Department of Communication Studies
Baruch College/CUNY
New York, USA, 2006 - 44p.Of all the skills employers desire in employees, oral communication skills rank highest.
Survey after survey reports that oral communication skills are considered even more important than writing and math skills, as well as a number of other job-related qualities, such as initiative, technical competence, and organizational abilities (Adler & Towne, 1996; Hagge-Greenberg, 1979; Waner, 1995).
Oral communication encompasses a variety of genres: conversations, interviews, discussions, debates, and negotiations, to name just a few. Many of these speech events take place in fairly nonthreatening settings, with interactions occurring either between two people or within small groups. While feelings of communication anxiety do occur in these settings, they are usually infrequent and of minor proportions. Public speaking is a different matter: Here the speaker shares his or her views with a larger audience and often experiences apprehension and nervousness before and during the presentation.
