August 2010

August 11, 2010

Effective Communications: An Enduring Challenge for Internal Auditors

As internal audit professionals, we​​ are often recognized for many outstanding characteristics and skills that we bring to bear in executing our important role. We are lauded for independent organizatio​nal structures, personal objectivity, risk management and business acumen, and analytical skills. However, there is one attribute for which we are rarely praised: our ability to communicate effectively.

As with most professional characteristics, the gap in an ability to communicate effectively often starts at the top — in our case with chief audit executives (CAEs). I recently delivered a presentation on the attributes of highly success​​​ful CAEs in which I identified “dynamic communication skills” as one of the seven attributes.…