Communication skills are a crucial component of a person’s tool-kit for a successful business career. In many situations the individual will not have direct control over individuals, situations, or goals. Rather, the individual is often confronted with achieving corporate and personal objectives through others at a similar or higher level in the organization. Effective communication skills enable individuals to enhance one-to-one communication that is often an important part of organization success. Communications should be strategic in that they should be aligned with corporate goals as well as with those of the individual. While communications take on many forms in the workplace, there are three aspects of communications that can significantly enhance the individual’s ability to achieve personal and corporate objectives: 1) Personal communication skills, 2) Group communication skills, and 3) Interviewer communication skills.
There are few aspects of work communications more critical for success than personal communication skills. Personal communication skills involve a variety of communications elements, from verbal and nonverbal communication to writing skills. One of the most important elements of personal communication skills in our growingly diverse workplace is the ability to understand one’s audience. As Irmsher (1996) notes, “Seek first to understand, then to be understood...to interact effectively with anyone--employers, co-workers, Stakeholders, and even family members--you need first to understand where the person is coming from” (1).
When it comes to human nature, aside from physical survival, psychological survival is a major driving force in individuals. Psychological survival refers to understanding, validating, affirming, and appreciating others. Personal communicators can provide such enhanced communication values by being good listeners and one-to-one communicators. This involves bei...