INTRODUCTION:

Communication involves sharing of thoughts, ideas, opinions, information, orders, data and knowledge with others. Effective communication is the strength to transmit information clearly and purposefully. The conversation with others should be focused, concise, clear and less time consuming. Communication skills have become an essential part of our daily lives and professional life. Having good communication skills is the capability how effectively one can convey their information or message to others.

Effective communication skills can impact on career success, building relationships, creating healthy work environment, fosters confidence, presentation skills and engaging audience. Working on soft skills improvement is the need of hour as this has become very crucial nowadays at workplace. In day-to-day life communication has a very important role to play. There can be a gap between active listening by audience and speaker. Sometimes, listeners are not able to focus to the words of speaker, engaging audience without distractions and dealing with emotional intelligence requires effective communication skills.

LITERATURE REVIEW:

Masri (2014), Media and Communication in English, Malaysia, according to him communication means expression of ideas or thoughts to get understood by others very easily. He stressed on linguistic skills which are equally important nowadays. These skills play an important role in improving communication skills. He focussed more on language related matters. Ahmad and Dabanesh (2010) in their paper, found that healthy environment at workplace able to build effective communication skills among employees as well as students. They described that in communication receiver plays a crucial role as there mental health, social factors, learning capacity and positive attitude should be considered.

Scottish (2013), in his paper summarized that communication skills are a prerequisite for any job. It has become very crucial in present era. It plays an important role in professional life while conversation at workplace. It is required that talk should be focused, meaningful or minimised. Effective communication skills foster building healthy relationships, strengthen the network with people and gaining trust at workplace. It also helps to resolve conflicts and critical decision making regarding various issues in professional life. Communication is a success factor for better team collaboration and to develop positive working environment.

According to Sujan Sarkar (2020), there is a relationship between personality growth and communication skills. Having academic, general and current knowledge is not only enough in professionalism but the presentation skills and inter-personal skills are equally important. A good smile on face and positive expressions reflect distinctiveness to impress people around you. Mahajan and Prasad (2018), in their study found a link between communication skills and body language. Eye contact, confidence, gestures, posture and movements are few important tips to maintain body language.

Another example from Romania and Simena (2017), mentioned about the importance of linguistic skills, personality growth and communication skills. A person with dynamic personality knows very well how to cope up with crucial issues and to overcome from bitter conditions. Personality growth includes behaviour, reaction, body posture, body dressing and facial expressions. Mindset towards task assigned and focus on work are equally important. For shaping one’s character family situations, family upbringing, status, biological factors, schooling and various circumstances contribute. They concluded that dynamism in personality makes effective communication skills and growth in personality.

Muste and Keyten (2017), in their article on “Factors contributing to Communication Skills” concluded that there are a lot of ways or techniques to improve soft skills. According to him, active listening on the part of audience is very essential. For having good communication skills one must be a good listener. Novik (2015), in his study investigated that strong communication skills reduces role ambiguity, conflicts in professional life, reduces misunderstanding and helpful to create cohesive work environment. Strong communication skills are essential for leaders to create healthy positive environment for employees to reach business goals with greater efficiency, contentment among employees and works on brand identity all of which head towards their own career success. They are prerequisites for being selected by interviewer, boosts confidence and career growth.

Research Objectives

The purpose of this investigation is to understand the effectiveness of the subject Communication Skills among the students of management and commerce in YamunaNagar city. This subject is being studied by BBA, B.com and MBA students. To fulfil the purpose of my study objectives are elaborated below:-

1. To study the impact of communication skills on personality growth, social skills and academic success.

2. To what extent the subject “Communication in Professional Life” helpful/useful for attaining Effective communication skills.

METHODOLOGY:

This study aligns with the mission and vision of the Kurukshetra University, Kurukshetra and tries to find out the impact of the subject Communication Skills among management students so that they can well prepare themselves for their career advancement. In the present scenario employers demand the candidates equipped with good presentation skills, interpersonal skills, positive attitude and can work effectively in team. Total 510 questionnaire were distributed but effective results of only 438 are considered.

Table No.1 Respondents Profile

Level of distribution

Frequency

Gender

Male

Female

Total

205

233

438

46.80%

53.19%

Academics

BBA

B.com

MBA

187

143

108

42.70%

32.65%

24.65%

Validity and Reliability:

Before preparing the final questionnaire, a small survey was conducted and 17 faculty members are considered from various fields like vocational education, commerce, management, and economy. The final questionnaire was tested for validity and reliability.

Data Collection:

Questionnaires were distributed to the students of BBA, B.com and MBA who are studying Communication Skills as a subject. For better results they were informed about the purpose of the study and how their valid responses will complete this research paper.

Table 2: Attributes showing validity about Impact of Communication Skills on “Personality Development”

Attributes	Dimension and Items	Corrected Item corr. With dimension	Corrected Item Corr. With Scale
1.	Boosts Confidence	0.59	0.56
2.	Enhances Self Expression	0.56	0.52
3.	Enhances Positive Attitude	0.58	0.54
4.	Promotes Active Listening and Qualities	0.55	0.51
5.	Develops Leadership Skills	0.57	0.54
6.	Improves Problem Solving Skills and Decision Making	0.48	0.45
7.	Increases Adaptability	0.32	0.29
8.	Creates Positive Image	0.57	0.54
9.	Encourage Self Reflection	0.51	0.48
10.	Appropriate Body Language	0.60	0.57

The above table shows the correlation within the items and with each item and the wholescale. The lowest correlation within items is (0.32) and the lowest for the wholescale is (0.29) regarding the attribute “Increases Adaptability”. However, the highest is (0.60) for the attribute “Appropriate Body Language” which highlights that effective communication skills have positive impact on body language.

Table 3: Attributes showing validity about Impact of Communication Skills on Social Skills Development

Attributes	Dimension and Items	Corrected Item corr. With dimension	Corrected Item Corr. With Scale
1.	Building Rapport and Trust	0.57	0.55
2.	Sustaining Meaningful Conversation	0.56	0.53
3.	Social Perception and Awareness	0.48	0.44
4.	Persuasion and Influence	0.44	0.41
5.	Enhances Empathy	0.50	0.48
6.	Develops Emotional Intelligence	0.39	0.36
7.	Conflict Resolution Skills	0.52	0.50
8.	Enhances Assertiveness	0.53	0.51

The above table shows the lowest correlation within items is (0.44) and the lowest for the wholescale is (0.41) regarding the attribute “Persuasion and Influence”. However, the highest is (0.57) for the attribute “Building Rapport with Others”.

Table 4: Attributes showing validity about Impact of Communication Skills on Academic Success and Career Building

Attri-butes	Dimension and Items	Corrected Item corr. With dimension	Corrected Item Corr. With Scale
1.	Better Understanding Of Information	0.56	0.53
2.	Retention of Information and Knowledge	0.57	0.55
3.	Effective Collaboration with Peers and Professors	0.58	0.54
4.	Enhances Public Speaking	0.60	0.58
5.	Fosters Positive Team Environment	0.61	0.58
6.	Competencies in academics, presentations, debates and other activities	0.62	0.58

The highest corelation can be seen for “Competencies in academics, presentation, debates and other activities” (0.62).

Table 4: Cronbach's Alpha Coefficient for the Scale and its Domains (n=387)

Dimensions	Cronbach’s Alpha	Stability Index	No. of Items
Impact of Communication Skills as a subject on Personality Growth	0.87	0.80	10
Impact of Communication Skills as a subject on Social Skills	0.77	0.89	8
Impact of Communication Skills as a subject on Academic Success	0.85	0.86	6
Whole Scale	0.90	0.81	24

RESULTS:

The above study was conducted to explore the impact of Communication Skills on Personality growth, Social Skills and Academic Success of students.

Effective Communication Skills:

The first research objective is to explore or examine the impact of the subject Communication Skills on students’ different areas. Table No.5 shows about the perception of students regarding Effective Communication Skills.

Table 5: Student’s Perception towards the Impact of the subject “Communication Skills”

Rank	Dimensions	Mean	Std.Dev.	Degree
1.	Impact of Communication Skills as a subject on Personality Growth	3.57	0.43	High
2.	Impact of Communication Skills as a subject on Academic Success	3.46	0.42	High
3.	Impact of Communication Skills as a subject on Social Skills	3.44	0.43	High
	Whole Scale	3.42	0.34	High

The above table shows the means and standard deviations of the three main domains. The impact of the course on improving personality traits of students is ranked “high” at the top with (M=3.57). However, the impact of the subject on academic skills is ranked second with M=3.46 and impact on social skills is ranked third with M=3.44. The Whole Scale is ranked “high” as well.

Table 6:- Mean and Standard Deviation of the Impact of the course on “Personality Development”

Rank	Dimensions of Personality Growth	Mean	Standard Deviation	Degree
1	Boosts Confidence	3.53	0.65	High
2	Enhances Self Expression	3.51	0.66	High
3	Enhances Positive Attitude	3.50	0.64	High
4	Promotes Active Listening and Qualities	3.49	0.69	High
6	Develops Leadership Skills	3.47	0.65	High
9	Improves Problem Solving Skills and Decision Making	3.26	0.62	High
7	Creates Positive Image	3.42	0.61	High
8	Encourages Self Reflection	3.37	0.60	High
5	Improves Body Language	3.56	0.59	High

Above table shows that all items are ranked “High”. Mean of dimension Improves “Body Language”, “Boosts Confidence” are high among all the other items. However, the item “Improves problem solving skills and Decision making” showing lowest mean which declares the impact of communication skill on it.

Table 7:- Mean and Standard Deviation of the Impact of the course on “Social Skills”

Rank	Dimensions of Social Skills	Mean	Standard Deviation	Degree
1	Building Rapport and Trust	3.67	0.57	High
2	Sustaining Meaningful Conversation	3.52	0.65	High
3	Social Perception and Awareness	3.43	0.62	High
4	Persuasion and Influence	3.44	0.68	High
5	Enhances Empathy	3.40	0.65	High
6	Develops Emotional Intelligence	3.39	0.69	High
7	Conflict Resolution Skills	3.38	0.68	High
8	Enhances Assertiveness	3.37	0.66	High

Above table shows that there is a high impact of communication skills on building high rapport and trust and lowest impact on the item enhances assertiveness.

Table 8:- Mean and Standard Deviation of the Impact of the course on “Academic Success” and “Career Building”

Rank	Dimensions of Academic Success and Career Building”	Mean	Standard Deviation	Degree
3	Better Understanding Of Information	3.75	0.51	High
4	Retention of Information and Knowledge	3.74	0.51	High
5	Effective Collaboration with Peers and Professors	3.70	0.55	High
2	Enhances Public Speaking	3.77	0.50	High
6	Fosters Positive Team Environment	3.73	0.52	High
1	Competencies in academics, presentations, debates and other activities	3.76	0.53	High

Above table is showing high impact on the item better understanding of information and lowest impact on the dimension fosters positive team environment.

Students’ Variables and Communication Skills:

The Second objective is to identify the usefulness of the subject among the students. To analyse this objective the mean, standard deviation and standard error are calculated to analyse the impact of communication skills on personality growth, social skills and academic success.

Table 9:- Usefulness of the Course in relation to “Personality Growth”

Dimension	Usefulness of the Course	Levels	Mean	St.Dev.	Adj. Mean	Std. Error	95% C.I L.B	95% C.I U.B
Impact of the course on Personality Growth	Usefulness of the Course	Little	3.33	0.60	3.34	0.09	3.21	3.50
		Great	3.45	0.41	3.43	0.04	3.37	3.51
		Very Great	3.66	0.43	3.64	0.04	3.58	3.71

Table 10 :- Usefulness of the Course with respect to “Impact on Social Skills”

Dimension	Usefulness of the Course	Levels	Mean	St.Dev.	Adj. Mean	Std. Error	95% C.I L.B	95% C.I U.B
Impact of the course on Social Skills	Usefulness of the Course	Little	3.31	0.54	3.41	0.05	3.34	3.51
		Great	3.39	0.38	3.29	0.07	3.13	3.46
		Very Great	3.55	0.44	3.38	0.05	3.33	3.48

Table 11 :- Usefulness of the Course with respect to “Impact on Academic Success and Career Buiding”

Dimension	Usefulness of the Course	Levels	Mean	St.Dev.	Adj. Mean	Std. Error	95% C.I L.B	95% C.I U.B
Impact of the course on Academic Success and Career Building	Usefulness of the Course	Little	3.32	0.39	3.24	0.07	3.07	3.38
		Great	3.47	0.41	3.35	0.03	3.24	3.42
		Very Great	3.72	0.46	3.51	0.03	3.43	3.59

Table 12 :- Overall Usefulness of the Course

Dimension	Usefulness of the Course	Levels	Mean	St.Dev.	Adj. Mean	Std. Error	95% C.I L.B	95% C.I U.B
Total	Overall Usefulness of the Course	Little	3.29	0.52	3.22	0.05	3.14	3.36
		Great	3.36	0.37	3.33	0.02	3.28	3.41
		Very Great	3.57	0.41	3.52	0.01	3.49	3.62

Table 13: Seven-Way Mixed ANOVA in the Mean Scores between and within Groups

Tests of Effects	Source of Variance	Sum of Squares df	Mean Square	F	Sig.
*Within-the Subjects* [Mauchly's W(0.95); Approx. χ2(30.07); df(5); Sig(0.00); ε(Greenhouse-Geisser)(0.97)]
Dimensions	2.79	2.91	0.97	13.63	0.00
Dimensions× Nature of Course	0.71	5.81	0.12	1.72	0.13
Dimensions× Usefulness of the course	0.79	5.81	0.13	1.93	0.06
Error(Dimensions)	108.10	1554.19	0.06
Total	112.51	1581.14	0.06

Table 12 shows that there are significant differences among the mean scores regarding the impact of the communication skills course on their presentation skills, social skills and academic growth. To make sure that the differences are real, the researchers run a 7-way mixed ANOVA to explore the impact of the course on presentation skills, social skills and academic success. Table 11 shows the 7-way mixed ANOVA.

Table 13 shows that there are significant differences
(at α= 0.05) in the mean scores which are based on the communication skills domains, as the impact of the course on the students comes on multi levels

FINDINGS OF THE STUDY:

The study has found high corelation of communication skills on the personality traits, social skills development, and academic success of students under Kurukshetra University, Kurukshetra. It has become a prerequisite for being hired by recruiters. I have found that strong communication skills are required in professional world, social life and in all spheres.

1. The study has found that there is a high impact of studying the subject communication skills on students as it improves their overall personality trait and enhances their ability to express knowledge clearly with appropriate linguistic skills.

2. Students with strong communication skills are capable to participate in various academic and cultural activities like group discussions, debates, mock interviews and extempore etc. Students are showing academic excellence.

3. Effective communication skills undoubtedly highly valued by students to boost their self-confidence, self- esteem and other personality traits.

4. The study has investigated that communication skills are highly demanded for personal development, social skills development, professional life and academic excellence.

5. Demonstrating active listening by students, appropriate selection of words and respectful dialogues are the examples for creating positive and healthy environment for students.

6. A person with good communication skills fosters positive team building environment, helps in effective collaboration with peers and professors.

7. My study has found that there is a deep impact of studying communication skills on public speaking skills, decision making skills and in better understanding of information.

8. It is also now cleared that communication skills are helpful in building relation with others, enhances empathy and sustains meaningful conversation with others.

REFERENCES:

1. Devito, J. A. (2019). The Interpersonal Communication Book (14th ed.). Pearson. A foundational text on interpersonal communication, covering self-concept, verbal/non-verbal cues, and relationship-building.

2. Hybels, S., and Weaver, R. (2014). Communicating Effectively (11th ed.). McGraw-Hill Education. This book addresses communication theory and its real-world application in academic and professional contexts.

3. Goleman, D. (1995). Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ. Bantam Books. Discusses the role of emotional and social skills (often developed through communication training) in success.

4. Rao, M. S. (2010). Soft Skills – Enhancing Employability: Connecting Campus with Corporate. I.K. International Publishing House. Focuses on the role of communication and soft skills in personal growth and academic transition.

5. McCornack, S. (2016). Reflect and Relate: An Introduction to Interpersonal Communication (4th ed.). Bedford/St. Martin's.

6. Introduces students to essential communication skills that promote academic engagement and self-expression.

7. Andrews, J., and Higson, H. Graduate Employability, ‘Soft Skills’ Versus ‘Hard’ Business Knowledge: A European Study. Higher Education in Europe. 2008; 33(4): 411–422. https://doi.org/10.1080/03797720802522627. Explores how communication and other soft skills influence job readiness in graduates.

8. Robles, M. M. Executive Perceptions of the Top 10 Soft Skills Needed in Today’s Workplace. Business Communication Quarterly. 2012; 75(4): 453–465. https://doi.org/10.1177/1080569912460400. Identifies communication as one of the top soft skills employers seek in job-ready graduates.

9. Sampath, S. K., and Sudhakar, S. A Study on the Importance of Soft Skills in Students and the Employers Perspective. International Journal of Applied Engineering Research, 2015; 10(5): 12055–12060. Focuses on the need for communication skills and personality traits for career success.

10. Jain, R., and Jain, S. Impact of Communication Skills on Personality Development of Management Students.
International Journal of Research in Management and Business Studies. 2015; 2(3): 12–15. Examines the correlation between communication training and personality traits.

11. Floyd, K. Interpersonal Communication and Academic Achievement: A Study of College Students. Communication Education. 2011; 60(1): 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1080/03634523.2010.491122. Highlights how interpersonal communication contributes to academic engagement and success.

12. Yalcin, N., and Gungor, D. The Impact of Communication Skills on Students’ Academic Achievement. International Journal of Education and Literacy Studies. 2020; 8(1): 66–73. https://doi.org/10.7575/aiac.ijels.v.8n.1p.66. Focuses on communication in classroom settings and its measurable impact on students' academic outcomes.

13. Krauss, R. M., and Fussell, S. R. Social Psychological Models of Interpersonal Communication. Theoretical Issues in Psychology. 1996; 5(1): 30–39. Theoretical foundation for how communication influences individual behavior and personality.

14. Mahmood, S. T., and Iqbal, J. Role of Communication Skills in Academic Success: A Study of University Students in Pakistan. Journal of Education and Educational Development. 2018; 5(1): 123–138. https://doi.org/10.22555/joeed.v5i1.1987. Provides empirical data on how communication skills impact academic performance.

15. Clokie, T. L., and Fourie, E. Graduate Employability and Communication Competence: Are Undergraduates Taught Relevant Skills? Business and Professional Communication Quarterly. 2016; 79(4): 442–463. https://doi.org/10.1177/2329490616657635

16. National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE). (2022). Job Outlook 2022. https://www.naceweb.org/store/2021/job-outlook-2022/. Industry insights on what communication skills employers value most.

17. World Bank. (2019). World Development Report: The Changing Nature of Work. https://www.worldbank.org/en/publication/wdr2019. Highlights the role of non-cognitive skills (like communication) in education and personal development.

18. World Economic Forum. (2020). The Future of Jobs Report 2020. https://www.weforum.org/reports/the-future-of-jobs-report-2020. Highlights communication and interpersonal skills as key future job competencies.

19. Harappa Education. (2021). Why Are Communication Skills Important for Students? https://harappa.education/harappa-diaries/importance-of-communication-skills-for-students/. Explains the practical role of communication skills in academic performance, presentations, and group work.

Received on 24.05.2025 Revised on 19.07.2025

Accepted on 26.08.2025 Published on 07.11.2025

Available online from November 17, 2025

Asian Journal of Management. 2025;16(4):279-284.

DOI: 10.52711/2321-5763.2025.00041

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Creative Commons License.