Abstract:

It is a well-known fact that universities, online platforms, and other institutions offer various subjects to be studied. Special attention is always drawn to foreign languages, programming, oral skills; however, no Institution teaches how to communicate.

Even though all relationships are based on communications: business negotiations, family relationships, people still underestimate the importance of learning how to communicate. It is a delusion to think that communication is a natural skill. Every person needs to develop his or her communication skills. These skills are essential to convey a thought, build good relationships with people, prevent misunderstanding and conflicts in families, eliminate dubious importance.
The modern world dictates new rules, we are facing recent trends, and communications have become one of the leading areas. Moreover, communications alongside many subjects can be learned and taught.

Unfortunately, today there are several cases when even teachers and professors misbehave and miscommunicate. They are rude, their speech is inaccurate and unclear, let alone that students reproduce and repeat after them and thus obtain bad communication skills. As a result, instead of having a well-educated person possessing diverse knowledge, we have a person with a good understanding of his/her sphere/area but who cannot build communications properly.

In addition to the abovementioned, young people ask their parents or senior colleagues for tips and advice “what to say and how to behave in a particular situation”, however, there are no warranties that those people know how to communicate and respond. Consequently, people start facing issues and even serious problems in mutual understanding at work, in families, and everywhere.

Communication is not only about oral responses; it is also about psychological interaction that includes verbal and non-verbal reactions. Unfortunately, in the 21st century, attention has been shifted towards technologies, and such an important sphere as communications was left behind.

Based on the Institute of foreign languages of the People’s Friendship University of Russia, there was a communication course for the last-year students of a bachelor program. Fifty students aged 20-21, both men and women, were involved in the experiment. The students were divided into two groups. The first group attended the communication course and obtained oral skills and psychological training; the training aimed to eliminate and reduce fear during communications and participated in several online exhibitions. Within the course, the students also had a training section aimed at learning to speak to the camera, when they could listen to and watch their speech recorded. Upon completing the communication course, each student had to provide a creative project where they demonstrated their communication skills and psychological adaptation skills in stressful situations. The study lasted six months,108 academic hours. As a result, all people who had undergone the communication course were recruited by TV channels, international organizations and found prestigious jobs. In contrast, the group that was not involved in the communication course had some difficulties finding a good job.

The research aims to provide up-to-date data based on questionnaires, why it is important to have communication classes, and what kind of specialists need to be involved in this teaching process.

Keywords:

21st century skills, education, psychology, learning, teaching.