Jaipuria Institute of Management knows the importance of crossing the threshold between the academic world and the business world. Jaipuria fosters the belief that its students’ vision must be expanded beyond the cloistered setting of a classroom and should be immersed in the real-world issues which they will encounter when they move into their chosen professions.

This combination of academic instruction and business interface is what sets Jaipuria Institute of Management distinctly apart from other B-schools. It is something the institute prides itself on. This was on full display December 4, 2013 when Jaipuria Lucknow hosted an interactive session with Mr. Mohit Kumar, Vice President of Human Resources at Idea Cellular (U.P. EAST).

Speaking on the importance of effective communication in the business world, Mr. Kumar began his session by talking about the various forms of communication, including of non-verbal communication and its importance in helping to add value to effective interactions. He also talked about how body language and gestures also aid in building an effective communication foundation. Mr. Kumar’s emphasis on non-verbal communication keys and strategies helped the attendees to realise the importance of not only what they were saying, but also what they were doing.

Although Mr. Kumar spent the majority of his talk focusing on his topic of communication in the business world, he also imparted personal lessons from his own life as the vice-president of a leading telecom unit of India. This included the fact that he spends one day a week focused on his hobbies; he gave the students other such nuggets of advice for living a fulfilling life. In closing, Mr. Kumar offered this bit of sound guidance: “The first step to communicating effectively is to take a deep breath.”

Mr. Kumar’s session was unanimously praised by those who attended. As Anvesh, a first-year student, stated, “I now understand the expectations of the corporate world in the field of communication. Working on it as a skill will now become easier.” This was a sentiment echoed by Harshal, also a first-year student: “I never knew that non-verbal communication could play such an integral role in effective communication. After this session, I feel that being my normal self can contribute to me being an effective communicator.”

As the Jaipuria Institute of Management, Lucknow continues to strive to bring the best information available to its students within its classrooms, guest speakers like Mr. Kumar provide students with a glimpse of what the business world is really like beyond the confines of the institute. This beneficial marriage of both theory and experience will allow students to have a fully developed education that will enable them to succeed in the global marketplace.

Sanchit Kacker
PGDM 2013-2015