Communication Skills

Communication skills consist of the ability to understand ideas and express them clearly and persuasively in written, oral, and multimedia formats. It is essential for a student to master these skills by the time he or she graduates from a 2-year or 4-year college program. Make it a high priority to get an education that will enable you to express your ideas clearly and precisely, and logically in both oral and written forms.

Here is a checklist of communication skills you must master:

1. Read and write in your native language - Can you understand and use correct grammar and spelling and sophisticated vocabulary?
2. Express an idea in writing with logic and precision - Are students receiving written assignments that are substantial and frequent, requiring well-structured essays? Are professors giving students prompt and in-depth feedback for written work?
3. Synthesize: put different ideas together to solve a problem or to persuade others - Can you gather qualitative information and quantitative data from a variety of sources, integrate them, and present them in an oral presentation or in written form?
4. Deliver an oral report that allows people to understand what you are saying (pronounce words clearly and correctly) and why you are saying it (elements are well-thought through and presented in a logical sequence) - Are students enrolled in at least one course each term that requires regular oral participation and presentation?
5. Use electronic media tools for formal communication - Can you properly and effectively compose e-mails (for example, "are you," not "RU") and participate clearly and effectively in conference calls (practice precise articulation of ideas) and persuade others in oral discussions with colleagues you may never meet in person?