Cm107 Unit 9

Running head: Communication Skills in IT

The Importance of Good Communication Skills in IT

Valerie Lundy Spivey

CM107-Assignment 9

The Importance of Good Communication Skills in IT

In the past, geek and IT used to be synonymous. The IT person in your company was someone you hardly spoke to and only called if there was a problem with your computer. When the IT person tried to explain what was wrong with the PC, it sounded like he was speaking “Greek”. Today, most employers realize that the “geeks” have to interact with employees, vendors and clients; therefore, employers are seeking IT professionals with proven communication skills as well as the necessary technical skills. Communication involves written, verbal and listening skills. Excellent written, verbal and listening skills are needed to effectively communicate in the IT industry.

IT professionals have to be able to express their ideas verbally. IT professionals often have to explain technical ideas to non-technical customers and employees. They also need to be able to explain ideas to investors to receive financing or support for their IT projects. Most IT projects fail due to poor communications. For example, the company I work for tried to implement a software conversion with a new client. Clients are the ultimate supporters of IT projects. (JOSEPH, 2010) A client complained that he was not kept abreast adequately of the project’s status. After the initial start of the project a few emails were sent but the client still was left wondering what was going on. Months went by, and the client did not receive any updates from our project manager. No follow-up meetings were conducted, and the client was left without any means of tracking progress. The client stated that if the project manager contacted him with frequent updates whether good or bad he would have continued with the project. Since the project manager did not effectively communicate to the client: we lost a valuable client, had unhappy...