communication skills -important for pharmacy students
Submitted by Praseen.G.P on Sun, 03/16/2008 - 18:00.
in
In the first blog on this topic we had a brief discussion about the terms management, managerial skills and why they are important for pharmacy students.Now, its time to know more about the different managerial skills which i have already mentioned. Communication skill is the first and most important of the managerial skills needed by a manager. ‘Good managers are good communicators’. So, pharmacy professionals who have to manage pharmaceutical firms and institutions also need good skills of communication.
Communication can be defined as the transfer of information from a sender to a receiver, with the information being understood by the receiver<?strong>. Decent communication skills are required by the managers;
a. To establish and disseminate the goals of an enterprise
b. To develop plans for their achievement
c. To organize human and other resources in the most effective and efficient way
d. To select, develop, and appraise members of the organization
e. To lead, direct, motivate, and create climate in which people want to contribute, and
f. To control performance.
Communication facilitates the managerial functions but also it relates an enterprise to its external environment. It is through information exchange that managers become aware of the needs of the customers, the availability of suppliers, the claims of stock holders, the regulations of government, and the concerns of the community. This is mainly linked with the pharmacy professionals working in the industry especially in the area of pharmaceutical marketing, regulatory affairs, intellectual property rights etc.
Communication skills are classified mainly into three types or we can say, a combination of these three formulates the good communication ability. They are thus following;
a. Written communication skills: pharmacy scholars working in every sector including clinical pharmacists and pharmacy teachers should have good written communication skills. Written communication has the advantage of providing records, references, and legal defenses in the case of pharmaceutical companies. It can also promote uniformity in policy and procedure and can reduce costs in some cases.
b. Oral communication skills: a great deal of information is communicated orally. Oral communication can occur in a face-to-face meeting of two people or in a manager’s presentation to a large audience. The principal advantage oral communication is that it makes possible speedy interchange with immediate feedback. This skill is essential for the pharmacist to manage the patients in counseling and for the pharmacy professional sitting in the managerial position of a pharmaceutical company. He should be able to clear and clarify the questions of patients, clients or the superiors.
c. Nonverbal communication skills: people communicate in many different ways. What a person says can be reinforced (or contradicted) by non verbal communication, such as facial expressions and body gestures. Pharmacy professionals in the managerial positions should practice and undergo training to attain these types of skills. The facial expressions and body gestures should convey the same message what we want to tell to others. Good nonverbal communication skills are essential for both pharmacy students and the professionals in different pharmaceutical organizations.
Interpersonal relationship can be improved by good communication with the people within the organization and outside, which is termed as interpersonal communication skills.This is must for the pharmacy professional as he has to keep a good relation with the persons in the organization and with the society. I will try to explain about the interpersonal skill, one of the important managerial skills in one of my coming blogs.
To be continued….