This document proposes a standard definition of global business communication skills based on an analysis of a large workforce database. It defines business communication skills as 16 key competencies plus knowledge of business English. An analysis of important occupations found communication skills comprise 50% or more of the top skills, and business English is among the top 5 knowledge domains. Therefore, the document concludes communication skills are critical for success in many professional roles.

1. © 2016 International Learning Enterprises 1 | P a g e
This paper proposes a standard for defining global business communication
skills and evaluating their importance to professionals in an increasingly
globalized work environment.
Executive Summary
The importance of good communication skills has long been intuitively understood, but
poorly defined. Until now, there has never been a formal understanding of what actually
constitutes “business communication skills.” The following definition is proposed based on
extensive research of the world’s largest and most comprehensive database of worker
attributes and job characteristics, sponsored by the US Department of Labor:
English Language is among a comprehensive list of 33 knowledge domains that are required
for success across various occupations. The 16 communication competencies are identified
among a comprehensive list of 87
competencies used to describe a
professional’s job-related skills, and
specifically relate to on-the-job
communication.
16 Business Communications Competencies
+ Knowledge of Business English
= Business Communication Skills
Rob Abbanatis CEO of ILE, which provides live,
online coaching for global communication skills. He
is also the Chairman of the Talent Transformation
Forum at the American Chamber of Commerce
Shanghai. He can be reached at
rabbanat@ile-china.com.

2. © 2016 International Learning Enterprises 2 | P a g e
With English as the de facto language of international business, globalization is making
business communication skills increasingly important, especially for emerging economies
like China who are seeking a greater share of global markets. Analysis if the world’s most
comprehensive database of worker attributes, with data furnished by the US Bureau of
Labor Statistics, shows conclusively that business communication is not just important, but a
critical skill for most professional occupations in the modern internet economy. As the table
below shows, for many important occupations, business communication skills typically
comprise 50% or more of the top ten most important skills for success. In some cases, such
as a Sales Representative, communication skills may comprise all of the top 10 skills
required for success.
16 Communications Competencies
Similarly, analysis of the top knowledge bases required for success shows that English
Language consistently ranks among the top 5 most important knowledge bases for
occupational success. For example, if you are a Sales Representative for wholesale,
manufacturing, technical or scientific products, knowledge of English (grammar, vocabulary,
sentence structure) is the 3rd
-most important knowledge domain, even above knowledge of
sales and marketing!
Top Ten Competencies By Occupation
Oral Expression
Active Listening
Speaking
Speech Clarity
Oral Comprehension
Speech Recognition
Writing
Written Expression
Written Comprehension
Reading Comprehension
Coordination
Instructing
Negotiation
Persuasion
Service Orientation
Social Perceptiveness
Business Communication Competencies Other Competencies English Rank, Top 10 Know ledge Domains

3. © 2016 International Learning Enterprises 3 | P a g e
Based on these results, it is reasonable to state that business communication skills, as
defined above, are not just important but critical for success across a wide range of
professional occupations. Given that English is the de facto global language of business
communications, we can extrapolate the above definition to extend the above definition to
encompass global business communication skills:
Global Business Communication Skills = 16 Business Communications Competencies
+ Knowledge of Business English

4. © 2016 International Learning Enterprises 4 | P a g e
Introduction
Globalization—the economic integration and interaction of peoples from different nations
around the world—is a phenomenon that has accelerated exponentially1
in recent decades,
spurred on by the advent of the internet and the rise of huge developing economies such as
China and India. At the heart of interaction is communication and, for a variety of historical
reasons, English has emerged as the de facto global language of business communication.2
While convenient for Americans, British, Australians and other native-English speakers, this
reality presents an enormous challenge, and in some cases a barrier, for peoples of non-
native English-speaking countries to engage and thrive in a global business environment.
Nonetheless, in many Western European countries such as
Germany, France or Holland, a post-war environment that
was heavily influenced by the US and UK has engendered a
culture that embraces English, and people are thus capable
of communicating with others using English.
But the ability to speak English is no guarantor of success.
English is simply the medium. The ability to communicate
well—to effectively connect with others, share ideas and
influence their thoughts and behavior—is a skill whose
mastery will impact one’s success and trajectory.
Despide it’s obvious importance, relatively little research is
available to define and quantify the importance of
communication skills. The purpose of this white paper is to
offer a clear, concise and measurable definition of global communication skills based on
data from the world’s largest and most comprehensive database of worker attributes and
job caracteristics. With a quantifiable definition, the paper will also quantify the importance
of global communication skills to professionals competing in th emodern global economy.
Defining Business Communication Skills
Our search for a definition of global communication
skills led to a database of worker attributes and job
characteristics that is sponsored by the US
Department of Labor/Employment and Training
1
Since 1950, the volume of worldtrade has increased 20 times according to State University of New York’s Global
Workforce Project. http://www.globalization101.org/what-is-globalization/
2
Global Business Speaks Business, Tsedal Neeley,Harvard Business Review,May 2012
(https://hbr.org/2012/05/global-business-speaks-english)
"Developingexcellent
communicationskillsis
absolutelyessential to effective
leadership.If aleadercan't geta
message acrossclearlyand
motivate otherstoact on it,
thenhavinga message doesn't
evenmatter."
— GilbertAmelio
Presidentand CEO of National
SemiconductorCorp.

5. © 2016 International Learning Enterprises 5 | P a g e
Administration (USDOL/ETA). Much of the data was supplied by the US Bureau of Labor
Statistics.
The database consists of more than 1,000 occupational titles, each defined by a
standardized, measurable set of variables called descriptors. These descriptors can be
grouped in two categories: Occupational Competencies and Knowledge Domains.
Worker Attributes Defining Occupational Suitability
The database employs a library of 87 unique occupational competencies, defined as abilities
and skills that facilitate job-related performance, which answer the question “what can I
do?”3
It also includes a library of 33 knowledge domains, defined as organized sets of principles
and facts applying in general domains, which are applied on the job to facilitate job-related
performance. These answer the question “what do I know?”4
Each of the database’s 1,000+ occupations can be defined as the subset of occupational
competencies and knowledge domains required for success in that particular occupation.
Anyone who possesses the right combination of competencies and knowledge—identified in
the diagram above by the overlap of the two circles—has a high likelihood to be effective
and succeed at that particular occupation.
Business Communication Competencies and English Language
Upon examination of the 87 competencies, it is easy to identify 16 which relate specifically to
communications. We refer to these as the 16 Communication Competencies.
3
Fora complete list of the 87 Communication Competencies, see Appendix A.
4
Fora complete list of the 33 Knowledge Bases, see Appendix B.

6. © 2016 International Learning Enterprises 6 | P a g e
The 16 Communication Competencies
Oral Written Social
Active
Competencies
Oral Expression Writing Coordination
Active Listening Written Expression Instructing
Speaking Negotiation
Speech Clarity Persuasion
Service Orientation
Passive
Competencies
Oral Comprehension Written Comprehension Social Perceptiveness
Speech Recognition Reading Comprehension
Note that the 16 Communication Competencies can be divided into active competencies—i.e.
those that require language production—and passive competencies which require
comprehension and recognition. They can also be divided into oral, written and social
competencies. Oral and written competencies apply across virtually any type of
interpersonal interaction. Social competencies apply to very specific types of social
interactions.
Further, of the 33 knowledge domains, one is knowledge of English Language. As this
pertains to a worker’s competency on the job, we may rename it as Business English.5
For the purposes of defining a worker’s job-related communication skills, we may define
business communication skill in terms of the 16 business communications competencies
and knowledge of English:
5
Fora complete list of the 33 knowledge domains,see Appendix C.
16 Business Communications Competencies
+ Knowledge of Business English
= Business Communication Skills

7. © 2016 International Learning Enterprises 7 | P a g e
The advantage of a clear definition of Business Communication Skills is that they can be
measured and used to evaluate a candidate’s suitability for various occupations that rely
heavily on these skills. A worker’s Business Communication Skills may be assessed by
measuring his facility with each of the 16 business communication competencies, plus a test
of his business English skills.
Measuring the Importance of
Business Communication Skills
The database contains an analysis of more than 1,000 occupations, each of which is
described by the worker attributes that are required for success. For each occupation, data
is collected from thousands of surveys and interviews to create a holistic picture of which
competencies and knowledge a worker needs in order to succeed at that particular job.
For each occupation, occupational competencies and knowledge domains are weighted and
ranked in order of importance. The model allows occupational descriptors to be applied
across jobs, sectors, or industries (cross-occupational descriptors) and within occupations
(occupational-specific descriptors). In this respect, an analysis of a particular workers
competencies and knowledge would serve as a predictor of that person’s likelihood to
succeed at any particular job.
Using the above definition, it is possible to analyze the database to determine the relevant
importance of Business Communication Skills for any given occupation. Given the breadth of
occupations available, we chose jobs and functional roles that are particularly relevant to
China’s rapidly globalizing economy. In particular, we looked at occupations that may require
Chinese professionals to interact in a global business environment: i.e. where their job may
require them to communicate using business English, such as supply chain, sales, IT,
customer service and other outward-facing roles.
We first looked at the top 20 occupational competencies required for various occupations.
For example we analyzed the competencies required for success as a Purchasing Manager,
which included job titles such as Director of Purchasing, Procurement Manager,
Purchasing Manager and Purchasing Director. The table below lists the top 20
competencies required for success as a Purchasing Manager, in order of importance
according to the weighting applied by the database.
Project Manager: Top 20 Competencies
1 Oral Comprehension 2 Coordination
3 Oral Expression 4 Active Listening
5 Speech Clarity 6 Critical Thinking
7 Speech Recognition 8 Speaking
9 Written Expression 10 Management of Personnel Resources
11 Deductive Reasoning 12 Negotiation

8. © 2016 International Learning Enterprises 8 | P a g e
13 Fluency of Ideas 14 Persuasion
15 Written Comprehension 16 Social Perceptiveness
17 Problem Sensitivity 18 Time Management
19 Information Ordering 20 Judgment and Decision Making
Notice that 12 of the top 20 competencies (highlighted in blue) required for success are
business communication competencies. Even more compelling is the fact that 8 of the top
10 competencies required for success are business communication competencies.
Further, when analyzing knowledge domains, we found that business English is the 2nd
most
important knowledge domain for Purchasing Managers, even ahead of knowledge of
production and processing!
Purchasing Manager:
Top Knowledge Domains
1 Administration and Management
2 English Language
3 Production and Processing
4 Law and Government
5 Mathematics
6 Customer and Personal Service
7 Transportation
8 Economics and Accounting
9 Personnel and Human Resources
Noting the overwhelming presence of business communications skills among the top skills
required for success as a Purchasing Manager, we conclude that business communication
skills aren’t just important, they are critical for success. Put another way, any individual with
poor business communication skills has a very low probability to succeed as a Purchasing
Manager.
Upon reflection, the importance of business communication skills for a Purchasing Manager
isn’t a total surprise. After all, much of what a Purchasing Manage does is communicate: with
internal customers, with suppliers, with team mates and occasionally with competitors.
Hence it is reasonable that there should be a very strong correlation between a Purchasing
Manager’s ability to communicate and his or her success in the role. What is surprising is
that business communication skills are even more important than skills such as deductive
reasoning and critical thinking. Further, knowledge of English is more important than
knowledge of production and processing, and even mathematics.
Using a similar methodology to analyze a variety of occupations, we found that for most
professional occupations, especially those that are center-stage in the internet economy,

9. © 2016 International Learning Enterprises 9 | P a g e
business communication skills consistently play and overwhelmingly important role. In most
cases, 50% or more of the top 10 competencies are related to business communications,
and knowledge of business English consistently ranks among the top 5 most important
knowledge domains.
Top 10 Competencies & Knowledge Domains by Occupation
Business Communication Competencies Other Competencies English Rank, Top 10 Know ledge Domains

10. © 2016 International Learning Enterprises 10 | P a g e
Conclusions
When evaluating the relative importance of various skills and abilities, business
communication competencies typically account for 50% or more of the top 10 most
important competencies. English ranks among the top 5 most important knowledge
domains. As such, business communication skills can be said to be absolutely critical to the
success of any individual pursuing a career in these occupations. Since English is the de facto
language of business, we may extend our definition to encompass global business
communication skills:
Global Business Communication Skills = 16 Business Communications Competencies
+ Knowledge of Business English

11. © 2016 International Learning Enterprises 11 | P a g e
Appendix A: Worker Competencies
1 Oral Comprehension 48 Hearing Sensitivity
2 Written Comprehension 49 Auditory Attention
3 Oral Expression 50 Sound Localization
4 Written Expression 51 Speech Recognition
5 Fluency of Ideas 52 Speech Clarity
6 Originality 53 Reading Comprehension
7 Problem Sensitivity 54 Active Listening
8 Deductive Reasoning 55 Writing
9 Inductive Reasoning 56 Speaking
10 Information Ordering 57 Mathematics
11 Category Flexibility 58 Science
12 Mathematical Reasoning 59 Critical Thinking
13 NumberFacility 60 Active Learning
14 Memorization 61 Learning Strategies
15 Speed of Closure 62 Monitoring
16 Flexibilityof Closure 63 Social Perceptiveness
17 Perceptual Speed 64 Coordination
18 Spatial Orientation 65 Persuasion
19 Visualization 66 Negotiation
20 Selective Attention 67 Instructing
21 Time Sharing 68 Service Orientation
22 Arm-Hand Steadiness 69 Complex Problem Solving
23 Manual Dexterity 70 Operations Analysis
24 FingerDexterity 71 Technology Design
25 Control Precision 72 Equipment Selection
26 Multilimb Coordination 73 Installation
27 Response Orientation 74 Programming
28 Rate Control 75 Operation Monitoring
29 Reaction Time 76 Operation and Control
30 Wrist-FingerSpeed 77 Equipment Maintenance
31 Speed of Limb Movement 78 Troubleshooting
32 Static Strength 79 Repairing
33 Explosive Strength 80 Quality Control Analysis
34 Dynamic Strength 81 Judgment and Decision Making
35 Trunk Strength 82 Systems Analysis
36 Stamina 83 Systems Evaluation
37 Extent Flexibility 84 Time Management
38 Dynamic Flexibility 85 Management of FinancialResources
39 Gross Body Coordination 86 Management of Material Resources
40 Gross Body Equilibrium 87 Management of Personnel Resources
41 Near Vision
42 Far Vision
43 Visual ColorDiscrimination
44 Night Vision
45 Peripheral Vision
46 Depth Perception
47 Glare Sensitivity

12. © 2016 International Learning Enterprises 12 | P a g e
Appendix B: 16 Business Communication
Competencies
Oral Expression
The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so
others will understand.
Active Listening
Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to
understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate,
and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Speaking Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Speech Clarity
The ability to speak clearly so others can understand
you.
Oral Comprehension
The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas
presented through spoken words and sentences.
Speech Recognition The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
Writing
Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of
the audience.
Written Expression
The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so
others will understand.
Written Comprehension
The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented
in writing.
Reading Comprehension
Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related
documents.
Coordination Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
Instructing Teaching others how to do something.
Negotiation Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.
Persuasion Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
Service Orientation Actively looking for ways to help people.
Social Perceptiveness
Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react
as they do.

13. © 2016 International Learning Enterprises 13 | P a g e
Appendix C: Worker Knowledge Domains
Business and Management 1 Administration and Management
2 Clerical
3 Economics and Accounting
4 Sales and Marketing
5 Customerand Personal Service
6 Personnel and Human Resources
Manufacturing and Production 7 Production and Processing
8 Food Production
Engineering and Technology 9 Computers and Electronics
10 Engineering and Technology
11 Design
12 Building and Construction
13 Mechanical
Mathematics and Science 14 Mathematics
15 Physics
16 Chemistry
17 Biology
18 Psychology
19 Sociology and Anthropology
20 Geography
Health Services 21 Medicine and Dentistry
22 Therapy and Counseling
23 Education and Training
Arts and Humanities 24 English Language
25 Foreign Language
26 Fine Arts
27 History and Archeology
28 Philosophy and Theology
Law and Public Safety 29 Public Safety and Security
30 Law and Government
Communications 31 Telecommunications
32 Communications and Media
33 Transportation