Call Of Duty

It was in the dead of the night. There was pin drop silence-the calm before the storm. The Marines were all geared up for combat. Leading from the forefront were Captain Dave and his subordinate, Lieutenant King. This was a Mission and there were no second chances- you either killed or got killed. The marines then stormed into the house believed to be housing the terrorists. Sounds of gunshots broke the silence. The terrorists were not prepared for such an attack. It was not before long that the Marines took full control of the situation. After the initial burst of fire, there suddenly seemed to be an unusual quietness. There were cries of pain and shuffling of the feet which occasionally broke the silence. The Marines came out of their cover but still on high alert and realised that the coast was clear. The terrorists were downed and it was time to survey the place for any lives.

Out of the corner of his eye, Captain Dave saw a couple of children. They were clutching onto a body which was splattered with blood. Presumably, that man-whom the world labelled as a terrorist, was their father. Captain Dave raised his automatic rifle and pointed it in the direction of the children. He was ready to shoot when Lieutenant King shouted, “Sir, what are you trying to do? They are just kids.” To which Captain Dave replied, “Today they are kids, tomorrow they’ll be terrorists. They have witnessed enough bloodshed today and this hatred will stay with them from this day to the day that they die. Someday, they will come back and avenge for whatever that has happened today. The numbers of enemies you’ll have will keep increasing, so eliminate them whenever you can. Don’t let your emotions take over you King”. Before Lieutenant King could say anything more, Captain Dave shot at the two kids without any further thought. King went absolutely ballistic that Dave had committed such an act-a sin in most people’s eyes. However, due to his rank and the protocol, all he could do was just stand and watch. King never felt so helpless. He could never forgive himself after witnessing what had happened that night and resigned soon after.

Who was right/wrong in this particular instance, Dave or King? One of them wanted to be sure for the future while the other felt that children have no hand in the terrorist activities. Both of them had their reasons for their viewpoints and both of them perceived that they were correct. Many a times, people are victims of hierarchy. This is especially so in the military. It is these ranks and positions that may give rise to conflicts. In the above example, King could not do anything about the situation because he was the Junior Officer. I feel that another reason which can lead to conflicts is perception. Perception can be in the form of thinking, values, beliefs etc. As long as perceptions differ, there would always be conflicts.

Why effective communication skills are important to me

Communication is the basis of human interactions. The paradox of communications is that it unites as well as divides people in the world. Words and actions can be misconstrued either deliberately or unintentionally which can incite hatred among different groups of people. This does not only happen within the human community but also the animal kingdom at large. Hence, effective communications is one of the most basic yet vital trait that people should try and hone.

I for once never really understood or appreciated the importance of effective communication until recently-two and a half years ago. Two and a half years ago, I was called up to serve my country and during that period, I met many people with diverse backgrounds-race, religion, education etc. I realised that people had to be treated differently; there was no one-size-fits-all style of communication. Some needed more motivation than the others, while those who missed home just needed a listening ear-the act of listening in itself was a way of communication, showing your support and care. I realised that it was the little things, which we take for granted so much in our fast paced lives that matter. Listening and just being there for somebody when they are down and out.

After my national service, I had a very long vacation and moved on to work at Prada as a sales assistant and then as a media representative in a sport firm. I realised another important aspect of communication during my time at these organisations. Most of the people I was working with were substantially older than me and I learned the importance of tone. I felt it awkward to ask my colleagues to help me do certain things at first but overcame this by varying my tone. I made sure I was respectful and my colleagues were always more than willing to help me.

There are so many aspects to effective communication and I joined this class to better understand myself and also learn the skills needed to be an effective communicator.