Business Communications skills are essential for success in the modern business environment.

Introduction.

“When a relationship is working, the act of communicating seems to flow relatively effortlessly. When a relationship is deteriorating, the act of communicating can be as frustrating as climbing a hill of sand."

- Chip Rose, attorney and mediator.

“Good communication skills are imperative for outstanding performance and career management”(Abacusbusinesscoaching.com, 2014). Effective communications skills are the key to a modern business executive’s success. Many of these skills are timeless such as leadership, strategic thinking, driving results, relationship building, clearly communicating direction and motivating others. Business executives have to possess these skills; however, they also need to update the required skills and competencies of the future. Executives,who improve and expand their existing skills to include global experience, will be “better suited to conquer new business challenges”(Talentmgt.com, 2014).

Companies which invest in the development of their executives are in a much better position to turn drivers and challenges of change into business opportunities for innovation and growth. By adopting opportunities to develop world experiences and “emphasize a balance between people and business skills”, organizations can significantly improve their own competitive positions.

According to Katz R. (2009), the modern business executives have to possess the next skills and capabilities:

ü  presentation skills;

ü  negotiation skills;

ü  influencing skills;

ü  compromise;

ü  cooperation;

ü  writing skills and report writing;

ü  listening skills.

However, Bennett J. (1971) in his article “The Communication Needs of Business Executives” discussed several others skills: 

ü  strategic thinking;

ü  business skills;

ü  people skills such as stress control,conflict and problem solving.

In his work Bennett also insisted that executives who are “best-equipped to handle the new business imperatives do not only possess the skills and competencies that traditionally have been required” but also have ample strategic thinking skills, global experiences, exceptional communication and interpersonal skills and the ability to manage remote teams(Bennett, 1971).

Business executives’ communications skills.

Strategic thinking has acquired a broader definition. To understand clients, business executives are expected to lead, think and operate from a global perspective.

Mark Karel, president of Philips Medical Systems, said leaders of the future have to be able to integrate different functional areas of their companies into solutions that add more value for their customers (Skills, 2014). Thus, executives have to spend more time with customers in an effort to understand their social, demographic elements, cultures and to build an “awareness of both the competitive and political landscapes” (Skills, 2014). Executives who are able to improve their strategic thinking skills will get a competitive advantage for their businesses. The Institute of Executive Development and RHR Internationalconfirmed from its survey thatstrategic thinking “will continue to be at the top of the list of required skills” for future executives (Warren, 2014).

Many companies are establishing global competency models to adapt to this changing business environment, which require executives to obtain international experience in addition to their traditional business skills. Moreover, they want their executives to have a mix of skills, competencies and experiences. For example, Philips Medical Systems managers in order to be promoted to senior managers must have experience in two different countries and work in two different product divisions (Warren, 2014).

Another great advantage for executives is to balance between business skills and people skills. Before, executives mainly paid attention to the “business” skill set. Taking into account significant growth in numbers of teams operating remotely, the challenge to managethese teams effectively across borders has emphasised excellent communication and interpersonal skills at the executive level. For example, Ernst & Young has a “people-first environment,” which starts at the executive level and infiltrates the whole organization. The attitude has become “an expectation in the company’s culture” (Helpguide.org, 2014). This attitude made people feel more valued, hence an increase in retention.

Innovation is yet another “timeless skill that will continue to be a top priority” (Leadership-development-tips.com, 2014). To stay for business competitive, it is important for executives to focus on product development, speeding up research and getting products to market in short terms. They have to be innovative and entrepreneurial, despite a size of their organization.

Presenting information effectively and clearly is a key skill to get one’s message or idea across. And today successful presentation skills are required in almost every field and business executive have to feel persuasive and confident while presenting; utilise a systematic approach to preparing presentations; develop and improve techniques to overcome obstacles in delivering successful presentations.

Successful negotiation skills include everything from pre-negotiation planning to the use of seemingly unimportant details like seating, meeting and arrangements site selection one can influence the results of negotiations. These skills help to communicate more effectively with partners, rivals, stakeholders and employees at all levels of the organisation. However that requires a complex mix of skills and abilities to adapt to different personality types. In order to consistently achieve successful results, it is vital to have “an in-depth understanding of the processes of communication and negotiation” (Bennett and Olney, 1986).

The next important skill is assertiveness. It is a way of behaving and thinking that helps an individual to advocate persons rights while respecting the rights of others. Assertiveness means expressing opinions, while it can “lead to confrontation and takes courage” (Stotesbury, 2009). Some people find it hard to be assertive because of their natural easy-going temper and hence require some practice. Executives have to know how their behaviour style influences their overall performance as a manager.

The final skill concerns stress control. Everyone experiences conflicts at some points of lives. Although, conflicts could result in loss of time, resources, and efficiency in any business team, when managed well, conflict can lead to new ideas, more efficient decision-making and better performance. This skill helps executive to handle modern issues such as team dysfunction, mediation between difficult employees, coping and working through difficult situations. Several key surveys have motivated organisations to search for ways to “give their members a greater sense of control, reduce stress, and improve productivity and morale” (Leadership-development-tips.com, 2014).

Conclusion.

Communication is very important in an organization as it connects members within a specific department as well as links them to members from other departments, from other offices and from all over the world. Moreover, successful executive’s communication can make the difference between success and failure for a company.

Successful communication helps to provide the efficient operation at all levels of a business, from lowest to highest, while a poor communication often leads to inefficiency. And it is well known that “inefficiency equals a loss of productivity” and as a result loss of profits (Katz, 2009).

Increased efficiency is not the only result of successful communication, but it also establishes a sense of unity among members, leading to their feeling of self-appreciation, working together toward a common goal as the success of the organization.

The main conclusion that may be drawn from this research of communication skills necessary for business executives is that they are more vital than ever before for business success and that they will continue to be a crucial component of the business communication.