This article was originally published in 2018 and updated in 2025 to reflect current research and the impact of AI on graduate employability.
Graduates are entering a workplace that looks very different from the one their parents stepped into.
Technical skills are changing faster than ever. Artificial intelligence is reshaping tasks that were once considered secure graduate work. At the same time, employers expect new staff to contribute, speak up, and communicate clearly far earlier in their careers.
In this environment, verbal communication skills are no longer a nice-to-have. They are one of the clearest ways graduates demonstrate competence, confidence, and potential. Employers consistently say they are looking for graduates who can explain their thinking, contribute in meetings, ask good questions, and present ideas clearly, not just those with strong academic results.
This is not a new idea. For many years, employers have ranked communication skills among the most important attributes they look for in graduates. What has changed is the context. As routine and technical tasks become more automated, the ability to communicate clearly, think aloud, and connect with others has become even more valuable.
Recent New Zealand research makes this very clear. A 2025 University of Canterbury analysis of more than 500 job advertisements across the software and technology sector found that over 80 percent explicitly mentioned soft skills, with communication skills the most frequently requested. This is striking because these were not customer-facing or marketing roles. They were technical roles, where graduates might reasonably assume that technical expertise would outweigh everything else.
The message from employers is unambiguous. Being able to explain your thinking, contribute clearly in meetings, respond to questions, and communicate with a range of stakeholders is now seen as essential, not optional.
Research into employer expectations reinforces this message. A detailed study of employers’ perspectives on workplace communication skills found that employers consistently indicate that they prize employee communication skills. Importantly, when employers talk about communication, they are not referring only to writing emails or reports. They place particular value on oral communication, including the ability to explain ideas clearly, contribute verbally in meetings, present information, and respond effectively to questions.
The study also highlights that communication skills are often used by employers as a shorthand for a broader set of capabilities, including clarity of thinking, confidence, adaptability, and the ability to work effectively with others. For graduates, this means that how well they speak and communicate verbally plays a significant role in how their competence and potential are judged in the workplace.
This is particularly relevant at a time when artificial intelligence is reshaping many roles. Research from Harvard Business School argues that as AI takes over more routine and technical tasks, human skills such as communication, judgment, collaboration, and influence become the differentiators. Graduates who can communicate well are better able to work alongside new technologies, explain complex ideas, build trust, and adapt to change. These are things AI cannot do on their behalf.
New Zealand recruitment firms report similar patterns. Across public and private sector recruitment, communication consistently ranks near the top of the skills employers struggle to find in graduates and early-career professionals. Employers expect graduates to contribute verbally in meetings, present ideas, and interact confidently with colleagues and clients far earlier in their careers than they once did.
And yet, many graduates arrive in the workplace under-prepared for this reality.
Verbal communication is part of the education system. Students present speeches, contribute to tutorials, and complete group projects. But in practice, it is often possible to progress through school and even university with strong grades while still avoiding or struggling with speaking in front of others. From what I see in my work, many people only realise how important communication skills are once they are promoted or expected to present to senior leaders or clients.
There is some good news. Many young people actively seek out opportunities to build their communication skills through debating, drama, student leadership, and other programmes. Increasingly, young people also see strong communicators on platforms like YouTube and TikTok and recognise that being able to speak clearly and confidently opens doors.
But I continue to worry about those who miss out. The quiet students who avoid speaking. The ones who meet assessment requirements without ever feeling comfortable presenting. The graduates who only recognise the importance of communication when the stakes are already high.
Verbal communication is not an innate talent that some graduates have and others do not. It is a skill. And like any skill, it can be learned, practised, and improved.
In a workplace shaped by rapid change and advancing technology, verbal communication remains one of the most human skills we have. And for graduates, it is one of the strongest signals of readiness, credibility, and future potential.
