Effective
communication skills are important for me because that will ensure that people
will give me their listening ears and their utmost attention. I learnt this
bitter lesson when I was just four years old. It was my first storytelling competition
when I was in preschool. It was held in a community centre with a large
audience. I was prepared but not as well prepared as my competing peers. Till
the last minute, I was trying to memorise my story and had absolutely no time
to collect myself and gather my nerves. I was feeling rather nervous and
developed sweaty palms. My name was called and I was expected to go up on
stage. As I walked up to stage, I felt so nervous that I started fidgeting.
Later due to that fear, I also failed to keep eye contact with the audience. I learnt later on that failing to keep eye contact would break the communication thread between the sender (myself) and the receiver (the audience). The lack of eye
contact not only portrayed my fear but also my lack of confidence due to
unpreparedness. I was engulfed with stage fright right at that moment and I also unfortunately forgot my lines. I started to stammer and the audience started to laugh. I felt
easy tears well up in my eyes and ran down the stage. After that unforgettable incident, together with my parents’ and teachers’ support, I built up my confidence by practicing
how I would present myself in front of a mirror. I always ensured that I was
well-prepared in every storytelling competition by presenting in front of my
family and relatives. I also made sure that I had good eye contact and
enthusiasm when I was speaking so that I could engage my listeners and engage an active communication thread between the listener and myself.
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| Posing with my teachers, with the trophy for the 1st prize |
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| With my proud parents |
This lesson, which I
learnt the hard way, has been a blessing for me as I find effective
communication skills part of the very breath I breathe in. Today the effective communication skills that I have learnt and improved myself on has enabled me to speak confidently in front of a crowd, capture their attention and most importantly convey my desired messaged across effectively.
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| One of my storytelling competitions when I was six years old |
PS: Since that day, I have always clinched the first prize for any storytelling competition. I hope that comment was not too boastful? LOL;)
