COMMUNICATION AS AN IMPORTANT SOFT SKILL IN LANGUAGE TEACHING

Mrs. N. Mahalakshmi D.T.Ed., M.A., M.Ed., NET., PGDACE.
Research Scholar
Department of Education
Annamalai University
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prusothmaha@gmail.com
Abstract
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English is being taught as a second language in our Indian schools. As it is our national language, much importance is given to this language in our education system. The language teachers are expected to be more competent to develop the basic skills of the language so as to develop the communicative competence of the learners. Now-a-days, soft skills are considered as another important aspect of the teachers for efficient teaching. Regarding the soft skills, communication skill is the most important one that is needed by the language teachers to optimize the learning experience of the students. This paper tries to reveal the need of Effective Communication Skill as one of the important soft skill for the language teachers.
The concept of soft skills
Soft skills can be said to incorporate all aspects of generic skills that include the cognitive elements associated with non-academic skills. Soft skills are identified to be the most critical skills in the current global education and the era of technology. The reorientation of education for sustainability also relates the importance of these soft skills. 
Soft skills in Education
Vast research and expert opinions have been sought in the effort to determine the specific soft skills to be implemented and used in higher institutions of learning. Based on the research findings obtained, seven soft skills have been identified and chosen to be implemented in higher education as:
* Communicative skills
* Thinking skills and problem solving skills
* Team work force
* Life-long learning and information management
* Entrepreneur skill
* Ethics, moral and professionalism and
What are the most important soft skills?
Again the answer regarding the importance of soft skills depends very much on
the context and one’s personal perception. However, there is one property that
immediately comes to most people’s mind when soft skills are mentioned: those
are the communication skills. And indeed, it is the talent of communication skills, 149
NAWA Journal of Language and Communication, June 2008
which is mostly lacking among graduates from colleges and universities.
When asking people what exactly they understand to be communication skills,
one will receive a wide range of answers, because co