I would like to share an interesting incident that happened few days back. I was traveling in a bus on way to my home. It was crowded and I didn't get a seat. I wanted to work on my reading habit and had just purchased "The old man and his god" by Sudha Murthy. Inspired by my friend Shilpi, who always submerges herself into books whenever she is alone, I too thought to utilize the time and have a feel of the book. I enjoyed the book right from the first page and couldn't resist it.
A fellow passenger who was standing behind me was looking over me. Being a Saturday evening, it seems he had already started with his weekend partying, which was obvious from the scent that he had on him and his rhythmic steps. As if keen to know, he asked what I am reading. I said it is a book on various life experiences. For that he stated, I don't know all those things but just wanted to learn what you are reading standing here in the crowd. Then I realized his problem was not me reading but had misunderstood it for showing off.
There was another similar incidence with my friend Sajitha. She was chatting with her senior officials over phone on her to way to home and the communication was through English. One person, who again was in his weekend party mood, passed her listening to the conversation. He had walked away few feet but returned and scolded her for talking in English. Again, communicating in English was misunderstood as showing off.
Communication is key skill to move up the ladder professionally. What is the use of taking everything on the shoulders but not able to express the ideas properly? I often ask my team to work on this skill but mostly they failed to know its value and the bigger picture, which was very annoying as that habit was not going to help them justify their effort. There are three key people in that branch who actively involves in making the team better but only one communicates on the happenings, the other two carries believes in action speak than words.
When I and Sinoj were there for a routine visit, the name of the person who usually communicates often came to mind easily and often, which I felt made the other two feel odd. During the one-on-one meetings we had after that, both of us shared the same point on improving the communication skill. We quoted that since I knew them and their effort, I was available to mention it but that need not be the case always. What if I was not there but someone else who was new to the entire system and never knew about their effort?
A fellow passenger who was standing behind me was looking over me. Being a Saturday evening, it seems he had already started with his weekend partying, which was obvious from the scent that he had on him and his rhythmic steps. As if keen to know, he asked what I am reading. I said it is a book on various life experiences. For that he stated, I don't know all those things but just wanted to learn what you are reading standing here in the crowd. Then I realized his problem was not me reading but had misunderstood it for showing off.
There was another similar incidence with my friend Sajitha. She was chatting with her senior officials over phone on her to way to home and the communication was through English. One person, who again was in his weekend party mood, passed her listening to the conversation. He had walked away few feet but returned and scolded her for talking in English. Again, communicating in English was misunderstood as showing off.
Communication is key skill to move up the ladder professionally. What is the use of taking everything on the shoulders but not able to express the ideas properly? I often ask my team to work on this skill but mostly they failed to know its value and the bigger picture, which was very annoying as that habit was not going to help them justify their effort. There are three key people in that branch who actively involves in making the team better but only one communicates on the happenings, the other two carries believes in action speak than words.
When I and Sinoj were there for a routine visit, the name of the person who usually communicates often came to mind easily and often, which I felt made the other two feel odd. During the one-on-one meetings we had after that, both of us shared the same point on improving the communication skill. We quoted that since I knew them and their effort, I was available to mention it but that need not be the case always. What if I was not there but someone else who was new to the entire system and never knew about their effort?
I think it is time for us to come out of the misunderstanding and ignorance that communicating in English is showing off and an effort to market oneself. Effective expression of ideas and opinions is key for any individual's growth as well as the growth of the team that they are involved with. Probably we can rate the people who still carry a wrong notion of communicating in English or efforts to improve that skill as one who are having hangover of ignorance and are still in their school days. Worth noting is, it is important to enrich our own literature, so let's balance things by effective time sharing and choosing good authors.
Sathish N
(Thanks again for the contribution - Ingu Porattey :-))
3 comments:
I've gone through this several times... For those who don't have this power of communicating, just out of greed they behave so... And I dont give them a damn... I go my way... Simple as that...
hmm...true...i will reserve my comments for the author to jump in...
Hi Karthik. What you said is perhaps the best thing one can do to such peoople. But the problem so many talents who couldn't make it to the metros or the developing cities bite the dust due to dominance of people like that within the family and small societies. At least lets help the folks within our vicinity by educating them on the need to come out of those clusters.
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