Read the following sentence.
“I know engine. I good skill. New car I design”
Now, have read these couple of sentences
“I know the intricacies of engine. I have good technical knowledge on it. And I can also design a new car”
Which one do you think sounds professional and knowledgeable?
Obviously, for many, it would be the second set which would seem like communication of a knowledgeable and skillful person.
What if I were to say that both convey same information! The first one does it in an unprofessional way while the second does the same work in a much more communicable way.
The truth of the world is that ‘first impression is the best impression’ and often our communication skills are the first things to be observed by others. Hence, if one comes out as a bad communicator, then people seldom pay attention to the mind-boggling technical skills they have. As per Stroop effect, humans pay first attention to the written or said word rather than the meaning behind it. Hence, it is important for a person to communicate his/her thoughts in a way, others can understand.
A study done by Scientific American also found that 47% of the times, better communicators make better team leaders. Even though the plant or the expert in the team may be separate, a good communicator is given preference by other team mates for listening. Hence, there is a better chance for them to be a team leader.
So, does that mean technical skills can take a backseat and handsome communications are ones required for success?
Absolutely not!! A good technical skill is must have for any job or profession, while good communication skills are like a cherry on the cake. For drawing a parallel, technical skills are like thoughts while communication skills is the actual presentation. While one can have great thoughts, presentation is also important to present the thoughts.
As a student of 21st century, a college students need to have grip over both technical and communication skills.