the science of global readiness_defining global communication skills_2016 07

This paper proposes a standard for defining global business communication skills and evaluating their importance to professionals in an increasingly globalized work environment.

Executive SummaryThe importance of good communication skills has long been intuitively understood, but poorly defined. Until now, there has never been a formal understanding of what actually constitutes “business communication skills.” The following definition is proposed based on extensive research of the world’s largest and most comprehensive database of worker attributes and job characteristics, sponsored by the US Department of Labor:

English Language is among a comprehensive list of 33 knowledge domains that are required for success across various occupations. The 16 communication competencies are identified among a comprehensive list of 87 competencies used to describe a professional’s job-related skills, and specifically relate to on-the-job communication.

© 2016 International Learning Enterprises 1 | P a g e

16 Business Communications Competencies+ Knowledge of Business English = Business Communication Skills

Rob Abbanat is CEO of ILE, which provides live, online coaching for global communication skills. He is also the Chairman of the Talent Transformation Forum at the American Chamber of Commerce Shanghai. He can be reached at [email protected].

With English as the de facto language of international business, globalization is making business communication skills increasingly important, especially for emerging economies like China who are seeking a greater share of global markets. Analysis if the world’s most comprehensive database of worker attributes, with data furnished by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, shows conclusively that business communication is not just important, but a critical skill for most professional occupations in the modern internet economy. As the table below shows, for many important occupations, business communication skills typically comprise 50% or more of the top ten most important skills for success. In some cases, such as a Sales Representative, communication skills may comprise all of the top 10 skills required for success.

16 Communications Competencies

Similarly, analysis of the top knowledge bases required for success shows that English Language consistently ranks among the top 5 most important knowledge bases for occupational success. For example, if you are a Sales Representative for wholesale, manufacturing, technical or scientific products, knowledge of English (grammar, vocabulary, sentence structure) is the 3rd-most important knowledge domain, even above knowledge of sales and marketing!

Top Ten Competencies By Occupation


Business Communication Competencies Other Competencies English Rank, Top 10 Knowledge Domains

Oral ExpressionActive Listening

SpeakingSpeech Clarity

Oral ComprehensionSpeech Recognition

WritingWritten Expression

Written ComprehensionReading Comprehension

CoordinationInstructingNegotiationPersuasion

Service OrientationSocial Perceptiveness

Based on these results, it is reasonable to state that business communication skills, as defined above, are not just important but critical for success across a wide range of professional occupations. Given that English is the de facto global language of business communications, we can extrapolate the above definition to extend the above definition to encompass global business communication skills:


Global Business Communication Skills = 16 Business Communications Competencies+ Knowledge of Business English

IntroductionGlobalization—the economic integration and interaction of peoples from different nations around the world—is a phenomenon that has accelerated exponentially1 in recent decades, spurred on by the advent of the internet and the rise of huge developing economies such as China and India. At the heart of interaction is communication and, for a variety of historical reasons, English has emerged as the de facto global language of business communication.2

While convenient for Americans, British, Australians and other native-English speakers, this reality presents an enormous challenge, and in some cases a barrier, for peoples of non-native English-speaking countries to engage and thrive in a global business environment. Nonetheless, in many Western European countries such as Germany, France or Holland, a post-war environment that was heavily influenced by the US and UK has engendered a culture that embraces English, and people are thus capable of communicating with others using English.

But the ability to speak English is no guarantor of success. English is simply the medium. The ability to communicate well—to effectively connect with others, share ideas and influence their thoughts and behavior—is a skill whose mastery will impact one’s success and trajectory.

Despide it’s obvious importance, relatively little research is available to define and quantify the importance of communication skills. The purpose of this white paper is to offer a clear, concise and measurable definition of global communication skills based on data from the world’s largest and most comprehensive database of worker attributes and job caracteristics. With a quantifiable definition, the paper will also quantify the importance of global communication skills to professionals competing in th emodern global economy.

Defining Business Communication SkillsOur search for a definition of global communication skills led to a database of worker attributes and job characteristics that is sponsored by the US Department of Labor/Employment and Training

1 Since 1950, the volume of world trade has increased 20 times according to State University of New York’s Global Workforce Project. http://www.globalization101.org/what-is-globalization/

2 Global Business Speaks Business, Tsedal Neeley, Harvard Business Review, May 2012 (https://hbr.org/2012/05/global-business-speaks-english)


"Developing excellent communication skills is absolutely essential to effective leadership. If a leader can't get a message across clearly and motivate others to act on it, then having a message doesn't even matter."

— Gilbert AmelioPresident and CEO of National

Semiconductor Corp.

Administration (USDOL/ETA). Much of the data was supplied by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The database consists of more than 1,000 occupational titles, each defined by a standardized, measurable set of variables called descriptors. These descriptors can be grouped in two categories: Occupational Competencies and Knowledge Domains.

Worker Attributes Defining Occupational Suitability

The database employs a library of 87 unique occupational competencies, defined as abilities and skills that facilitate job-related performance, which answer the question “what can I do?”3

It also includes a library of 33 knowledge domains, defined as organized sets of principles and facts applying in general domains, which are applied on the job to facilitate job-related performance. These answer the question “what do I know?”4

Each of the database’s 1,000+ occupations can be defined as the subset of occupational competencies and knowledge domains required for success in that particular occupation. Anyone who possesses the right combination of competencies and knowledge—identified in the diagram above by the overlap of the two circles—has a high likelihood to be effective and succeed at that particular occupation.

Business Communication Competencies and English LanguageUpon examination of the 87 competencies, it is easy to identify 16 which relate specifically to communications. We refer to these as the 16 Communication Competencies.

3 For a complete list of the 87 Communication Competencies, see Appendix A.

4 For a complete list of the 33 Knowledge Bases, see Appendix B.


The 16 Communication Competencies

Oral Written Social

ActiveCompetencies

Oral Expression Writing Coordination

Active Listening Written Expression Instructing

Speaking Negotiation

Speech Clarity Persuasion

Service Orientation

PassiveCompetencies

Oral Comprehension Written Comprehension Social Perceptiveness

Speech Recognition Reading Comprehension

Note that the 16 Communication Competencies can be divided into active competencies—i.e. those that require language production—and passive competencies which require comprehension and recognition. They can also be divided into oral, written and social competencies. Oral and written competencies apply across virtually any type of interpersonal interaction. Social competencies apply to very specific types of social interactions.

Further, of the 33 knowledge domains, one is knowledge of English Language. As this pertains to a worker’s competency on the job, we may rename it as Business English.5

For the purposes of defining a worker’s job-related communication skills, we may define business communication skill in terms of the 16 business communications competencies and knowledge of English:

5 For a complete list of the 33 knowledge domains, see Appendix C.


16 Business Communications Competencies

+ Knowledge of Business English

= Business Communication Skills

The advantage of a clear definition of Business Communication Skills is that they can be measured and used to evaluate a candidate’s suitability for various occupations that rely heavily on these skills. A worker’s Business Communication Skills may be assessed by measuring his facility with each of the 16 business communication competencies, plus a test of his business English skills.

Measuring the Importance ofBusiness Communication SkillsThe database contains an analysis of more than 1,000 occupations, each of which is described by the worker attributes that are required for success. For each occupation, data is collected from thousands of surveys and interviews to create a holistic picture of which competencies and knowledge a worker needs in order to succeed at that particular job.

For each occupation, occupational competencies and knowledge domains are weighted and ranked in order of importance. The model allows occupational descriptors to be applied across jobs, sectors, or industries (cross-occupational descriptors) and within occupations (occupational-specific descriptors). In this respect, an analysis of a particular workers competencies and knowledge would serve as a predictor of that person’s likelihood to succeed at any particular job.

Using the above definition, it is possible to analyze the database to determine the relevant importance of Business Communication Skills for any given occupation. Given the breadth of occupations available, we chose jobs and functional roles that are particularly relevant to China’s rapidly globalizing economy. In particular, we looked at occupations that may require Chinese professionals to interact in a global business environment: i.e. where their job may require them to communicate using business English, such as supply chain, sales, IT, customer service and other outward-facing roles.

We first looked at the top 20 occupational competencies required for various occupations. For example we analyzed the competencies required for success as a Purchasing Manager, which included job titles such as Director of Purchasing, Procurement Manager, Purchasing Manager and Purchasing Director. The table below lists the top 20 competencies required for success as a Purchasing Manager, in order of importance according to the weighting applied by the database.

Project Manager: Top 20 Competencies

1 Oral Comprehension 2 Coordination3 Oral Expression 4 Active Listening5 Speech Clarity 6 Critical Thinking7 Speech Recognition 8 Speaking9 Written Expression 10 Management of Personnel Resources11 Deductive Reasoning 12 Negotiation


13 Fluency of Ideas 14 Persuasion15 Written Comprehension 16 Social Perceptiveness17 Problem Sensitivity 18 Time Management19 Information Ordering 20 Judgment and Decision Making

Notice that 12 of the top 20 competencies (highlighted in blue) required for success are business communication competencies. Even more compelling is the fact that 8 of the top 10 competencies required for success are business communication competencies.

Further, when analyzing knowledge domains, we found that business English is the 2nd most important knowledge domain for Purchasing Managers, even ahead of knowledge of production and processing!

Purchasing Manager:Top Knowledge Domains

1 Administration and Management2 English Language3 Production and Processing4 Law and Government5 Mathematics6 Customer and Personal Service7 Transportation8 Economics and Accounting9 Personnel and Human Resources

Noting the overwhelming presence of business communications skills among the top skills required for success as a Purchasing Manager, we conclude that business communication skills aren’t just important, they are critical for success. Put another way, any individual with poor business communication skills has a very low probability to succeed as a Purchasing Manager.

Upon reflection, the importance of business communication skills for a Purchasing Manager isn’t a total surprise. After all, much of what a Purchasing Manage does is communicate: with internal customers, with suppliers, with team mates and occasionally with competitors. Hence it is reasonable that there should be a very strong correlation between a Purchasing Manager’s ability to communicate and his or her success in the role. What is surprising is that business communication skills are even more important than skills such as deductive reasoning and critical thinking. Further, knowledge of English is more important than knowledge of production and processing, and even mathematics.

Using a similar methodology to analyze a variety of occupations, we found that for most professional occupations, especially those that are center-stage in the internet economy,


business communication skills consistently play and overwhelmingly important role. In most cases, 50% or more of the top 10 competencies are related to business communications, and knowledge of business English consistently ranks among the top 5 most important knowledge domains.

Top 10 Competencies & Knowledge Domains by Occupation


Business Communication Competencies Other Competencies English Rank, Top 10 Knowledge Domains

ConclusionsWhen evaluating the relative importance of various skills and abilities, business communication competencies typically account for 50% or more of the top 10 most important competencies. English ranks among the top 5 most important knowledge domains. As such, business communication skills can be said to be absolutely critical to the success of any individual pursuing a career in these occupations. Since English is the de facto language of business, we may extend our definition to encompass global business communication skills:


Global Business Communication Skills = 16 Business Communications Competencies+ Knowledge of Business English

Appendix A: Worker Competencies1 Oral Comprehension 48 Hearing Sensitivity2 Written Comprehension 49 Auditory Attention3 Oral Expression 50 Sound Localization4 Written Expression 51 Speech Recognition5 Fluency of Ideas 52 Speech Clarity6 Originality 53 Reading Comprehension7 Problem Sensitivity 54 Active Listening8 Deductive Reasoning 55 Writing9 Inductive Reasoning 56 Speaking10 Information Ordering 57 Mathematics11 Category Flexibility 58 Science12 Mathematical Reasoning 59 Critical Thinking13 Number Facility 60 Active Learning14 Memorization 61 Learning Strategies15 Speed of Closure 62 Monitoring16 Flexibility of Closure 63 Social Perceptiveness17 Perceptual Speed 64 Coordination18 Spatial Orientation 65 Persuasion19 Visualization 66 Negotiation20 Selective Attention 67 Instructing21 Time Sharing 68 Service Orientation22 Arm-Hand Steadiness 69 Complex Problem Solving23 Manual Dexterity 70 Operations Analysis24 Finger Dexterity 71 Technology Design25 Control Precision 72 Equipment Selection26 Multilimb Coordination 73 Installation27 Response Orientation 74 Programming28 Rate Control 75 Operation Monitoring29 Reaction Time 76 Operation and Control30 Wrist-Finger Speed 77 Equipment Maintenance31 Speed of Limb Movement 78 Troubleshooting32 Static Strength 79 Repairing33 Explosive Strength 80 Quality Control Analysis34 Dynamic Strength 81 Judgment and Decision Making35 Trunk Strength 82 Systems Analysis36 Stamina 83 Systems Evaluation37 Extent Flexibility 84 Time Management38 Dynamic Flexibility 85 Management of Financial Resources39 Gross Body Coordination 86 Management of Material Resources40 Gross Body Equilibrium 87 Management of Personnel Resources41 Near Vision42 Far Vision43 Visual Color Discrimination44 Night Vision45 Peripheral Vision46 Depth Perception47 Glare Sensitivity


Appendix B: 16 Business Communication Competencies

Oral ExpressionThe ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.

Active ListeningGiving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.

Speaking Talking to others to convey information effectively.

Speech ClarityThe ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.

Oral ComprehensionThe ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.

Speech Recognition The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.

WritingCommunicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.

Written ExpressionThe ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.

Written ComprehensionThe ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.

Reading ComprehensionUnderstanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.

Coordination Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.

Instructing Teaching others how to do something.

Negotiation Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.

Persuasion Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.

Service Orientation Actively looking for ways to help people.

Social PerceptivenessBeing aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.


Appendix C: Worker Knowledge DomainsBusiness and Management 1 Administration and Management

2 Clerical

3 Economics and Accounting

4 Sales and Marketing

5 Customer and Personal Service

6 Personnel and Human Resources

Manufacturing and Production 7 Production and Processing

8 Food Production

Engineering and Technology 9 Computers and Electronics

10 Engineering and Technology

11 Design

12 Building and Construction

13 Mechanical

Mathematics and Science 14 Mathematics

15 Physics

16 Chemistry

17 Biology

18 Psychology

19 Sociology and Anthropology

20 Geography

Health Services 21 Medicine and Dentistry

22 Therapy and Counseling

23 Education and Training

Arts and Humanities 24 English Language

25 Foreign Language

26 Fine Arts

27 History and Archeology

28 Philosophy and Theology

Law and Public Safety 29 Public Safety and Security

30 Law and Government

Communications 31 Telecommunications

32 Communications and Media

33 Transportation


the science of global readiness_defining global communication skills_2016 07

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