Today, communication skills (particularly oral) are identified as among the top skills (if not the top) demanded by the job market. This means that, on top of the technical competencies required by specific positions, employers are also looking for people who can communicate well.
A popular activity in management and leadership training is to have participants build something using an assortment of part (e.g. a train or a ship model using Lego bricks) with only one point person given the instructions and allowed to talk. While this drills participants in giving and following instructions, the activity is anchored on the handicap of members not having clear channels of communication.
This is why many progressive organizations are vigilant with regard to how well people communicate within. Some invest heavily on improving communication channels including setting up PABX systems, message boards, and even online technologies such as wikis, forums, and messaging clients to encourage communication and collaboration. Employees, especially managers, are trained to be effective communicators with importance given to not only to giving instructions but also to listening as well.
Success of organizations rely mostly on how well the people involved in the organization go about doing their functions. In a collaborative environment such as the workplace, it is impossible to accomplish goals if members do not communicate.
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