How Communication Serves a Crucial Role in Singapore’s Success
Home Affairs and Law Minister K Shanmugam said that communication played a vital role in changing public perception on the Singaporean government’s National Service (NS) initiative.
In 1967, the campaign had a “deeply unpopular” following among the public about the need for such program, which called for eligible males in the family to sign up for army duty. Fifty years later, it has helped Singapore to have one of the best military forces in Southeast Asia, according to Shanmugam.
Grassroots Communication
The government’s communication strategies helped in assuaging fears associated with sending your loved ones to dangerous and unfamiliar territory. Shanmugam admitted that it was hard to convince people to give up their sons to military service, but grassroots leaders’ communication strategies paid off by tirelessly explaining the importance of the initiative to national security.
Aside from improved defence forces, Shanmugam said that it also helped the economy. Malaysia, for instance, had thought that Singapore would not survive after implementing NS, but the currency conversion of S$1 to three Malaysian ringgit proved that the country not only survived but also surpassed expectations, he added.
Translating Success
Singapore values communication even outside the scope of the armed forces. Excellent communication skills will remain an integral part, especially if you’re working for language-intensive jobs for a translation company or public relations firm.
A World Economic Forum Future of Jobs Report claimed that individual skills such as data analytics that are not currently relevant for most occupations would become more in-demand by 2020, amid the ongoing development of the digital information and communication technology sector. That’s why Singaporeans should prepare to equip themselves with these skills to ensure their relevance to the future job market.
Conclusion
A clear and comprehensive form of communication will always be an important factor if you want to gain support for a certain cause. No matter how good your intentions may be, you’d likely fail to gain support since people are often not willing to embrace something if they don’t fully understand your message.
