basic problem with effective communication (and I am not using the word ‘good’ purposely) is communication is not just a soft skill. It stems out of our beliefs, our values and our thought process (mindset). Our communication is because how we see the world. Communication is not just a part of our personality but is attached with our deeper character. When you carefully, observe a person’s behaviour, you can tell his values. When you listen to what a person saying carefully, you can tell his values.

Mahatma Gandhi is not considered to be a great orator but he had the power to inspire the people across the globe. If Gandhi called out common man to come out of their houses and stand in front of armed British army, thousands would come on street not even worrying of their lives. Who in the world would have the power to do that?

Every man or woman who walked behind Gandhi knew he spoke the truth. He was true to people of India. He led from the front. His words matched with his actions. His son, Hiralal started cloth business buying western clothes and selling in the market. Almost at the same time, Gandhi called out to boycott western clothes and wear swadeshi. Hiralal requested Gandhi to postpone the boycott for few days but Gandhi refused. He said every Indian is my child. When they are ready to burn their clothes and incur losses on my call, he cannot do injustice to them. Gandhi was driven by his strong values.

Employees from different department will have different perspectives because they are trained to think differently. I happen to work in a company where factory accounts used to argue with employees while settling their vouchers (actual expenses) which were already signed by their managers. Once I told his manager about it. Manager replied, ‘Why not? we can check and ask questions while paying’. This was accounts perspective. As an HR, I felt once the manager has approved, he should pay unless it involves substantial amount. It dents the morale of the employee who travelled for official work. Intention was good. But the damage he did, he could not see because of the mindset.

Here the communication of the accounts cannot be changed unless their mindset is changed. If you teach him communication, he will say the same thing but in a very formal and pleasant language. Impact will be worse. It is like apply makeup to look good without changing the actual quality of skin.

Improving communication is more about understanding other’s mindset, their perceptions, their mental maps. the impact your words will create on others. It is about communicating while respecting other’s point of view without compromising on your message. It is more about learning to be authentic (right values and mindset) and assertive (mutual benefit and mutual respect) communication.

Thank you.

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