All too often, there is a difference between what we say and what we think we have said, and between how we feel we have handled people and how they think they have been treated. When such ‘gaps’ occur between the intent and the action, it is often stated that there has been ‘a breakdown in communication ’. Sometimes the breakdown is allowed to become so serious that the gap becomes a chasm, relatives in the family ceasing to speak to one another, management and trade unions refusing to meet, and government recalling ambassadors when relations between states reach a low ebb.

  In fact, sometimes when people communicate, either as individual or within groups, problems inevitably occur; instruction maybe impossible to carry out, offence is taken at a particular remark, a directive is ambiguously phrased or people’s attitudes are colored by jealousy, resentment or frustration.

  During the past fifty years, industrial, commercial and public service organizations have grown prodigiously to meet the needs of advanced technological societies. Sometimes as many as 10,000 people work on one site, or one company employs more than 50,000 people. Clearly, good communication is essential to the efficient operation of any organization and vital to the fulfilment of all those who commit their working lives to it.

  For this reason, management specialists and behavioural scientists have devoted much thought and energy over recent years to analyzing the problems caused by bad communication practices and creating good communication climate and systems.

  As a result of the current structure of societies and economies, most of us spend our working lives in an organization where we become good communicators with social skills.