Art of influencing people...

His voice resonated through the packed auditorium. The rhetoric and knowledge exhibited were par excellence. With a lot to say and having said it with conviction and diction, he took his seat with bated breath awaiting the final outcome of the hour-long debate competition in his high school. Going by his track record, he was almost certain that he would be adjudged the best speaker.

An avid and talented member of the debating club of his school, Deepak took pride in his inborn ability to raise the decibel levels of his voice and drown out others around him in voicing his ideas and opinions on matters, big and small. Yet, sadly, his volubleness could not take him far beyond the walls of the auditorium. Despite his success on the stage, his talk was mere hubbub in nature. Seldom did his opinionated speech impress or influence his contemporaries and seniors.

Is Deepak’s case an isolated illustration of the current scenario dominating the communication style of our brilliant youngsters? Though social media and networking sites are brimming with fresh ideas and opinions of students, do they have the character to attract and influence its readers? Is the communication style of our younger generation taking a general downward trend and failing to influence and perhaps even offend others?

Going by the pugnacity that characterises contemporary communication styles, it can safely be said that students are lagging behind in effective and influential communication. Words that normally have the power to wield its supremacy on its recipients, could fail the very purpose of their useful existence, if they are not tempered suitably.

Having bright ideas or the right perspective to life situations by themselves cannot be leveraged unless they can be put forth fittingly. It is a fact that before a new thought can be accepted, it must appear agreeable at first blush. In present times where no one can be gagged from verbal and written expressions, mastering the art of expressing them in an agreeable and at the same time compelling fashion becomes significant, if our thoughts are to make any contribution towards universal progress and peace.

It can then be concluded that this skill of getting our thoughts across successfully to others, like any other skill, needs attention, honing and practice. And as today’s students are tomorrow’s leaders, educational institutions would have done their part if the skill of communicating with an intent to influence the mindset of others is imparted to students as an ongoing and side-by-side project with regular subjects.
Such an in-built philosophy of laying stress on masterly communication will produce students who can think and express their thoughts in an agreeable manner rather than with aggression. For, the benefits that accrue to students if they can be edified in the art of influencing others positively through effective communication are many-fold, chief among which are these foursome advantages:

Expression sans aggression   
The constant raucous within a school/college campus has taken the decibel levels of our students to alarming heights. It has become the norm for students to be aggressive and opinionated on every issue within and outside the environment of the institution. While individual opinions and the freedom to express them is a right, students should also be constantly reminded that they come with an equal degree of responsibility.

When their responsibilities are adequately highlighted, their thinking and consequently the speaking styles change. They become less aggressive and more harmonious. Lesser the aggression, more effective is one’s communication, and the ability to influence others rises exponentially.

Empathy-laced communication
Empathy is no longer a franchised notion, readily accepted by the society, particularly our students. Campus ragging, groupism, domination and the overall growing apathy towards teaching staff have together corroded the human nature to put oneself in another’s shoes in interactions and communications.

Such talk lacking in empathy can never win the approval and approbation of another. Our youngsters should be drilled in the philosophy that the art of influencing is all about the art of seeing things through the eyes of those who need to be influenced.

Promotes positive vibes
Being well-versed in a form of communication that can influence and impress upon others breeds positive vibes in the environment — immediate and distant. Communication that is smooth and progressive is catchy and attention-grabbing. It facilitates and eliminates outdated practices and beliefs with least resistance.

Hallmark of a leader
Perhaps if there is a single yardstick to gauge the effectiveness of a leader, it is the ease with which he can win friends and influence people. Among other traits, it was their ability to garner the support of the people that set leaders, such as Mahatma Gandhi and Abraham Lincoln, apart from the rest. With their communication always tempered with understanding, they successfully blotted out every opposition that came in their way of building a new world with fairness and equal rights to all its citizenry.

The long and short of it, is that the Deepaks who come under the limelight have much work to do outside the green room of the auditorium. A two-pronged approach by educational institutes, where students are edified not only in the art of oratory but also in the art of effective and thoughtful speaking will make sure that the institutes are sending out more people in the building of a brighter and better world.