Communication Skills for Business Professionals

Learning objectives

After working through this chapter, as a business professional you will be able to:

Introduction

Learning to communicate is an important professional and life skill. Organisations today are looking for people with the communication skills to be able to contribute productively within the workplace and maintain effective relationships with stakeholders. This chapter provides an overview of Communication Skills for Business Professionals, including the benefits of good communications skills and employer expectations of new business graduates.

During the course of your studies, you will no doubt come across theories. Theories are not dirty words or something to be feared. They are not, despite popular thinking, hypotheses or unrelated to the ‘real world’. In fact, a theory derives from a body of knowledge discovered through research and experience. Theories help explain phenomena within our world. They allow us to learn from the collective knowledge of others.

In his book Public Relations: Theories, Practices, Critiques (2012), Professor Jim Macnamara states that practitioners will regularly encounter situations that they have not personally experienced before – particularly younger practitioners. Having practical knowledge of every possible circumstance is simply not possible in today’s fast-changing world.