The Take Charge Mentorship programme organised a two-day workshop on ‘Effective Communication’ on 13ᵗʰ and 14ᵗʰ August. The workshop was conducted by Mr. Leandro D’sylva, an expert in the field of soft skills training and a theatre enthusiast. He has trained many professionals across the globe through his workshops. Well, I went with the presumption that it would be just another regular workshop, but it had something more to offer me.
The workbook consisted of different exercises that aim to help at improving one’s communication skills. Words are not the only element which can help anybody communicate effectively. At the workshop I learnt that to be an effective communicator, one needs to have a balance of the visual, vocal and verbal while communicating anywhere and to anyone. The 3 V's are tools to maintain the appearance, voice modulation and vocabulary skills. Further on in the workshop, I learnt the concept of the 4Cs - Cornerstone (Point of View), Create (brainstorming), Cluster (organising one’s thoughts) and Compose (structuring) which are tools that help you composing the appropriate dialogues that suits different audiences. But this
workshop wasn’t just about learning these concepts. While Day-1 did have some fun and interactive, Day-2 was totally dedicated to manifesting all these theoretical lessons into practice. The second day was filled with role-plays, presentations both group and individual and other engaging interactions with other participants. And even though getting to know around 22 people in a span of two-days seemed impossible to me, Leandro designed the workshop in such a unique and comfortable way that it all just came about easily.
Some important things that I have taken from this workshop is that; first, effective communication is not a skill that one acquires over a fixed span of days but rather it is something that needs regular practice and dedication from you, which makes the workbook a true companion for practising such skills post the workshop. Secondly, every interaction whether professional or ordinary should be treated as a performance because it will help you and me to better ourselves at communicating with others. Errors and mistakes may come along the way but only practice will make the difference in the long run.
- Caroline Pearl Pereira (TC 5 mentee)
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