Category: Effective Communication

The Correlation of Communication and Leadership

There’s no denying that Donald Trump is unlike any President in history. It is literally unbelievable that despite all the corruption charges and even an impeachment charge to boot, Trump demands complete fealty! It has now come to a point where to cross him is to risk one’s own future in the Republican Party. His support base remains largely intact – such is Trump’s compelling power and sway over them that it seems almost impossible to come in between him and his base. How has he managed to achieve this? As we look closer, it becomes apparent that his unconventional style of communication is at the heart of this success. No other President has come even close to realizing the sheer power of unfiltered access to the public through social media. This is a far cry from the polished manicured PR communication typically through the traditional press conferences and televised presidential speeches that we are used to. What we have instead is a Twitter-savvy President whose direct-to-public communication strategy has resulted in declining media’s influence and making journalists increasingly irrelevant. Twitter has in fact given the President the opportunity to connect personally with his base, express his opinions and decry his opponents at all times and all rolled in one platform. In fact, he managed to literally brought America to the brink of war and back just a few days ago…on Twitter! It is no wonder then that this hyper-connectivity and always-on presence has helped him to constantly assert his influence and in fact create an alternative news sphere entirely.

Like it or hate it, Trump can sure teach us a thing or two about the power of effective communication as the world shifts to a new paradigm of communication. It’s fascinating to watch him brush aside his impeachment charges, among many others, as “fake news” and hypnotize the nation with his Twitter rants and speeches. The simple fact is that Trump is a powerful story-teller and hooks in his supporters through his narratives, even if they can be ridiculous to an extent! It shows us that the most important thing is not the tone or the way in which the message is shared but rather how it connects with your audience. This is particularly interesting because it’s something that most company leaders struggle with.

History has long since been strewn with high flying CEOs whose careers have been brought down by a poorly led communication strategy. The last year especially has not been very kind to the US tech giants. For the first time, Google and Facebook are no longer among the 10 best places to work in the US according to the latest ranking by Glassdoor, with their CEOs have been embroiled in various controversies and scandals. Who would have thought that Google, who had long since prided itself on an open culture where employees could speak their mind, would make a startling culture shift away from upfront communication as it attempts to curb growing employee activism?

In stark contrast, one of the first moves that Satya Nadella made after he took over as CEO of Microsoft in 2014 was to request his executive team to read Marshall Rosenberg’s ‘Nonviolent Communication, in an effort to change the company’s cut-throat culture. It signaled a major shift for Microsoft back then as Nadella focussed on rebuilding the company through compassion and effective communication. It might not sound like a radical move, but it has worked and how One of the main tools Nadella used to successfully to transform the company’s communication strategy was the use of Yammer, the enterprise version of Facebook social work. By facilitating open conversations hosted on Yammer, Nadella helped Microsoft move away from silos, enabling employees across all generations and levels at the company, including the C-suite to interact and have constructive conversations with each other. It was a great way to build commitment and trust in his vision of transforming Microsoft and Nadella was eventually able to redirect the focus on teamwork, collaboration and above all, results. It is indeed a far cry from the toxic culture characterized by competing factions and internal antagonism that prevailed under his predecessor, Steve Ballmer’s reign.

Another case in point is Amazon’s Jeff Bezos who recognized early on that effective communication was not just a “soft skill” but rather a mandate. Bezos has even banned PowerPoints at executive meetings and instead prefers full narratives being read around the table! His rationale? It gives the presenter a chance to fully communicate the thoughts and ideas behind their concepts. Bezos even has a reputation of being a powerful storyteller – his communication skills is the key factor in ensuring that his objectives and vision are well understood and worth being pursued by employees and customers alike.

Which brings us back to this question – what can we learn from these examples when it comes to our own leadership? Do we put forward our objectives clear enough to be understood across the company right down to the junior-most employee? How do we drive home the most important points to our employees, customers, and partners? It’s all about striking the right balance between gaining support by finding mutuality and collaborating with others – even those who we may fundamentally disagree with. This is indeed a necessary tenant of effective communication, and ultimately leadership. At the end of the day it’s the people that make a difference – be it your employees or stakeholders and other supporters – and making sure that they are involved through the journey and on the same path towards a common vision. 2020 will be the decade when leadership and employee communication will be the game-changer for companies and it will be interesting to see which brands will evolve – and those that lag behind – as we enter a new era rife with opportunities!

Use of Media and Technology for Effective Communication of MBA Students

This research paper focuses on effective communication of MBA students through help of media and technology. It emphasizes the cruciality of English Communication for MBA students as they need to face interviews and group discussions for their good placements in employment sector. The paper highlights the gravity of media for improving communication skills. As the world is moving with 4G speed with the advent of technology, it is expected that the young aspirants should utilize the media for their own development. Media and technology have taken a momentous role in development of nation as well as world.

The objectives of the research is to study the relevance of media in order to enhance the speaking capabilities of MBA students. Secondary objective is to find out different media and technology adopted for the communication development among the aspiring professionals in the classroom. Research Methodology incorporates primary as well as secondary data. Primary data has been collected in the form of questionnaire method filled by MBA students and few staff members. Secondary Data comprises of articles from internet, newspapers and few research papers. The research is descriptive and quantitative in nature. Probability Sampling Technique i.e. Simple Random Sampling is used for collecting data as equal chance is given to the students in the classroom. Sample size selected is 50 MBA students.

Literature Review is done by referring to few research dissertation on current topic. Data Analysis is represented in a form of graphical depiction such as pie-charts and bar graphs. Interpretation is about portraying meanings, conclusion and recommendations to the research. Conclusion and recommendations of the research paper tells that media is one of the pivotal aspect of communication whether in the form of oral or typed (written). In order to improve oneself, they have to make use of media and technology which will develop their personality with a 4G speed. If teachers are making the classroom digital then students must be an active learners to inculcate the good and fast things.

The universe is rapidly taking giants steps in the field of media and technology where it has become the essence of progress and development. Emerging industrialization has boosted brand-new modernization and innovations. Every year we can see new technologies evolving and developing. There is revolution in every discipline which we study during our graduates. Young graduates should be educated taking into attention the changing world which demands much more than the traditional approach. The industry demands competent and efficient professionals having fundamental skills i.e. Communication skills which has become the obligation of the day.

Communication is transmission of information from place to place in the form of may be vocals (voice) with the aid of technology or without technology, written (simply typed or in the form of email, magazines, etc), non-verbal (body language, pitch of the voice). The strength to communicate professionally is one of the undeniable aspect and of course demand of any developing corporate sector. Young graduates aim for MBA degree having a better future and they dream of getting placed in a good company having superior future. MBA students possessing exceptional skills tend to get placed easily. MBA curriculum derives and studies the demand by the industry and endeavours to implement among the students.

Students having varied graduation degree take admission for improving their skills so they are ready to become managers. MBA syllabi have many subjects which help students in their overall developing their identity. Subjects such as Organizational behaviour which highlights the behaviour appropriate for the professional life, Basics of Marketing which focuses on the persuading skills required for marketing the products , Business Communication Lab insists on professional communication which requires manners and etiquettes present while communicating whether it be written or oral. This subject is designed for cultivating the basic skills among students to make them face the competitive world. Latest media and technologies are used by the teachers to make learning interesting and technology driven.

Mobile, internet, Power-point presentations, and newspapers has been used in the classroom to make class more happening and desirable. Nowadays Mobile has become everyone’s pocket internet including teachers. We get the latest update on mobile. Whatsapp is an android application for the purpose of interacting with the customers quickly by using device to automate, set and immediately respond to messages. Whatsapp has now becomes the easiest means of communication where you can share pictures, word/pdf documents, maps, graphical contents, videos, video-calling and many more. Students are encouraged to communicate through whatsapp following norms while messaging.

Students are allocated specific topics to be presented with the help of power-point presentation. They get an opportunity to use the new technology, how to prepare slides, how to present using the slides and appropriate body language. Online newspaper helps to gain knowledge regarding current incidence and events. Students are given exposure to different online newspapers such as The Economic Times, The Times of India, The Hindu and The Financial Express. English movies drives the listening ability in students. Media and Technology helps students in developing their interaction skills.

The purpose of the paper is to expose that English language has emerged as the international language for business and trade. The author laments that there should be simpler and standardised international English for doing business. The paper scrutinizes the determination for widespread of English, its pros and cons and presupposes need for simple English for international communication.

(Borgohain, 2017) The commencement of internet has boosted the whole new era of generation. Communication, relationships and psychological well-being of adults have changed due to revolution of internet. Most of the adults spend about 70-80% of time on internet. Adolescence is the generation of skills acquisition. Internet usage in a better way helps to enhance different skills including communication skills.

(Kumar, 2015) The author states that in order to acquire excellence in every step of aggressive competitive world, soft skills and hard skills are the most essential skills to be developed by the students. These skills can be assimilated among students by providing them proper training and application. Soft skills contributes about 85% over hard skills as the chances of getting placed increases. Candidates having excellent academic record but unable to express his thoughts and intelligence is not zero value. The study tries to pinpoint the essentiality of communication skills at the B-school level. The author says that the current syllabus fails to put weightage to communication skills in B- schools. Through analysis it is found that students having competency in speaking English have good placement opportunities and career growth. They can become betters leaders and entrepreneurs.

(Bansilal, 2016) The author insists on use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) recommended by the Curriculum Reform Cell for strategic teaching and learning tool. This study emphasizes on usage of computer technology more adequately and productively for the growth of language skills. It is an effort to contribute computer based activities and make learning more innovative and interesting for students. Use of Computer can help the teacher in bringing creativity in lessons and make learning challenging. For example, the teacher can generate his own digital books with pictures, movies, videos, etc.

Students from RMD Sinhgad School of Management Studies usually come from rural culture. Most of their graduation have been accomplished in regional or semi-english language. Due to this, they are confronted with lot of communication gap. They are unable to perform well in most of the aspects. They are unable to present themselves in an appropriate manner which leads to their failure in getting placed in good companies.

So in order to improve upon their conduct, it is essential that they are exposed to various exercises and practices which will help to imbibe in themselves the urgency of communication skills. Technological advancements has changed the educational scenario. Technology and communication go hand in hand. Communication via technology has gain its root in the field of global industrialization. Today’s generation should have technological outlook and teachers should make the students realize its essentiality. Media and Technology such as Online books, online newspaper, Power-point presentations, mobile internet, mock interview with video recording etc. can make the teaching-learning practice more delightful and intriguing. This study focuses on media and technological use in improving communication of MBA students.

The study is limited to only one college of MBA. The study can be extended to most of the MBA colleges in Pune city. Students were distributed questionnaires in the classroom. As all the students were not present at that time, the research became limited to the students present in the classroom.

Media and technology indicates the future of business communication. MBA syllabi have an internal subject named Business Communication Lab. The syllabus designed by Savitribai Phule Pune University is 20% teaching oriented and 80% practical-oriented. It consists of presentation skills, debate, extempore speeches, drafting of business letters, email etiquettes etc. The teaching in the classroom is mostly practical-directed. Students are given guidance and lesson on various forms such as how to present your topic using power-point presentation, how to face an interview with applicable physical appearance, how to draft an email for business purpose, what rules need to followed during group discussion, etc.

Students are motivated to use power-point presentation while presenting their topics. During mock interview, debate and group discussions, videos are made so that students can observe their mistakes and good points which will boost their improvement. Teachers allow the students to use their internet (mobile) during lectures so that they can check the spellings, meaning and pronunciation of a particular word. This benefits them into learning and grasping faster. Email drafting is actually done by the students in the classroom. Online newspapers are read by students which can enhance their knowledge and also help to improve their reading skills and sentence structure. Students are also shown English movies sometimes in the classroom with the help of the projector and sound. This helps students develop their concentration and listening consciousness. Listening is the fundamental skills of communication. Before we can speak, we need to listen and understand first.

Speaking and performing in English has grown into the demand of business world. Business sphere demands basically few things from future professionals for their productivity and i.e. Soft skills and technical knowledge. MBA curriculum and teacher’s innovative out of box thoughts can definitely make learning and practices smooth and accessible. Media and technology for learning and practices can be advantageous for students as it’s more operated by the young generation. Learning becomes much easier than the traditional approach. Use of Media and technology will definitely boom the educational sector. Nowadays business has become more internet to internet. Physical mobility has decreased. Communication through internet is growing faster at 5G speed. That is reason why media and technology has become so undeniable factor for communication enhancement.

As media and technology has become the backbone of corporate universe, it should be given priority in every sector of disciplines. Education of the student and his/her personality development will be benefitted by the business universe. Students’ education and his development depends upon the quality of education and training provided by the institutes and teachers. Institutes and teachers should use the latest technology in the classrooms for better schooling. Language lab software should be installed for MBA students. Teachers should be given proper training regarding language lab.

Students and teachers should be given free access to Wifi (internet) with 4G speed. Learning apps and online newspaper can be downloaded immediately whenever required in the classroom. Classroom should be digitalized following the footsteps of ‘Digital India’.