Are you a good communicator? Or do you get the goose bumps when facing the audience? Or you have had the gift of the gab right in school and college but were stumped for words at the workplace where you were aced by much more facile communicators, who made you feel inferior
and insecure.

Well, in short, the one way to really assess how good and how best you can better yourself to beat the best in the field, is to take up the Trinity College London examinations in Communication Skills. And don’t worry, you needn’t fly all the way to London to do so and learn the ropes. The same can be taken at Bangalore itself.

Aspiring individuals Offering the facility for aspiring individuals, professionals and young adults, who have had excellent scholastic attainments and aspire to be good communicators in theatre and communication skills, is Jagriti Theatre, promoted by Bangalore-based Jagriti, Centre for Performing Arts, situated at Whitefield. Jagriti offers assessment in Speech Communication Arts, Acting & Speaking, Musical Theatre, Performance & Communication Skills.

Jagriti Theatre is the Bangalore  representative for Trinity College, London, Drama & Speech. According to Jagriti Director (Development) Jagdish Raja, practical examinations in these subjects are graded 1 to 8 with Grades 1 to 3 equal to Level 1, Grades 4 and 5 equal to Level 2 and Grades 6 to 8 equal to an A Level in the National Qualification Framework and GCSE examinations.

Trinity is recognised in England by Qualifications & Curriculum Authority (QCA) and Grades 6 to 8 is used as performance indicators for schools and is awarded Tariff Points by the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS).

Performance Certificates, says Raja, offer an alternative system of assessment at a level equivalent to Grades 3 (Foundation), 5 (Intermediate) and 8 (Advanced).

Written and Practical Diplomas in Drama & Speech Subjects are offered at Associate level (ATCL, comparable to first year of degree), Licentiate (LTCL, comparable to an honours degree), and Fellowship (FTCL, comparable to a Masters degree).

Children up to the age of seven, he points out are offered Young Performers  Certificates (Bronze, Silver and Gold) designed to develop confidence, group interaction skills and a sense of achievement in children up to the age of seven.

Examinations in Communication Skills are designed to allow candidates to develop and refine expertise in different registers of communication through spoken English.
Examinations for individuals assess a candidate’s ability to engage with analytical and critical concepts to persuade, to negotiate, to summarise and to communicate information, ideas and opinions in a variety of contexts.

Besides, they additionally offer candidates opportunities to develop skills in ground discussion, interaction and teamwork. Likewise, the Professional Certificate in Communication Skills provides a framework relevant to all professional situations in which the need for clear and effective spoken communication in a variety of contexts.

The examination comprises of Presentation Skills, Speaking in Public, Problem Solving & Conflict Resolution Skills, Summary & Feedback Skills and discussion. While the length of the time one has to undergo the assessment,currently conducted by a faculty of six reputed teachers and communication experts, there are no set eligibility criteria to take up the assessment course.
The fee varies from the basic Rs 2,500 to the professional for which it is Rs 6,000. Certificates will be awarded by the Trinity College London which is recognised across the globe. For further details and copies of the syllabi, contact the Bangalore Centre 1164, Trinity College Drama & Speech, Jagriti, in Bangalore. (trincoll@jagritithetare.com).