Straight Talk: Oral Communication for Career Success

Career success comes to people who are good at giving correct information, developing strong working relationships, attracting and satisfying customers, working in teams, solving disputes, building consensus for decisions, picking other people's brains for useful insights, conveying ideas, listening, and building networks of friends and coworkers. What is the common denominator in all these activities? They all involve the functions of communication: the ability to influence through, speaking, writing, interviewing, and group interaction skills. In fact, excellent communication skills can do more to accelerate a promising career than almost any other factor.