Destined Episodes
By Joel O. Virtudazo, MEdLT

Communication Enhancement: An Investment of Today's Generation

It is my appeal to you that this is the beginning of our relationship and link. I would like to establish more linkages with you in your needs. Whether you are professional practitioners or rising students, we can come together in unity, upholding good education so that our path in learning will be well directed in its prospects. What I am talking about are things regarding communication enhancement which offers many good things that can enhance all of us from page to stage, from inhibition to self – confidence, from failures to success. Our dreams are in the next bend in the road only if we shall start acting our dreams out. I remember Robert Frost once wrote in one of his literary selections: “ And miles to go before I sleep, and miles to go before I sleep…”

Communication Skills are very important to people. As a language professor, I can say that the students nowadays should be able to start harnessing themselves in both oral and written communication.

When I was invited to be one of the resource speakers of the Psychology Practicumers of our college last April 18, 2009, I had the chance sharing with them the importance of communication skills. I started by letting them agree that there are five major problems why people cannot communicate well. These problems are shyness, inexperience, unpreparedness, indeciveness and fear of the unknown.

Shyness . In what situation are we shy? There are a lot of situations people become so shy. Take for instance, if we hesitate to host a birthday celebration, this is an evidence of shyness.  

Inexperience. We hesitate to express their ideas through impromptu and extemporaneous methods simply because they lack the experiences and training for the said endeavor.  

Unpreparedness . We can never communicate what we never have. There is a need for us to develop our sense of resourcefulness to get good materials for the discourse of our delivery. In the process, we need to do a lot of meta researches in order to facilitate ourselves in our activity in choosing good materials for speaking and writing.  

Indeciveness. One example illustration is that of a student who does not like to recite. In his mind, maybe, he thinks that if his speech is good, it would mean good points on his part. If his speech is bad it would mean bad points.  

Fear of the unknown. We are afraid to be corrected. During that time that I had been handling Communication Skills course to college freshmen, I told my students that the classroom is the right place for correction.

After these problems have been identified, it is noteworthy that we should start practicing the competencies in communication.

We have a long way to be enhanced. Let us hope and pray that we can achieve a great difference so that we can excellently serve God and Humanity in the mission we have at hand.

Everybody dreams to be a good speaker who can truly charm one's ears and warm one's heart. Let this be the start of good tomorrows. Good tomorrows start with good todays and brighter future comes from mended ways…only if we believe… What do we believe in this day's learning? We believe to have the right communication accent. The accent of success is if you will.