The Criticality of Good Communication Skills

Without good communication skills in this increasingly complex, fast-paced, multi-tasking, and globalized business environment, it is very difficult to find, retain, and thrive in employment.

For better or for worse, fruitful business relationships are today's norm and a basic survival skill on the job. To sustain a relationship, effective communication is a building block. In globalized business meetings, effectively leveraging technology supports effective communication. Handheld devices, teleconferences, video conferences, and webinars are three common communication technologies. Yet, degree of proficiency communicating through these technologies favorably or adversely impacts a business transaction.

Moreover, it is reasonable to expect positions power and seniority will remain in all walks of life. Like a good shepherd tends to their sheep, a savvy business associate tends to their explicit and implicit communications with colleagues of power and influence. It is not wholly uncommon to realize success and failure through informal communication. Thus, our recognition as good communicators is actually a good skill to hone, to own, and to let it be known.

Furthermore, in my experience it is reasonable to expect written communication, such as sending an email message, to become public information. Emoticons, bold font, all caps, exclamation points all change the tone and interpretation of words. What does the reader remember from a memo, text message, email, report, or budget proposal? Especially with today's technological advances and financial, legal environments, retracting an email message in Outlook does not guarantee it hasn't been kept. So, for the pessimist in me, let us be good to ourselves. Let us be absolutely certain what we put to paper is truly what needs to be heard. To me, a message fully understood from the chairperson to the operator is the epitome of good communication!

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