Nagpur: About the raging ‘#MeToo’ movement going on in India, assistant professor of English at LAD and Smt RP College for Women Ruta Dharmadhikari said that women of our country have always been suppressed and this movement to call out the sexual abuse and harassment was long overdue. “A person’s body language speaks volumes about his personality. The pain and abuse women have been enduring has to stop now. A girl knows when a man stares at her for a second too long, or makes her feel uncomfortable or violated with just his gaze, hence a good body language becomes imperative today,” she said while talking about body language as a way of communication.
While addressing the lawyers at High Court Bar Association (
HCBA) study circle’s lecture on ‘Raising the Bar: The art of effective communication’ on Wednesday, professor Dharmadhikari outlined the do’s and don’ts of personal and professional communication.
Pointing out other fallouts of our communication skills and how to enhance them, she said, “Assumptions based on our perception of the situation makes any matter worse and causes an undeniable gap in communication. The term ‘I thought…’ has caused more fallouts than any other misunderstanding and hence must be avoided.”
Dharmadhikari also said, “Primarily, it might seem to us that we know everything, but never base conversations on your preconceived notions. Especially not until you have walked a mile in their shoes. Also, listening to the other person- and not just acknowledging it- is the simplest yet most effective tool of avoiding miscommunication.”
She advised the seniors to converse respectfully and lead by example. “Talking down on your subordinates might seem harmless, but it creates a domino of foul mood and the frustration keeps on piling up, inevitably bursting out eventually. Hence humility and being reasonable goes in a long way in keeping conversations and arguments smooth,” added Dharmadhikari. “One must also not get blindsided by their sense of entitlement and inhibitions, and try to express better and understand people well,” she said.
Similarly, for the juniors, she advised that they use tone and pitch modulation to win an argument without having to cross seniors or raise their voice.