10 Benefits of a Communications Degree
We’ve all heard the phrase ‘communication is key’, but just how many doors can this sought-after skill unlock?
Evidence says too many to be ignored. Communication is one of the most in-demand skills in future-focused workplaces, with 44 per cent of executives saying poor communication causes delays or failure to complete projects. Workers with strong communication skills are more likely to be more productive, persuasive, engaged and ultimately achieve better results.
As the digitally-driven landscape continues to evolve, so do its iterations. Writing, speaking and presenting are still as important as ever - joined now by visual storytelling, social media, improving user experiences, and leading organisations of all shapes, sizes and sectors.
The importance of communications degrees have long been recognised in industry-specific roles like public relations or marketing. But the vitality of strong communication skills in any corporate setting suggests that a communications degree could be worth it for more professionals than ever.
What are 10 benefits of a communications degree?
Strong communication skills will establish a solid foundation to accelerate your career across a multitude of industries and areas of life. Graduating from a communications degree can help you:
- Enhance professional credibility across roles
- Gain contemporary skills to stay ahead of change
- Be seen as a specialist in your field
- Harness creative thinking for better business outcomes
- Increase productivity in your workplace
- Apply your skills to a range of industries
- Develop a deeper understanding of others - and yourself
- Help to increase your earning potential
- Become more influential in your workplace
- Improve sustainability and responsible business practices
Let's dive into these 10 ways a communications degree can help you innovate, influence and lead in your industry.
Enhance professional credibility across roles
Effective communication is essential for establishing trust and authority as an emerging or established business leader. Last year, the Harvard Business Review reported communication is no longer considered a ‘soft skill’ amongst the world’s top business leaders. Even if you aren’t vying for a leadership position, the ability to understand, distil and compel others with your communication skills will establish you as a highly-regarded asset in your organisation. The propensity to communicate clearly and follow through is one of the most important skills for establishing respect in both personal and professional settings.
Gain contemporary skills to stay ahead of change
While so many industries are being disrupted by constant change, communications skills are a wise investment. These skills are relevant across a broad range of industries, and they also help you better navigate, design and synthesise solutions to complex challenges in the businesses of tomorrow.
Be seen as a specialist in your field
Who are the most prominent or influential specialists in your industry? Do they have a media presence? Do they speak at events? Work with stakeholders? Chances are the notable specialists in your field have at least one thing in common: strong communication skills.
Whether it’s science, finance, politics, business, tech or anything in between, well-known industry specialists establish their credibility by sharing their theories, research, findings and experiences in engaging and thought-provoking ways. Communication is key when it comes to cross-industry recognition.
Harness creative thinking for better business outcomes
If creative thinking is something you’ve historically struggled with, you may have deemed yourself an ‘uncreative’ person, or decided the ability to think creatively is something you don’t possess. Contrary to popular belief, creative thinking is a skill that can be learned and ultimately mastered. It’s also highly valuable: creativity in the workplace has been linked to increased productivity, innovation, adaptability and growth.
A postgraduate communications degree will equip you with conceptual and high-level problem-solving practices, along with effective real-world strategies to help you find creative solutions in your workplace.
Increase productivity in your workplace
Effective communication is an essential ingredient for productivity in the workplace. Put simply, businesses cannot function efficiently if employees cannot convey information in an easy-to-digest way - whether to colleagues, clients, customers, stakeholders or senior management.
A study on the state of workplace communication found that nearly half of employees say their productivity is being impacted by ineffective communication. One of the many benefits of a communications degree is that it will empower you with the ability to grasp, distil and deliver relevant information in a concise, engaging and effective way.
Apply your skills to a range of industries
Communication skills are highly transferable and an extremely valuable commodity. The ability to forge meaningful relationships with key decision makers, present information in a persuasive and engaging way and interpret and distil information will set you ahead in just about every field, be it education, science, medicine, psychology, finance, tech and more.
Develop a deeper understanding of others - and yourself
The art of communication requires the art of understanding; of truly listening, of reading in between the lines, of developing empathy and placing yourself in the shoes of another. To present information in a way that connects with others, it’s essential to know what motivates them to think, feel and act as they do.
Similarly, to express your own ideas, logic and theories, it’s essential to understand what motivates you to think, feel and act as you do. Research suggests that understanding is one of the key attributes of effective business leaders.
Help to increase your earning potential
Strong communicators make for better decision makers, more efficient workers and stronger leaders because they have the unique skill of being able to inspire and empower others. They’re also typically seen as more confident, capable and intelligent.
The ability to drive better business performance and clearly articulate your value to your organisation puts you in a stronger position to progress to higher-paid positions and secure a higher salary.
A communications qualification will arm you with future-proof skills to drive innovation and increase profitability - which are of high value to growth-minded organisations.
Become more influential in your workplace
Martin Luther King’s ‘I Have A Dream’, Susan B Anthony’s Women's Rights to Suffrage, Julia Gillard’s speech to Parliament in 2012. These are among the most iconic speeches of all time, each seen as pivotal moments in history for the change they inspired. Why? Because they were persuasive. Whether it’s a global political movement, a bold workplace change, or simply deciding where to go for dinner with your friends - behavioural change of any kind doesn’t happen without effective communication.
The ability to identify and articulate the benefit of a certain course of action can stir emotions, provoke thought and ultimately drive change in others - in the workplace and beyond.
Improve sustainability and responsible business practices
Effective communication is an essential component of both internal organisational change, and external impact. Forward-thinking degrees will explore the important spectrums of inclusive and accessible communication, along with core Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) considerations that are shaping the responsible businesses of tomorrow. As more businesses are held accountable for their environmental impact and responsible practices, the ability to communicate otherwise complex information in an informative yet compelling way will become an even bigger asset.
Who can benefit from a communications degree?
Improved communication skills can help you excel in fields such as psychology, politics, education, non-profit, tech, business, finance and entrepreneurship - to name a few.
Excellence in communication is a non-negotiable for positions in journalism, media, public relations, strategic communication and advertising - but the benefits of a communications degree go well beyond these industries. The ability to communicate is central to the ability to foster connection, provoke thought, inspire action, impact decisions and ultimately drive change, which are assets in every line of work - and life.
Here are a few examples of roles outside the communications industry that will benefit from a communications degree:
Corporate professionals
If you work in a more analytical role such as finance, engineering or tech, you may think communications don’t play a big part, but you’d be mistaken. A communications degree can help you analyse and distil information, prepare reports, present to your team or stakeholders, and build relationships with clients, colleagues and senior leadership.
Project management
Effective communication is absolutely essential for project management - even if you’re a specialist in a typically ‘numbers–driven’ field. The ability to relay concise, clear and accurate information will put you in great stead for a position in project management.
Human resources
There are many components to human resources, including recruiting and training new employees, mitigating workplace conflict and structural change, improving employee wellbeing and performance, and conducting team analyses. Each of these require effective and empathetic communication.
Non-profit professionals
Persuasion is central to the success and impact of any non-profit organisation. It’s also central to effective communication. Non-profit professionals frequently require the ability to communicate both internally and externally to work productively toward their mission.
Communication is an area where you can upskill at any time, from any field. Certain postgraduate qualifications like ECU Online’s Master of Communication don’t require an undergraduate comms degree for eligibility, and can be completed with flexibility.
Kickstart your journey to lead change through effective communications
Communication is inherent in every aspect of our lives, both personally and professionally. The ability to harness it in order to provoke thought, empower others, inspire action and drive change is a true superpower - one that an online degree will teach you to wield.
Learn how you can harness the power of communication to catapult your career with ECU Online's Master of Communication.
Reach out to one of our Student Enrolment Advisors on 1300 707 760 or future.student@studyonline.ecu.edu.au.
