Effective communication is “very critical” to the socio-economic development of countries such as The Bahamas and indeed the larger global population given the ongoing incidences of crime and violence in many countries, Minister of Social Services and Community Development, the Hon. Melanie S. Griffin said Monday.
“It is very clear from the state of the family and, indeed the world, that we have a failure to communicate effectively,” Mrs. Griffin said. “We just very often don’t seem to understand one another.
“Effective communication therefore is essential when one considers the magnitude of the responsibility to invest in another by willingly sowing a seed – so to speak – in a young life, or by engaging in self development, which ultimately adds to the pool of resources that we can tap into as a country.
“When we develop others, we develop ourselves; we provide better leaders for ourselves and we become better leaders ourselves.”
New Providence Branch of Toastmasters Club 3596 Executive Officers, July 25, 2016. Minister of Social Services & Community Development the Hon. Melanie Griffin is pictured fifth left. (BIS Photo/Patrick Hanna)
Addressing the Installation Ceremony of Club Officers of the New Providence Branch of Toastmasters Club 3596, Mrs. Griffin applauded Toastmasters in The Bahamas for the role they have played in helping to empower thousands of Bahamians to “become more effective communicators and leaders.”
“As the Minister of Social Services and Community Development with responsibility for families, I can tell you tonight that – next to a relationship with God – if there is ever one thing our families need is leadership.
“Everything we do stems from the family,” Mrs. Griffin continued, “from the family we build communities; establish governments; build nations; establish businesses; form churches and every enterprise we need to survive in life – and even some we don’t. So your quest to build leaders through effective communication is not just a noble one, but is critical to our existence.”
Mrs. Griffin said the group’s focus on being mentors to thousands of Bahamians over the years has also reaped untold dividends.
“It speaks to responsible leadership which mandates that we mentor others to encourage them to reach their full potential,” Mrs. Griffin said. “It speaks to reaching out to those less fortunate by providing tangible assistance during their challenges. It speaks to the necessity to engage the populace through dialogue to ensure that we remain relevant with our ideas (and) our programmes and yes, very often, to simply listen.”
The Hon. Melanie Griffin Minister of Social Services & Community Development addresses the New Providence Branch of Toastmasters Club 3596 Installation Ceremony of Executive Officers, July 25, at the Bahamas National Trust. (BIS Photo/Patrick Hanna)
Mrs. Griffin said: “There is no doubt that communication – through the art of networking – most definitely has a role to play in the further development of our country.”
She added: “Recognize this fact, embrace it and let us start to move strategically to change those areas of our community of which we often lament.”
By Matt Maura
Bahamas Information Services
