The Quantified Communications blog.

The use of technology in the classroom has traditionally been a touchy subject. Do kids really need to learn from behind screens, with Facebook, Pinterest, and any number of distractions just a click away? But, in grade school and high school classrooms at least, we’re starting to see a shift in mind-set: these days, teachers are starting to see technology (when used appropriately) as an effective tool to personalize learning and increase engagement.

Students preparing to finish their education—whether that means an undergraduate or graduate degree—have one thing in common: they’re focused on starting off their careers. And for the higher-ed institutes, the goal should be the same: ensuring students are prepared to launch successful careers after they leave the university.

Every technological revolution—from the the wheel to the Industrial Revolution to personal computing—has introduced a shift in workforce skill requirements. But none has caused as rapid and dramatic a shift as we’re seeing today, as automation and AI transform the business world.

At Quantified Communications, one of our favorite things about spring is commencement season. Every year in May and June, we get to enjoy a series of talks from some of the world’s best-known leaders and influencers in politics, business, and entertainment. And every year, we look forward to identifying some of our favorites.

In a recent article for Training Magazine, Joe Lipham, training account manager at Signature Worldwide, wrote about an exit interview he gave an employee he’d thought would be a perfect fit, but who put in her notice just two weeks after she started.

Engineers are known as highly intelligent people who can understand complex concepts and transform them into amazing products—from software to mechanical devices to infrastructure. (Around the QC office, we sometimes refer to our engineers as magicians. They’re that impressive.)

But engineers are not always known for stellar communication skills.

Here in the QC office, we’re hyper focused on studying communication through the lens of leadership. How can our leaders and aspiring leaders develop the communication skills they need to achieve their professional goals and improve their organizations’ reputations, positioning, and bottom line? 

But one of the biggest strengths of the QC team is the learning we do outside of the office. We all have passions and pursuits outside of work, and those varying interests allow each team member to bring incredible new perspectives that contribute to the depth and breadth of Quantified Communications’ work.

The drive to make a difference—in the office, at home, in society—is a common sentiment, but as we all know, it’s easier to dream about change than to enact it. In a recent Forbes article, lawyer and career strategist Avery Blank outlines five ways to develop the confidence you need to become a leader and empower yourself to make a difference:

According to a recent survey of nearly one thousand US workers, 91 percent of employees say communication issues can prevent effective leadership in countless ways—from not giving clear directions to failing to earn employee trust to presenting more as automaton than human. What’s more, we know that businesses as small as one hundred employees spend, on average, more than $500,000 per year clarifying ineffective communication.

While the career ladder used to be pretty straightforward—employees stayed at one company, climbing through the ranks, for most of their working lives—today’s employees aren’t so eager to stay in one place for twenty (or even five) years. But for employers, the cost to find, recruit, and train new employees year after year just isn’t sustainable (Gallup estimates that turnover among millennials alone costs the US economy $30.5 billion annually), so companies are scrambling for effective ways to engage and retain top talent.