10 Communication Mistakes CIOs Still Make

CIOs’ communication skills have come a long way since the days of data processing. But they continue to make many communication mistakes that hamper their effectiveness on the job or hinder their relationships with staff and other executives.

CIO — For years, CIOs have been fighting the stereotype that they’re weak communicators, unable to speak the language of business or relate to anyone outside of IT. But by using practiced communication skills, many CIOs are proving how convincing, credible and captivating they can be—in the boardroom and on the Web. (For evidence, check out blogs by British Telecom’s (BT) JP Rangaswami, Beth Israel Deaconness Medical Center CIO John Halamka and Mike Schaffner, the director of IT for Cameron International’s valves and measurement group.)

Indeed, CIOs’ communication skills—their ability to negotiate, build consensus, engage stakeholders and make business cases—have improved dramatically since the days they were in charge of data processing. Yet they still slip up occasionally, lapsing into acronym soup or erring on the side of hyperbole to sell an IT investment. Read more at www.cio.com