Being successful in business requires more than just being able to read a balance sheet, manage projects or reconcile accounts – it also requires the ability to communicate. If you’re looking to advance in your business career, excellent communication skills can help you stand out from the crowd (and with future employers).
“You will spend a significant part of your career communicating,” according to Dr. Terry McGovern, associate professor in the UW-Parkside School of Business. “You may be excellent at accounting, finance, marketing, analytics, operations, or project management, but your ability to explain ideas clearly, listen to others, work with people, and persuade others to act will often determine how far you advance. Technical skills may help you get the job; communication skills can help you become the person others trust to lead.”
According to a recent report from the Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC), many employers still rank communication at the top of their hiring criteria – even over AI or technical skills. The report notes that communication, problem-solving and strategic thinking skills are valued the most by employers across industries. In fact, communication skills have also been cited as the foundation employers use when hiring new staff.
Among employers who listed communication as a necessary skill, 51 percent noted the importance of presentation skills – compared with 46 percent in 2025. Verbal communication skills in general were cited by 54 percent of employers, compared with 51 percent in 2025. Other communication-related skills cited by the research include active listening, conflict resolution, digital communications (like email, team chats or video calls) writing, and negotiating.
While communications skills are ranking as a high priority among many organizations, many professionals’ soft skills (such as the ability to communicate, work with others, adapt to new situations and manage projects) are diminishing. According to 2025 research by The Shift, a consulting firm, 43 percent of managers are reporting a decline in their team members’ soft skills since the pandemic. Because of hybrid work schedules, “Organisations can no longer assume that employees will learn key soft skills through osmosis,” the report states. “They must actively train and support the development of human skills like communication, collaboration and relationship-building.”
Why Communication Matters: Major Brands’ Blunders Offer Lessons for All Business Professionals
When communication breakdowns occur on the job, employees and customers alike can become frustrated. Dr. McGovern points to one major public-facing example of this: the 2025 Cracker Barrel rebrand.
Cracker Barrel invested nearly $700 million into a rebrand, dropping a new logo focused on a more modern design. Customers criticized the new look as “sterile” and contrary to the chain’s old-fashioned style. Marketing experts suggest that had Cracker Barrel made changes to its brand more slowly instead of introducing a drastically different logo with no warning, it may have gone much more smoothly.
On the other hand, one example of good communication occurred during the recent cyclospora outbreak with Taco Bell. When news about the contaminated Taylor Farms lettuce broke, the popular taco chain worked with its franchisees to eliminate the lettuce from its stores while publicly communicating its response to the foodborne illness. It also offered several popular menu items without lettuce at a discount to improve foot traffic in its stores, and a Decades Menu with several nostalgic items to improve customer loyalty. Because the company was transparent about its strategy to avoid more diners from getting sick, Taco Bell was able to protect its reputation and keep customers coming back.
How to Develop Your Communication Skills to Excel in Business
Business degree programs are one place working professionals can work on their soft skills to advance their careers. With the UW Flexible Option Bachelor of Business Administration (BSBA) degree, you’ll build a solid foundation of business knowledge, while developing essential skills in leadership, critical thinking, and problem-solving. Nearly three-quarters of the courses offered in the program emphasize communications skills, including written communication, oral communication and presentations, interpersonal and team communication and active listening.
Specific courses focusing on communications projects include:
- Introduction to Business Administration, which incorporates a research paper and video presentation;
- Organizational Behavior and Leadership, which addresses communication styles and strategies;
- Marketing Plan, which requires development and presentation of a marketing plan;
- Sales and Sales Territory Management Practicum, which includes a professional sales call; and several project management skills, which emphasize stakeholder, team, and project communication.
Thanks to the competency-based format of UW Flexible Option, you can complete your degree while working full-time – and take a break if necessary. Because you’ll enroll in a 12-week subscription period (instead of a traditional semester) you can start any month! With no scheduled log-on times or campus commutes, you can study and complete coursework on your schedule.
Are you ready to find out if a competency-based business administration degree is the right choice for you? Check out the AACSB accredited UW-Parkside Bachelor of Business Administration curriculum or contact a helpful enrollment adviser at 608-800-6762 or flex@uwex.wisconsin.edu.