'Lack of communication skills major constraint to development'

Lack of communication skills is one of major constraints to make development, adopt innovative ideas and to meet the challenges of 21st century, said US extension expert and scientist Dr Mark Andrew Bell from University of California (UC), Davis, USA. He addressed a workshop on communication skills arranged by Career Development Centre, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, as key speaker. Dr Louise Ferguson from UC Davis and Office of Research, Innovation and Commercialisation (ORIC), UAF, Director Professor Dr Asif Ali also spoke on the occasion.
He said that the effective communication skills are essential to create awareness and to motivate the people towards applying these ideas in their lives. He urged the extension workers, teachers and students to hone their skills, resulting in bearing fruits in term of successes in their respected fields. He said that the message pertaining to new approaches of development must be conveyed keeping the mindset, norms and values of audience in view. He said that the message must be clear so that one can understand it easily.
Dr Louise Ferguson also called for refurbishing the communication skills. She also stressed the importance of good communication, maintaining that teachers must be well versed and clear about the knowledge by maintaining interest of the audience through good teaching methods. She urged agricultural students to create the skills because they have to motivate the farming community to adopt the latest agri methods.
Professor Dr Asif Ali said that the University is taking all-out efforts to hone the skills of the students. He said that effective communication is vital for human development in today's new climate of social change. Communication skills and technology are central to this task. The speakers and Director Financial Assistance and University Advancement Brigadier Javed Anwar (Retd) also presented the certificates among the participants.