To be honest, in my thirty years in industry they have always been a cause of concern.
Last week's edition of BBC's The Apprentice was all the evidence we needed to accept that enough is enough and something must be done - but what?
A few years ago I was working on an IT project with some young guns in London. The head of department announced that he planned a seminar where each of his team leaders would have to present their team's activities and justify their existence.
After the spluttering and choking, I had never seen a room empty so quickly.
Most of these guys had worked for the company for some time, experienced professionals, and they should all have had the skills to comfortably overcome this hurdle.
But nobody wanted to present their case. Nobody wanted to stand up in front of their peers and sell themselves and their teams.
I had never heard so many excuses. Some were already saying that they wouldn't be available, even though a date hadn't been set. Some decided to pass the poisened chalice to subordinates or to contract staff.
There really is a serious problem in our educational development when experienced executives are unable to express themselves in public with confidence, coherence and clarity.
When the day of the seminar arrived, a number of team leaders were either ill, absent without leave or mysteriously whisked off to New York or Paris diligently pursuing their team's A-rated goals. No time for seminars.
It was a great embarassment when the departmental head called the event off at short notice and at great expense.
Last week's edition of The Apprentice demonstrated and encapsulated the problem. Simon Ambrose, a graduate of Cambridge University was given the challenge of presenting products on a daytime TV programme. The results cost the channel thousands of pounds in losses.
His presentation of quite basic products resulted in an endless flurry of OK, OK, OK,OK ? right, yes, now, alright, so, and?. And so it went on.
Even Sir Alan Sugar in a moment of irony questioned? ?How many times is his going to say OK? Get him off??
The real problem is that we often mistake academic achievement for intelligence, we often mistake intelligence for charisma, and we often expect the intelligent and charismatic to be excellent communicators.
It's not fair to single Simon out as he is just one of hunderds of thousands of young executives who cannot present a coherent message. Simon was doing his best, but I wonder about the standard of his role models. However, I was concerned that his colleague Naomi, suggested that he had taken lessons in public speaking.
There is a problem ? and in the business community, we must face up to it.
Poor communication costs the economy billions of pounds every year in terms of wasted time in meetings, briefings and more formal dissemination of verbal information. How can we expect our managers to become excellent communicators without the required training.
Speaking is a skill and like any other skill, it can easily be developed with professional assistance and supportive feedback.
At the next opportunity, please watch The Apprentice, The Dragons? Den or Channel 5's excellent ?Selling Yourself?. How many of these people enhance their credibility in their presentations?
Is there somebody in your company destroying its credibility?
Copyright (c) 2007 The College Of Public Speaking
Remember any good conversation is a two way process. It is only as good as the responses you get but you can really improve the number and types of responses you get by honing your communication skill.
Here are a few aspects of what it means to have this skill to initiate and sustain an interesting, enjoyable conversation that everyone feels better for having participated in.
1. Use language and images familiar to your listener
You should not really be surprised if you do not get much of a response if the people you are talking to do not understand you or cannot relate to what you are talking about, can you?
A conversation is not the time to show off what big words you know or how much more knowledgeable you are than the person you are talking to.
2. Watch your tone
As well as the words you use, you will no doubt be aware you can change the tone of your voice to portray a different meaning. You would not speak to your boss in the same way you would reprimand your child for stepping into the road, would you?
In any conversation, you need to make sure that your tone is right if you are not to offend the people you are talking to or make them worry about answering you.
3. Be respectful
It is a fact that we get along better with people who are like us. All that means is that we find them easier to talk to. We know they will share a lot of views that we have or at least if they do not, they will respect out views and not shout us down without allowing us to speak.
Good communication skill is about letting other people speak their mind too.
4. Stick to the point
Don't try to steal a conversation by changing the point just because you do not like it or cannot think of anything to add on the topic, that is pretty bad manners!
5. You do not need to be the center of attention
Good conversationalists are happy to share the limelight and they do not feel the urge to steer the conversation round to focus on them or if they do, they withstand the urge!
If you find yourself trying to steal the show often, slow down. Try to focus a little more closely on what is being said. That should give you some ideas of a question you may want to ask which develops the topic of the conversation or asks for clarification.
6. Know when it is appropriate to change the subject
Whether you were the one who started the conversation or not, change the subject when there appears to be nothing new to say or when others begin to fidget or act bored. That glazed eye look is always a dead give away!
7. Do not ask too much
There is a difference between a conversation and an interrogation, or there should be! Firing too many questions at people without giving any of your own information back makes people feel pressurized and uneasy, so do not do it.
8. Sound and look interested in other people
There is a world of difference between giving someone the third degree and expressing a friendly interest in what they are saying. Face the person you are talking to and use an open posture with unfolded arms, leaning forward slightly but not too close to them that it becomes unnerving.
Eye contact is also great for making people feel valued when you talk to them. Let them know you are listening by acknowledging statements with a nod, comment or a question when appropriate.
9. Open ended questions are best
People with good communication skill get other people talking. A good way to do this is by asking open ended questions which cannot just be answered with a simple "yes" or "no".
10. Have something of interest to say
Keep up with current affairs and trends and take an interest in what is going on in the world around you. That way you should always have something interesting to say and that is a pretty useful start for a conversation!
So you can see that you do not have to be born with good communication skill, there are just a few areas you need to think about and then it is just a matter of practising.
Both Vincent Stevenson & Peter Murphy are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Vincent Stevenson has sinced written about articles on various topics from Writing, Marketing and Communications and Public Speaking. How to succeed with speeches and presentations.There is no need to fear speaking in public.Know the techniques and build the skills.Speak like a professional.