One thing that I have learned is that you can never underestimate the advantages one might gain by having decent communication skills.; whether it's on the job, social situations or just making a good first impression.
No matter what, your skills and your knowledge can be taken with you anywhere. You could quit your current job and take your skills somewhere else, to be used in the service of another employer.
I don't know how many newspaper ads I have seen where there may have been a managerial or supervisory position being advertised, where they had stressed the importance of communication skills. I have personally held managerial and supervisory positions and let me tell you, it sure came in handy to exhibit some eloquence in the usage of the English language.
As a manager, I have interviewed job applicants. I have to say that I was more impressed by those who communicated effectively than those who did not. I also have the sneaking suspicion that others in managerial positions out there feel the same.
I read somewhere that in most cases, smarter employees perform better than their peers. Of course there is such a thing as a work ethic and you will have some smart people who may just so happen to be lazy. However, smarter people technically don't have to work as hard as others because they often find ways of working smarter rather than harder. that in turn may allow them more time to goof off, simply because they got the job done sooner by working smarter.
Whether it is fair or not, people are often judged by their communication skills. When someone speaks poor English in a job interview or misspells words on a job application, they are judged negatively as a result. They are often viewed as being less intelligent. The people or the company doing the hiring generally prefer to hire the best and brightest they can get for what they are willing to pay.
I have been doing online article writing for a number of years now and I would have to say that it has helped me tremendously in improving my own communication skills. I often write in various word processing programs that will have spell check and some will also check on your grammar. Seeing my mistakes highlighted in those programs with that little squiggly line below them brought many of my bad writing and communication habits to my attention. I would then try to slowly eliminate those bad habits; whether they would be problems with spelling, punctuation or grammar.
If someone doesn't do online article writing, they could keep a diary as a means of improving their communication skills. Some word processing programs allow you to put a password on documents, so if you put a password on your diary, you won't have to worry about unwanted eyes viewing your private thoughts. Keeping that diary will allow you to practice your communication skills and you will see many of your mistakes highlighted with that little squiggly line I mentioned above. Then you can look up your mistakes and see how you may correct them, as well as get out of the habit of making them.
Eventually, with practice, you will improve your communication skills. In some cases, it can mean the difference between getting a job and not getting a job. After getting a job, it can also mean the difference between getting a promotion and not getting one. It may even help you in social situations. maybe it will help you to write that sappy little love poem to that special someone. Remember, adequate communication skills cannot be faked.
