ELK Asia Pacific Journals – Special Issue
ISBN: 978-81-930411-1-6
ENGLISH LANGUAGE SKILLS FOR COMMUNICATIVE PERFORMANCE AND EMPLOYABILITYAN OVERVIEW
Dr. Yamini Pendyala
Asst. Prof In English,
R.V.R. & J.C.C.E.,
GUNTUR.
Mobile : 8801265258
Email: [email protected]
ABSTRACT

English has become the de-facto language for communication in these days of liberalization, privatization and
globalization. It has become indispensable though there are several cultural and linguistic movements in favour
of the vernacular and regional languages. English, as a language, once upon a time was considered as the
exclusive privilege of the urban elite who learnt it through literature. Now, it has started percolating and
making inroads into the most rural terrains also. English language is the Primary medium of instructions in
academics, chief means of communication in business and industrial transactions apart from the interactive
medium in job interviews. In order to be competitive in the job market and evolve out successfully in
professional career, one must have a greater hold on English language and its usage. Employability can surely
be achieved through the increased usage of English language. Employability is possible only through mastery
over the four fundamental skills: Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing (LSRW), in short.
Key words: Communication, cultural and linguistic movements, Language and Literature, Employability
Introduction:
only language which had conquered all over
‘Language is the dress of thought’
the world with its charm and beauty; which
-
Dr.Samuel Johnson.
has vanished the glow of other languages
Communication is a very important
with its popularity and significance; which
tool in human life. It is an essential
holds the dominance in all the fields with its
requirement in this globalised world to
remarkable success; which has spread the
survive. It is no secret that today’s work
aroma of fragrance with its bank of
place is rapidly becoming vast, as the
vocabulary and stream of fluency, which has
business environment expands to include
captured the eyes of millions across the
various geographic locations and span
globe with its magnificence and versatility is
numerous cultures. English is a living and
English, which has become the leader of all
vibrant language spoken by over 300 million
languages, though the youngest of all the
people as their native language. The one and
world languages.
ELK Asia Pacific Journals – Special Issue
ISBN: 978-81-930411-1-6
English language is a store
house of social and political knowledge.
also on how one stands relative to others
within a hierarchy of job seekers’.
Without the knowledge of English language,
Of all the four skills of
no professional can progress. Once upon a
language, the most neglected skill is
time, English language was considered as an
‘listening’.
exclusive privilege of the educated and
hearing’. It is a very active and
urban elite who learnt it through literature.
concentrated process. It is not passive as
But now English has become the primary
‘hearing’. Lack of interest or lack of
medium of instruction in academics, chief
concentration will mar the listening
means of communication in business and
skills. It is a misconception that
industrial stream and also the interactive
‘Communication Skills’ imply only
medium in job interviews. It is the need of
‘Speaking Skills’. In fact, the process of
the hour to work on affirmative action
communication cannot
programmes like disseminating best ELT
without
practices with an e-culture interface and
responder has to respond only after he
enabling
of
listens to the speaker. If the ‘listening
employability through JKC, STP, and
skills’ are not proper, the candidate will
certificate courses in communicative English
not be able to answer the interview
and soft skills. ‘Employability’ is the
questions effectively. He will either give
‘ability’ or ‘potentiality’ or ‘competency’
wrong answers or ask the panel to repeat
required to get a job or employment. There
the
are four fundamental ‘Skills’ for acquiring
jeopardize his claim for the job and his
‘Proficiency’ in English language like it
employability is seriously affected. This
happens in other languages as well. These
is because the candidates who are going
four
Speaking,
to become future employees in the
Reading and Writing (LSRW), in short. It
company should have good listening
has been viewed that ‘Employability not
skills to receive several instructions,
only depends on whether one is able to
suggestions and counselling.
current
skills
are
technical
Listening,
acumen
fulfill the requirements of specific jobs, but
‘Listening’
‘listening
question;
both
is
be complete
skills’
of
intensive
as
which
the
can
ELK Asia Pacific Journals – Special Issue
ISBN: 978-81-930411-1-6
The
most
and
speaking, there should be natural flow
vibrant of all the skills is ‘Speaking’.
from one point to another to see that the
Employers
during
interest of the audience does not waive.
recruitment intend to select prospective
This is called ‘transition’, for ex, using
employees and subject them to various
expressions like, “having discussed a
speaking tests like JAM, EXTEMPORE,
few advantages of social networking
DEBATE, GROUP DISCUSSIONS etc.,
sites, let me move to disadvantages”.
to test their exact ability. In order to
This will make the audience understand
cope with JAM, one should develop the
what has been covered until then and
ability to think spontaneously on one’s
what is to be thereafter.
or
dynamic
Companies
feet. There is no necessity to think
‘Voice modulation’ is an
unnecessarily about delivering a long
important part of ‘speaking’. Modulating
speech. But, it is important to gather few
the speech through tone, tempo, pauses and
ideas and use linkers like at first,
emphasis
secondly, next, after that, however,
communication. ‘Tone’ is the ‘feeling
finally, in order to, therefore, as a result,
expressed through one’s voice’. The tone
at last, to conclude etc. to present the
should not be too soft, loud or too harsh.
ideas or views in a systematic manner.
It is often seen that the students/candidates,
improves
clarity
in
The greatest advantage of
while attending interviews, talk either too
practicing JAM is that it will facilitate
fast or too slow. Sometimes, they combine
the ability to quickly respond to the
long sentences together while the next time,
question
While
they breakup the same sentence into pieces.
practicing speaking activities, one must
The speed of one’s thoughts is so high that
have the ability to raise questions by
sometimes one struggles to get the right
oneself so as to enable to gather points.
words and starts fumbling. This happens
JAM helps us a lot to develop fluency.
especially when one thinks in one’s mother
‘Speaking’
‘impress’,
tongue and speaks in English. Fillers like,
‘inform’, ‘educate’, create awareness’,
‘Ah’, ‘Uh’, ‘Umma’, ‘You see’, ‘eh, eh’,
‘inspire’ and ‘entertain’ by enhancing
‘So’, etc should be avoided.
one’s
/
topic
can
chances
/
issues.
really
of
selection.
While
ELK Asia Pacific Journals – Special Issue
ISBN: 978-81-930411-1-6
To be a good speaker or
involves understanding literal and applied
effective communicator or to enhance one’s
meanings. Most of the students falter to
employability, one has to –
answer this section, thus sending a signal,
i.
Be clear in thoughts and words.
that, in future, they cannot comprehend
ii.
Arrange ideas logically and they
various documents and reports of the
should not be haphazard.
companies or anything that is written to be
iii.
Maintain audibility.
read.
iv.
Maintain eye-contact with the
‘employability’.
audience/panel members.
foundation blocks for career building. The
Practice speaking before mirror,
ability to read with understanding, also
or before a small group of 2 to 4
known as reading comprehension is critical
to muster confidence.
to successful employment. If one cannot
v.
vi.
vii.
Use
appropriate
words
This
will
seriously
These
skills
mar
are
their
the
at
fully understand the instructions on how to
contexts. To do this develop
apply for a job, one is at a disadvantage.
vocabulary usage by constantly
Many jobs require reading as a part of their
referring to dictionary.
duties.
Use relevant facial expressions
e-mails and safety requirements that are part
and body language in lieu with
of day to day functions of the job. Poor
the content being spoken.
reading skills will cause one to lag behind
There
are
reports,
memos,
other workers because it takes one more
time to understand and interpret what one is
Reading skills which are tested not
reading”. The students should be in a
only during competitive examinations but
position to identify the main idea or the
also
so
writer’s purpose, choose a phrase that best
important. ‘Comprehension testing’ has
restates an idea in the passage, define a word
become a key feature now- a-days and
based on its meaning in the passage, picking
answers have to be identified correctly
up information from the passage etc. The
within less period of time. So, when
techniques/strategies to
‘accuracy’ and ‘speed’ are the parameters
become a good reader are :
‘Recruitment
process’
are
‘competent reading’ becomes essential. It
be adopted to
ELK Asia Pacific Journals – Special Issue
ISBN: 978-81-930411-1-6
Skimming – This means reading
The next important skill is ‘Writing’.
through the passage quickly. It is done to re-
A good piece of writing should have a clear
orient oneself to the text. Once one orients
purpose,
oneself to the text, the next step is to identify
message/information.
the main ideas in the passage. Every
permanent record of facts, experiences and
paragraph in the passage has its own idea,
events. Through writing, one is able to share
which is supported by examples or by
ideas with people across the globe, support
further explanation. Scanning – This is a
statements, arouse feelings, persuade and
strategy used to locate specific information,
convince people. Francis Bacon, known as
may be numbers (statistical data), one word
the father of essays, had rightly remarked,
substitutes, the reasons/causes that are
“Reading maketh a full man, conference a
mentioned for a phenomenon, synonyms or
ready man and writing an exact man”. It is
antonyms etc. Drawing Inferences – This is
only by writing that we make ourselves
intended to fill in the gaps with logical
quite clear. As one has time at one’s
assumptions based upon clues from the
disposal in the activity of writing, one can
passage. This strategy rests on ‘Evidence-
provide
based guessing’. The student has to guess
statistics, anecdotes, causes, effects, reasons,
the meaning of a word based on the context
predictions, suggestions etc. Writing, in one
in which it is used.
way, is, ‘speaking delayed’.To improve
Reading Skills can be improved by
provide
examples,
complete
Writing
illustrations,
is
a
facts,
one’s writing skills, one should practice
regular reading of newspaper, magazines,
writing
journals, novels not only for seeking
topics/issues. ‘Brain Storming’ is a useful
information or for entertainment but also to
activity to think for ideas especially when
have
will
one is dealing with ‘imaginative topics’.
enhance one’s grasp on one’s inference-
‘Mind Mapping’ is a technique for making
drawing ability. While reading, one should
notes before writing. This will provide
read in ‘chunks’ (group of words at a time)
enough material/content for one if one is
and not word by word as it will hamper the
basically deficient in that. The main idea can
rate of reading and will slow it down.
be written in the centre. This idea can be
critical
perspective
which
essays
on
wide
variety
of
developed by making associations with its
ELK Asia Pacific Journals – Special Issue
ISBN: 978-81-930411-1-6
branches out in different directions. For
Language skills are mastered, then one’s
Example, instead of simply asking the
‘Employability’ will ascend.
students
to
write
an
essay
on
the
Advantages
and
Disadvantages
of
References:
Computers, they can be given a ‘MindMap’ of this sort which will generate further
[1] Alan Pritchard. Effective Teaching with
ideas in them and makes them form
Internet Technologies. British Library,
sentences.
2007. Print.
A third technique is ‘Questionnaire
[2] Brown,
P.
and
Hesketh,
A.
The
method’ where one uses a series of
Mismanagement
questions to stimulate one’s thinking about
Employability and Jobs in the knowledge
what one has to write. One can even use
Economy. Oxford: OUP, 2004. Print.
‘Tree-Diagrams’ if the subject demands an
[3] Brumfit,
C.J.
of
and
Talent:
Johnson,
K.
essay to describe some ‘Classification’ or
Communicative Approach to Language
‘Flow-Chart’ if it demands describing the
Teaching. C.U.P. 1979 Print.P.Tench,
‘Process’ of something. “Being able to
London and Basingstoke: Macmillan,
demonstrate to employers good written and
1981.
interpersonal skills at the initial stage of
http://www.careers.salford.ac.uk/page/co
recruitment would demonstrate convincingly
mmunication.
to an employer that you have an essential
basic life-skill in which to succeed in a
graduate position”.
It is always to be understood that
these
four
exclusive’.
skills
are
not
‘mutually
They
are
interdependent.
Proficiency in one skill may pave a way for
enhancing other skills, for instance, it is said
that a ‘good reader is generally a good
writer’ and a ‘good listener is generally
a good speaker.’ If these four English