Are You Hearing This Too? Students Struggle to Communicate.
- Lynne Christensen
- 2 days ago
- 2 min read
There is a common refrain amongst young adult educators: a significant number of students are lacking communication skills that earlier generations took for granted. I’ve unfortunately seen it multiple times:
• students struggle to form written sentences and essays
• many expect their careers can be built 100% on texting communication
• making a telephone call is an anxiety-ridden experience
I was one of the fortunate people who had excellent mentors early on in my business career.
One of the best experiences I ever had was being assigned a desk near a VP Sales' office. All day long, he’d make telephone calls to customers and these calls were loud enough that anyone within about 30 feet was able to hear his side of the conversation. It wasn’t a case of nosy eavesdropping; it was simply the office environment. Without even realizing it, I learned good phone skills simply through osmosis. This particular VP Sales was a maestro on the phone, asking about a customer’s family, home renovation project and kids’ little league sports first. He only moved onto the selling portion of his call once a rapport was established. What this experience taught was to appreciate and learn from those around me. I picked up some lifelong communication skills simply by being in the right place at the right time. It wasn’t a formal training program by any means. I was simply assigned a desk space near a VP Sales who had a rather loud voice in an acoustically challenged office.
For students who don’t get that opportunity, there’s training and practice. My TPT store offers a number of communication products, for improving both written and verbal skill sets. Let’s get our society’s young adults into situations where they have the opportunity to learn firsthand what good communication looks and sounds like. At the heart of it is emotional intelligence, and while the basics can certainly be taught, students need the opportunity to practice in real life. To employers and community members: offer internships, mentor young people, show early career employees the how and why of customer service. Remember, not everybody gets the chance to sit near a VP Sales who trains his team members by osmosis. What will you do to help our students?
