I thought I would share this BLR article with you. What are you doing to ensure effective communication is taking place at your organization?
Communication tops the list of skills training provided to individual contributors, according to a survey of executives and managers from more than 700 organizations by AMA Enterprise, a division of American Management Association. AMA Enterprise provides organizations with assessment, measurement and tailored training solutions.
The survey probed development programs for individual contributors, workers who may have no direct reports, or formal leadership position. Those whose expertise is important for an enterprise’s success.

Among organizations that offer development to individual contributors, two-thirds provide communication training, more than any other content type. Next are skills or competencies specific to an individual’s role, such as information technology.
One question asked was, “If your organization makes an effort to develop individual contributors, which of the following kinds of content are included in such programs? The results below show that communication development tops the list.
Communication |
65% |
Skills/competencies specific to individual’s role |
60% |
Leadership development |
53% |
Project management |
49% |
Interpersonal skills |
48% |
Collaboration |
43% |
Decision making |
40% |
Critical thinking |
38% |
Cultural sensitivity/diversity |
32% |
Creativity/innovative thinking |
32% |
Ethics |
30% |
Business/financial acumen |
30% |
Emotional intelligence |
25% |
Global perspective |
14% |
Other |
6% |
“Being able to write and speak, as well as, understand others is so central to the functioning of the organization that it can’t be taken for granted, even for individual contributors who don’t operate as part of a team,” said Sam Davis, vice president of AMA Enterprise.
Developing interpersonal and communication skills ensures mutual clarity and understanding when dealing with others, advised Davis. “Such training and development will help to maximize all business interactions and aid the achievement of critical goals.”
For more information on this survey, view the AMA Enterprise press release.
Relevant Movement is a division of www.assethr.com.