Not long ago, prattling away on the phone was as much a teenage rite as hanging out at the mall. Now, Sidekicks and iBooks are as prized as Mom’s Princess phone, and conversations, the oral kind, are as uncomfortable as braces. Which makes employers and communications experts anxious: This generation may be technologically savvier than their bosses, but will they be able to have a professional discussion? A 2005 report for Achieve, a non-profit organization that helps states raise academic standards, found that 34% of employers were dissatisfied with the oral communication skills of high school graduates; 45% of college students and 46% of high school graduates who entered the workforce instead of college said they struggled with their public speaking abilities.
Office of Strategic Communication