COMMUNICATION SKILLS USED BY INFORMATION SYSTEMS GRADUATES

Communication skills are consistently ranked as the most important skills for success by top executives. Effective communication is an essential component of organizational success. One estimate is that employees spend more than 75 percent of their time communicating in interpersonal situations, as well as on a variety of other levels within the organization and externally [7]. Crucial to the future success of any business student is the preparation he or she receives in practicing and developing effective communication skills during their undergraduate studies. Information systems (IS) majors are unique in their position to provide information about necessary communication skills and needs they have experienced on the job using both traditional and technical means. Recent graduates of an IS undergraduate program were surveyed to determine what communication skills they use most in the workplace, specifically the types of on-the-job written and oral communication required of them, the importance of different communication skills needed, the tools used for communication, and the impact of these findings for teachers in IS programs and business communication courses.