Effective communication skills are very important in all aspects of life, be it work or in relationships. People in organizations typically spend a major part of their time in interacting with people. Thus it is no surprise to find that at the root of a large number of organizational problems is poor communications. This is most obvious in cross-cultural situations where language is an issue.
But it is also common among people of the same culture. Effective communication is an essential component of organizational success whether it is at the interpersonal, intergroup, intergroup, organizational, or external levels. Also in developing social relationships, communication skills are of utmost importance. Proper communication skills help people in understanding each other and work together towards a goal.
Often a person wants to say something but communicates something totally different through vocal intonation and body language. These mixed signals force the receiver to choose between the verbal and nonverbal parts of the message, which may not help to get ones message across to that individual because most often, the receiver chooses the nonverbal aspects.
There are a number of situations when you need to solicit good information from others; these situations include interviewing candidates, solving work problems, seeking to help an employee on work performance, and finding out reasons for performance discrepancies at work. In society it helps in judging an individuals ability to communicate with people from diverse backgrounds.
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Mixed messages create tension and distrust because the receiver senses that the communicator is hiding something or is being less than candid. Thus one must understand that communication skills are not only important to develop an impression on the other person and get the required work done, but also to not get a bad idea about themselves in society.