The significance of Good Communication Skills cannot be undermined in the Modern Era. When we prepare the professionals of tomorrow, it becomes all the more important to understand the kind of pedagogy that caters to their requirements. Communication Skills are equally important as their technical subjects. Before they step into Placement Drives, they must be well equipped with good Communication Skills-listening, speaking, reading and writing. English at Under graduation level should not be taught just as a subject, but a skill to be honed to perfection, so that the students can fare well in their work life.
Language Lab can play a key role in shaping the complete future of our students. Only we should know how to use it optimally. Language Lab should be a platform for each of the students to excel in their Communication Skills and emerge as successful candidates, all ready to take on the world. These candidates, when well prepared, are sure to hold high-profile jobs in future. This is sure to bring glory to themselves as well as the institution where they study. An ideal Language Lab has to have a peaceful, conducive ambience with all the necessary equipment to conduct various Language Development Activities. By the end of the semester, we make sure that all the students have attained appropriate grades in these activities.
Even the slow learners should be able to score above average. Then, we are assured that the students we are preparing are all set for good Placement. Communication Skills count as much as their Academic degrees and certificates.
Language Lab sessions need to be intensive. The faculty needs to be geared up beforehand with all the material ready for the session. According to the number of students in a particular batch, the activities should be thoughtfully framed. It must be ensured that all the students get a chance to participate in each activity. The faculty must keep a written record of each student’s progress day by day. It is to be ensured that there shouldn’t be any blank moments during the activities. The students have to be trained to generate ideas one after the other.
Equipment
A well-planned Language Lab ought to have the following equipment by all means
- Smart Board: Smart Boards can be highly beneficial for vocabulary building. Synonyms, antonyms, prepositions, conjunctions and various other Grammar Concepts can be taught very well with the help of Smart Boards.
- LCD Screen: An LCD is a must-have in a Language Lab. It can be very well used to provide visuals for generating ideas during a group discussion.
Activities
Group Discussions
GDs play a decisive role during a Placement Drive. It is the most crucial part of students’ lives. Utmost care is to be taken while preparing the students for GDs. Here, the faculty has to do a bit of preparation beforehand. Pick some good, relevant GD topics and gather all the essential data and statistics related to the topic. Visuals can prove to be very effective in initiating and generating the discussion.
For example, a GD on Climate Change can be a highly informative one with adequate data and statistics regarding climate change over the past few years. Some appropriate visuals on Environmental Pollution, Glacial Meltdown and Global Warming can be very effective in generating a GD. After the GD is over, the students should be given handouts bearing all the relevant data and statistics related to the topic discussed in the GD.
Presentations
Presentations are very important these days in Corporates. Before our students step into the corporate world, they ought to be well-equipped with Presentation Skills to do well in everyday work-life. In order to hone Presentation Skills, it is essential to give them enough opportunity to practise and excel. The topic for the presentation should be announced there and then. A span of 10 minutes should be given to prepare the slides. Another 5 minutes will be given for preparation before they come on stage. They must be made aware of the right method of preparing slides-visuals, data and very little writing. And of course, the right training in Body Language, Clarity and Intonation. The audience should grade each of the presenters and review as well. A round of applause for the good ones can work wonders.
Mock Interviews
Language Lab is just the right place to make our students adept at Job Interview Skills. An interview questionnaire can be mounted on the LCD screen, and the students can be prepared to answer each of the questions appropriately. The teacher must guide them about the body language, posture and the right method of putting the answers across to the panel. Once the students are prepared well, they can be put through a Mock Interview by a panel of students from amongst themselves.
Public Speaking
Yes, we are preparing the Company Heads for tomorrow. So, it is essential to get them prepared in Public Speaking. Only good public speakers can be good leaders. They can chair Meetings. Seminars and Conferences. While we prepare them in Speaking Skills, we are imbibing in them an air about themselves that they are sure to carry with them all through. The visions that we show them today are the foundations for their future. Moreover, practice in Public Speaking can help them go through the extempore round during the Placement Drives.
A little planned effort on our part can carve the future of all of our students. The only thing to be remembered is how to make the most of the resources available to us and how we can optimally use them to the benefit of our students. Not a very difficult task to accomplish. All the above-mentioned activities are successfully Classroom Tested.