Essential Skills for School: Communication

If you can’t communicate, then it defeats the purpose of what you know.

Take my friend’s boss as an example.

She’s now the head of the team, and has been there for a looong time. While she knows a lot, and her intentions are great, her tone and communication mannerisms appear condescending or cold at times. The first time my friend worked with her, she said it was ‘full on’.

But after being reassured by other workers, she learnt that it’s just how the boss communicates. She’s not actually talking you down or scolding you.

So words can make perfect sense, but if you communicate in an antagonising way, the message will be lost.

Humans are emotional. We react with feelings, and engage when we feel safe and heard.

Communication (verbal or written) is a SKILL.

Yet why it’s not prioritised in the curriculum is baffling.

It doesn’t matter whether it’s in school, the workplace, at home, mars - if I can’t communicate what I really mean, then issues like my friend’s will crop up.

I could know the photosynthesis pathway back to front, but if I can’t communicate that knowledge in an engaging way, make the audience/students/listeners feel happy to be there, and comfortable to make mistakes and suggest ideas, then it really doesn’t matter how much I know.