Communication Skills for UPSC Interview

Feed by Manisha Cat- UPSC

To put it simply, communication skills are the skills through which one makes the communication. That means, the skills required to express what is there in one's mind to the other person. It includes both: the verbal and nonverbal part, the language and the body language.

The first and most important rule to develop good communication skills is to be a good listener. Very often the candidates are more eager .to answer than to listen because of which they fail to listen and understand the question and probably the catch in the question being put in front of them.

Verbal communication skills:

Vocabulary:

The important thing to be kept in mind is that this is not a test of your linguistic skills or your vocabulary. Language in the Personality Test will be tested only to the extent of it being as the medium of communication , nothing more than that. Therefore, you need not to impress the Board with your in-depth vocabulary or flowery language. Nevertheless if you are good at language or your vocabulary is good or you have good expressions and phrases in your kitty you should use them but without overdoing.

One should have a good vocabulary of the language in which one is communicating. Very often there are words which we feel are synonyms but are actually not. There is a fine, a very nuanced difference in the connotations, in the meanings and in the context of the two. If one is unaware of that and uses the word which prima-facie appears to be a synonym of the other word but has a different connotation, it can result in an all together different meaning.

Secondly, many times it happens that a person starts faltering because of the want of a proper word e.g. if one is communicating in English and uses some words of Hindi or some other native language for the want of the proper English word, it can demoralize him. The choice of words, in the ultimate analysis, is very important in the scheme of the Personality Test. So, one should work on this aspect. That does not mean that one needs to know and use the literary language but the language should be impressive. Also one should be in full and proper command of the various technical words and the jargons being used in different subjects.

* A word of caution here. Never try to show the Board that you’re linguistic skills, your vocabulary, and your knowledge about the language is better than theirs.

The best way to improve your vocabulary is to make dictionary an inseparable part of your preparation. Whenever you are reading something and come across a new word underline it or if you listen a new word note it down and then look for it in the dictionary. Thereafter make a conscious effort to use it in your answers and communication.

Economy of words:

You should be very economical with the words. Try to be very precise in the point that you are making. It is always pleasant and relaxing for anybody if you could make them understand your viewpoint in lesser time and using less number of words.

Loudness and pace of your speech:

Both these parameters should be moderate. Hearing your audio recordings can really improve this attribute.

Pronunciation:

You should not overdo on this front. Remember you are not applying for a public relations job in the US or the UK. Any error within, what I term as, 'the acceptable level' is fine here. But blunders need to be avoided. You would be surprised to know that I have seen at least two people myself during my preparation who used to pronounce the word 'chemistry' with the 'ch' instead of the 'k'. Hence listen and watch more TV debates and the news anchors speaking. You can also watch the interviews of the movie stars or sport stars for this.

Fluency and accent:

You should have a good fluency while speaking .You should not stop very frequently. One of the most effective ways of improving your fluency is to have a very good clarity of thought about the topic you're talking about. If you have the clarity of thought you will not stop, think or change your views in between your answer.

Also you should have a good accent of the language in which you are communicating. It does not mean that you should be a great orator or should be speaking like a leader. Any language that is based on the proper accent is soothing to the ears of the listeners and facilitates proper, accurate and easy understanding of your views thereby helping you in scoring better.

Accent can also be improved by listening to the debates and the interviews.

The language used and the choice of words:

Regarding the 'choice of words' cautiously listen to the official persons speaking. eg, the secretary of a ministry of the government, the spokesperson of the government, the RBI Governor etc. These people are very disciplined and strict with their choice of words. Their words are correct across various parameters like constitutionality (the Union government and not the Central government), legality (the sexual assault or the sexual molestation or the rape), technicality (recession or slowdown), sensitivity (differently abled and not physically handicapped) , gender equality (chairperson and not chairman), connotation (tax base and not tax net) etc.

You should definitely avoid certain phrases and words like "obviously", "I mean". “by the way", "what do you call it”, like", “ok", of course" etc.

Only those abbreviations and technical terms should be used which are used commonly and are being used by the Board members.

You should always speak very consciously. This might seem very natural but very often it is not. Many times it happens that we end up speaking what we actually didn't intend to. This can happen because of variety of reasons like the haste of speaking or speaking without prior application of thought or wrong choice of words etc.

Intonation:

You should put proper stress on the words to show that how strong you feel about something. For example, if you are saying "there should be absolutely no tolerance for corruption" then you should give stress on the words "absolutely no tolerance.

Also we should show our emotions through the variations in the tone and pace; and through the proper facial expressions as to what and how strongly we feel about a particular thing.

Non-verbal communication skills:

It is not only what you say in the interview that will impact your score but also how you say it. E.g. How confidently you answer, how much conviction you have while answering, how fast you are answering, how you are making eye contact, the hand gestures etc. AU these nonverbal communication skills will go a long way in deciding about the score that you will get in the Personality Test.

Face:

Your face tells and gives an insight of what is there inside you. Therefore how to properly manage your face and facial expressions in the interview room is the most important non-verbal communication skill that you should focus on. The most important facial expression is your smite. A pleasant smile coupled with a relaxed impression sends a very good signal at the very outset to the Board members.

The dress:

The dress you are wearing and the overall personality that you are possessing on the day is also a part of the non-verbal communication skills. It is so because through your dress and your personality, you are trying to convey the Board members that what kind of person you are. For example if you are dressed in a casual manner it conveys your thinking and attitude to the Board. If you are dressed formally, according to the situation that sends another signal.

Body movements:

Body gestures, that is, the movement of the different parts of the body. One should try to use as minimum gestures as possible.

Body postures, that is, the different positions of the body. You should always try to sit straight with an erect spinal chord. But ensure that you should not be too stiff and should not look uncomfortable.

*There is often confusion among the Aspirant officers that whether we should move our hands or not. I would suggest that there is something what Is termed as the 'natural movement' of the hands and the face while talking with somebody. That is right and should be maintained in the Personality Test. Anything over and above that should be avoided.

Next: What Do’s & Don’ts in UPSC Interview

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