Bad Communication Skills Equal Bad Appraisals; Brush up on Your Skills Now India's unemployment crisis indicates that a large percentage of employees, even with multiple years of work experience, lack strong communication skills

Bad appraisals could happen to the best of us. While blaming management may seem convenient, a little introspection goes a long way. The best way to deal with a bad appraisal is to approach feedback with an objective mindset, identify areas of concern and work towards self-improvement.

You may be a hardworking individual, yet lack the specific skills required to grow in your organization. For example, Sameer Gupta, a 29-year-old software engineer, has been working with an MNC for the past 5 years. Despite being a competent member of his team, Sameer failed to get the positive appraisal he expected. His teammate Vishal, on the other hand, was promoted to a managerial position. Now, the question arises – what makes Vishal a better fit for the managerial role? Unlike Sameer, Vishal possessed excellent communication skills. While both had the same educational qualifications and work ethic, Vishal held an edge over his co-worker in terms of communication.

Effective Communication Skills Essential in the Workplace

Companies look for candidates who have a diverse skill set, which is required in today's fast-paced and global work environment. At a time when automation is changing the nature of jobs, only individuals with a diverse skill set can hope to grow in their careers.

Given the competition among employees within an organization, it's nearly impossible to get a positive appraisal based solely on technical skills. India's unemployment crisis indicates that a large percentage of employees, even with multiple years of work experience, lack strong communication skills. These employees manage to speak broken English & draft basic emails, but when it comes to expressing an idea or plan to the rest of their team or senior management, they fail miserably.

The root cause of this problem is two-fold: (1) Most employees are not taught to speak English with confidence while growing up in schools and colleges. There are no classes that focus on public speaking, effective communication and presentation skills, which results in employees lacking both the ability and confidence to speak English fluently. (2) Most Indian employees have never received any soft skills training. Organizations spend their budgets on technical skills training and employee benefits, both important to an employee's growth but with no focus on soft skills training, employees tend to suffer in the long run. The percentage of organizations that do provide communication skills training to their staff is negligible. What will effectively bridge this gap in communication skills is the incorporation of tech-based learning tools to upskill staff.

EdTech Companies: Addressing the Employment-Related Challenges

EdTech companies create large-scale impact by leveraging technology. From online courses and live lectures to soft skills training and video tutorials, internet-based learning platforms are enabling millions of people to improve their communication skills as well. With this year's appraisals mostly complete, it would make sense for employees to address their shortcomings immediately, so that they are better prepared for next year's appraisals. With plenty of EdTech companies offering communication and soft skills training, there is no better time to upskill yourself & become an indispensable member of your organization.