JAIN (Deemed-to-be University), CMS Business School, in association with Laghu Udyog Bharati, Karnataka, organized the first webinar under the webinar series, Business Acumen for MSMEs. The webinar, Business, and Communication – Fun and Fundamentals, took place on August 12, 2021. The organizing committee from CMS Business School included Mr. Kambam Vedantan - Adjunct Faculty, and Dr. Madhavi R. - Associate Professor and Business Consultant.

The webinar focused on the language and communication aspect for MSMEs, particularly English. Ms. Chaya Prabhu from Laghu Udyog Bharati graced the event with her presence. Ms. Chaya is a woman entrepreneur and passionate about empowering women entrepreneurs in the MSME sector. The emcees for the event were Pranamya Pai K and Samkit Garg, MBA students from CMS Business School. Pranamya and Samkit welcomed all the people attending the webinar and invited Mr. Narayan Prasanna, General Secretary of Laghu Udhyog Bharati, Karnataka, to deliver a short address. Mr. Prasanna presented the welcome address and briefed the audience about Laghu Udyog Bharati. He introduced the keynote speaker, Dr. Madhavi R., and invited her to deliver her speech. Dr. Madhavi covered the language and communication aspect for businesses; focused mainly on English. She informed the audience that together native and non-native speakers make English the most spoken language in the world. She said that being exposed to more than one language is very common in India owing to factors like inter-state migration, mother tongue, and languages taught at school. She highlighted that it is vital to gain command over languages for effective communication. She highlighted the growing usage of English in India and its importance while quoting interesting examples from Bollywood movies like English-Vinglish and Namaste London. She then went on to identify and explain common errors in communication. She said that business communication can be enhanced by adopting best practices and constant attention in terms of vocabulary, grammar, tone, and structure. Upon being asked by a participant as to how one can improve one’s communication skills she said, “Reflect on your speech/talk soon after the session, make a checklist of common errors and solutions, and practice listening to yourself while talking to track errors on a real-time basis.”

Post Dr. Madhavi’s address, Prof. Kambam Vedantan offered a brief on B School Consulting Services. Mr. Shekar from Laghu Udyog Bharati offered a vote thanks and brought the interactive and fun session to its end. The session provided valuable insights into English, communication skills, and other languages. The webinar served as a breather for everyone and highlighted the need to take a backseat and reflect on basics when it comes to communication and languages.