Impact on Communication and Business

HRMN302 7981 Organizational Communication

Position Paper

Best practices in workplace communication:  What is the most important skill of effective communicators?

Although technology has made communication faster and more global than ever before, there is still nothing more important than the ability to listen, speak, and write with confidence and ease.  It is vital that organizations emphasize the usage of effective communication between its internal and external partners in order to maintain its competitive advantage in the market.  As our nation has shifted its economy to an information-based environment from industrial based, effective listening has become an essential skill for workers.  The Bureau of Labor and Statistics estimated that almost 80% of all workforces would be employed in a service-oriented industry (Berman, 2005).   The attributes of a great communicator is not restricted solely to their abilities to deliver messages to receivers; rather it also involves communicators being able to receive feedback constructively as well.  Communicators are considered both the sender and receivers of information during the process of communication as there are many levels of verbal and non-verbal communication occurring.  More attention is usually given towards making people better speakers or writers rather than making them better listeners and readers. There have been many debates as to which component of communication is the most important.  Communication is described as a process that involves the exchanging of ideas though understanding and shared meaning (Pearson & Nelson, 2000, p. 6).  The workplace is a great environment which shows the importance of communication to which listening is integral in the communication process of any organization.  In fact, the most direct way to improving communication is by learning how to listen more effectively.  The skill of listening helps the receiver to understand not only the message of the sender, but also how the sender was feeling when delivering the message. According to Ramsey and Sohi, of all of the skills needed to be a great communicator, listening is understood the least, despite the fact that it is utilized the most (Ramsey & Sohi, 1997).  This paper will show the intricacies of listening as it relates to communication in the workplace and its immediate impact on a company.