How important is business communication skills for company executives?
Nageshwant Roy Vaid: Business communication skills are exceedingly important for company executives as conduct of business in a professional environment requires a rapid inflow and outflow of communication. In an industrial context professional communication clarifies as also conveys information. Qualitative ability to disseminate information as also interact with designated target audience are essential to both business strategy and market performance.

What is more important written or verbal communication skills for a business executive?
Nageshwant Roy Vaid: Both...A lot of professionals in the market can speak but do not have an ability to logically pen down thoughts. We also have a fair percentage of executives who can write but are incapable of verbal articulation. We need professionals in the market who can write and speak as this ability makes you join an exclusive club which beckons quality performers. Ascendancy in communication has dual connotations and implies complete control of verbal and written communication format.

Do you think communication skills can make a good impression upon the client one goes to meet?
Nageshwant Roy Vaid: Communication skills are market force multipliers. They are also a personal weaponisation programme which entails professional supremacy, an ability to sell to a client and lead to imposition of executive persona. Clients like rational opinion,professional competence and high confidence levels of executives. To convert prospects to buyers/ customers one must learn to sell to the mind of the customer before he makes a buying decision. Customer enhancement ladder as also relationship marketing are possible if the executive can communicate persuasively and logically. Sales are directly proportional to an ability to convince a designated target audience to buy.

Do you agree that executives with communication skills generate better sales?
Nageshwant Roy Vaid: Yes...Customers will get swayed if the executive sells with logic, has substance in his sales pitch and can handle a business negotiations. He must arouse customer interest, hold customer attention, satisfactorily answer market queries and learn to clinch deals. At the end of the day executives are and will be separated by performance parameters.

It is seen that SMEs in India are unaware of the advantages of communication skills in enhancing sales. Do you agree? What is your advice to these enterprises?
Nageshwant Roy Vaid: SME's must understand that the biggest calling card they have and must have is an ability to proactively sway market opinion for their range of products. Business development across the spectrum requires a qualitative communication edge. Communication skills have a defined template and it does not accept mediocre talent.

Sales are a proactive exercise and involve creating a mindset change in a defined target audience. This requires having seasoned individuals in companies who can sell the product, convey company ethos as also outline value accretions of the company to people who will one day not remain just buyers but graduate to become company loyalists.

One of the most important consumer satisfaction elements is the ability to ask questions and being able to receive appropriately answers from company executives. What is your view on this statement?
Nageshwant Roy Vaid: A company executive must have well honed skills to answer customer queries. A company executive will do well to remember that that he must have a professional ability to turn market prospects to customers who do not remain one time buyers.

Sales is an exercise of both negotiation skills and a ability to close the deal. The art of  selling must be inculcated in executives. Market turnovers depend upon clinching deals and NOT losing margins and profits to unprofessional selling. Customers are business lifelines and their concerns are vital and must be addressed to their entire satisfaction. Sales executives must remember that it is always the customer who will make a buying decision. They must be instrumental in making up the customer's mind by giving him complete transparency in their sales effort to sell to him.

How do you see the importance of body language in business communications?
Nageshwant Roy Vaid: Confidence levels of sales personnel must be infectious. Body language advantage is a good signal and must be inherent in every corporate executive. Timidity of approach is defeatist and sends a wrong signal to a customer who the market spoils by giving him multifarious buying options. HR departments of concerned SME's must address this issue by training  in form of modules and mock exercises. Concerned HOD's must monitor on a regular basis both the ability of their market executives to be proactive as also check on personnel who fail in the market because they lack credibility due to poor acceptability quotient.

How do you rate the role of various business institutes in helping to develop better business communication skills?
Nageshwant Roy Vaid: Business institutes are helpful but their task is complicated as student intake generally does not have commensurate IQ levels. They must prepare the student lobby for the labour market and make them employable. Professional certification irrespective of domain without a ability to speak and write does not stand to logic. Market certifications must generate market results. Academic excellence must yield utilitarian value and the institutes must train for the market.

To learn business communication skills from an institute is quite expensive, which SMEs can't afford. In that way what is your suggestion to them?
Nageshwant Roy Vaid: SMEs can hire market professionals and train personnel in situation which entails regular modules within the company premises. Periodicity must be defined and while performers must be rewarded non performers must be told to get their act together.It is important to understand that prolonged non-availability of a executive earmarked to attend business communication classes may not be a practical option but structured in-house training has market dividends and must be exploited to the fullest. Assessment must be periodic and sustained for results to manifest themselves.

What are the flaws and shortcomings that you notice in today's businessmen and executives?
Nageshwant Roy Vaid: I will like to emphatically state that lack of awareness of topical inputs of both the macro and micro canvas of business is one of the factors.Their is lack of quality professional reading. A lot of executives once confirmed for jobs with comfort levels defined generally do not keep abreast of latest professional developments.We need market movers and not people who are satisfied by a defined competence level and have no inclination to improve.

Topicality of information and its dissemination is a characteristic of a good market professional. Business sees a lot of policy changes and you lose both markets and credibility if you do not move with achievers.

What the government can do for SMEs in this context? Your suggestion.
Nageshwant Roy Vaid: In my considered opinion the government can play a crucial role both at the level of the state governments and the central government. Industry has become more regulated and organised in India. Special economic zones, EHTP's (Electronic hardware technology parks), STPI's (Software technology parks of India), BTP's (Bio technology parks), other industrial clusters now have a density of not only major industrial units but also have a good mix of both small and medium size industrial units.

Policy makers develop, monitor and promote industry at all levels. This includes nurturing industry at domestic level as also creating industry to serve world markets. It is imperative to provide structured modules to train the SME's both for the domestic markets as also provide tutelage for international business.

Professional documentation expertise is also a viable communication tool and must be taught. The government must monitor competence levels which it does both for quality certification of SME's as also provide the necessary motivation for industry to excel within the country as also encourage industry at large to go beyond the geographical confines of the country and create viable and profitable continental markets.

What tips would you give to the managers of the 21st century on communication skills?
Nageshwant Roy Vaid: Quality managerial talent must have an ability to speak, write, listen, resolve a situational impasse when required and learn to lead. To learn to lead the market they must also learn to follow. They must read professional literature specific to their domains, have knowledge plus and diametrically improve presentation and interaction skills.

The managers must work on holding a audience captive by their verbal articulation ascendancy. They must be surgically accurate in their drafting ability. They must do aim specific writing, understand the reader, learn the art of structural drafting and be professionals in edition and revision of their own text.

Excellence in writing and speaking are achievable milestones and we cannot ignore both the aspects. Markets require outstanding communication expertise to create markets, nurture markets and above all address the macro template of business enhancement. We must understand that employers hire and retain people they like.

A brief profile of Lt. Col (Retd) Nageshwant Roy Vaid:

He was commissioned in the Indian Army on 16 December, 1978. He has impeccable and outstanding professional credentials. A graduate of Defence Services Staff College, Wellington he was also on military deputation to United Nation Peacekeeping Force in IRAQ - KUWAIT as Military Observer  post Gulf War 1(1992-1993).

He executed instructional and staff tenures during his army service with great distinction. His innings in the corporate world has been professional and has given him a major insight to conduct, create and orchestrate international business at macro level.He worked for around two years with a Toyota dealership and was in-charge of service operations.

He subsequently joined a private limited company as General Manager (International Marketing) w.e.f November 2002. He is currently  involved with the same group as Consultant, Business development (International Marketing).

He is currently working with elitist management colleges and premier companies. He is a sought after guest speaker, professional trainer, prolific writer and has outstanding professional achievements to his credit. Currently he conducts training for professional managers in the field both for professional writing skills as also trains managers in international business.