The ability to convey thoughts accurately, understand others' messages, and build mutual trust through effective exchange.
More than speaking well, communication encompasses listening, clear expression, nonverbal cues, persuasion, and conflict resolution. Required skill varies with relationship depth and influence scope. A core competency driving results in every role.
This is the stage where you first become aware of communication as a skill. You focus on saying what you want to say, with little awareness of how it lands. Nervousness or disorganized thoughts often cause you to miss key points during conversation.
What Comes Next
If you've checked off most of this list, you're ready for the Developing stage, paraphrasing what others say to check your understanding and consciously reflecting on how your words affect the other person. Bandura(1977)'s Social Learning theory suggests observing and modeling skilled communicators helps you start improving communication competence.
A 5-stage competency framework from Foundation to Master with observable behavioral indicators, directly mapping to Lv.1-2 (Foundation/Developing), Lv.3-4 (Competent/Advanced), Lv.5-7 (Expert/Master) boundaries.
The authoritative standard from the premier U.S. communication scholarly body, defining 3 proficiency tiers across 8 core competencies, providing authoritative mapping for Lv.1 (Unsatisfactory) → Lv.3 (Satisfactory) → Lv.5+ (Outstanding).
A peer-reviewed academic paper presenting a 5-point evaluation scale across 6 communication domains, providing empirical evidence for designing observable behavioral indicators in Lv.2-4 checklists.
Foundational textbook on communication competence research, presenting the dual-criteria model of appropriateness and effectiveness — informing the progression from Lv.1-3 (appropriateness focus) to Lv.4-7 (integrated effectiveness + appropriateness).
