Let's start by considering a basic definition of what communication skills are:
"Communication is the act of a sender conveying information to a receiver in a method that delivers the meaning the sender intended."
Being able to communicate effectively as a business analyst is of vital importance and a clear success measure is having a truly consistent and agreed-upon understanding of the requirements. To be an effective communicator requires a business analyst to be an active listener, being able to adapt their communication styles to suit stakeholder audiences and have an understanding of tone, body language, and context when attaching meaning to words.
There are a number of specific core competencies identified as part of the communication skills category. These include the following:
- Verbal communication
- Non-verbal communication
- Written...