Everybody is a salesman. It might look like a sweeping statement at a glance, but if we think about it, it is actually true. Sales are not only restricted to goods and products. Sometimes we have to sell an idea, sometimes we have to sell an image, and more often than not we have to sell ourselves. So anyone who has ever sat for a job interview or applied for a research grant has been a salesman. Therefore, it is not be wrong to say that in order to be successful in life one must be a good salesman.
This is where the importance of good communication skills comes into play. A bad communicator can never be a good salesman. In order to illustrate that I would give the example of Dr Barry Marshall, the discoverer of H-Pylori bacteria for which he received a Nobel prize in 2005. Dr Marshall was a medical doctor. Hence he was not very much aware of how to communicate with the scientific community. Therefore, he had to struggle for ten years to make the scientific community believe that what he has discovered is actually a milestone in the history of medicine. The sufferance he had to go through is evident in some of his written communication with different scientists who were skeptical about his discovery.
What Dr Barry Marshall had to go through is not something out of the blue. Many people have great ideas, great accomplishments and great qualifications but still they do not succeed because of the inability to get the message across. Therefore, in order to avoid this kind of situation I am taking this module, so that I know how to effectively communicate in my professional life.
Hi Ali,
ReplyDeleteGreat post using Dr Barry Marshall as a real-life example. I read an article before which stated that because he was unable to communicate his ideas properly, he was even ridiculed by other scientists. They thought he was a lunatic and did not share the same sentiment he had at that time. It goes to show how important it is to know how to communicate effectively lest you may become the butt of the joke.
Another point to take note is that this inability to communicate effectively is not innate but rather something which we can change if we cultivate the right skills towards achieving effective communication with basicaly anyone.
Great job.
Agreed. Everyone has an idea to sell. To sell it properly, one has to learn how to communicate effectively.
ReplyDeleteOther than acquiring professional skills, one has to obtain the equivalent communication skills in order to sell their ideas to their bosses, and to their clients. Else it would stay forever as what it is. Just an idea.
Ali, what an excellent real-life example of why and how good communication skills are essential for everyone - regardless of his/ her vocation. This just proves that what we're trying to do in ES2007S is worth its while. At the end of the day, no matter how great a genius one is and how important a product he has to offer to humanity, he needs to be able to express and explain the value of that product or ideas to the people it will eventually benefit. If he is unable to do that, who would know any better?
ReplyDeleteHi Ali,
ReplyDeleteA very good example about Dr Barry Marshall,who is very similar to us , engineers and scientists.Usually Communication skills are not considered as important as academics in our area,but it is actually very crucial to our career.
Your real life example shows us just how common it is for people to be misunderstood. I read "A Beautiful Mind" several years ago; people on his level of thought live in a world so singular and so exotic that they can barely speak to the rest of us or interact in a "normal" way. Their minds are not like our minds.
ReplyDeleteAlbert Einstein was a rare exception who could shift gears and be right here with us while the rest of his brain was out there in other dimensions and other universes. Some people can only live out there in hyperspace and not come back for a visit.
Since this is a common problem cited, even among geniuses, what more about layman like us! Thankfully communication skills can be learnt, and I will try my hardest to make my point across succiently and meaningfully.
Thanks for your insightful post
pauline