What is communication competence?
Communication competence is the perceived appropriateness and effectiveness of communication, supported by motivation, knowledge, skill, and the conditions of the interaction.
Explore how effectively and appropriately you create shared understanding across different people and situations.
Answer as you are today
Choose the answer that best describes your recent behaviour at work. No email required.
What does communication competence mean?
Communication competence is the perceived appropriateness and effectiveness of communication, supported by motivation, knowledge, skill, and the conditions of the interaction.
Why it matters at work
A message can achieve a short-term goal while harming trust, or feel polite while leaving the task unclear. Competent communicators balance outcomes, context, understanding, and the relationship.
What this assessment measures
Clarity & outcome
Making the purpose, meaning, evidence, and requested action understandable.
Context & adaptation
Choosing language, channel, timing, and tone suited to the person and situation.
Listening & repair
Seeking the other perspective, checking understanding, and repairing miscommunication.
How to interpret your score
Your overall result is normalised to a 0–100 scale. Use it to choose a practice area, not to compare your worth with somebody else.
Build your communication competence foundation
Your answers identify situations where a small, observable routine could make this capability more dependable.
A developing communication competence pattern
You show this capability in some conditions. Focus on the dimension that becomes least reliable under pressure.
A strong communication competence pattern
Your answers suggest a reliable pattern. Keep testing it against difficult situations and evidence from other people.
Designed for reflection, not diagnosis
The ten behaviour-based statements cover 3 practical dimensions. Responses run from “Never” to “Almost always”; negatively worded items are reverse-scored. Overall and dimension results are converted to a 0–100 scale. The assessment is educational and has not been psychometrically validated.
Read the full assessment methodology and editorial standards.
Research that informed this page
Brian H. Spitzberg (2013), “(Re)Introducing Communication Competence to the Health Professions”, Journal of Public Health Research.