The Communication Aptitude Trait Measures How an Idea Gets Across
The communication aptitude trait is one of the People Traits scored on the Aptitude assessments. It predicts who can get an idea into somebody else's head, and who will say it once and assume it landed.
DEFINITION
The communication aptitude trait measures the understanding of how to get an idea over to another person. It scores knowledge of the best ways to do that, so a candidate is answering questions about method rather than demonstrating fluency, volume or confidence in conversation.
What Does the Communication Aptitude Trait Measure?
What the communication aptitude trait is not. It is not supervision ability. Consequently, somebody can score well here and still be the wrong choice to run a team, because directing people draws on separate readings entirely. Supervisor Strength and Coaching Strength cover that ground instead.
What the Communication Aptitude Trait Helps You Evaluate Before You Hire
Eight questions carry this reading, each offering five answers with only one correct, so a candidate could reach 20 by guessing alone. Treat anything under 25 as no demonstrated understanding rather than a mild weakness, and note that 25 itself sits in a gap between the two lowest ranges.
Why the Communication Aptitude Trait Matters in Hiring
This reading sits underneath most of the other People Traits, because nearly all of them depend on getting an idea across first. It also shares its name with a self-reported behavioral trait, which makes reading the two together unusually informative.
Knowledge, Not Fluency
A polished interview answer proves somebody can talk. This reading asks whether they know how to make an idea land.
Two Traits, One Name
A self-reported Communication trait also appears on the behavioral chart, and nobody can simply talk this scored version upward.
Not Supervision Ability
Getting an idea across and directing a team are separate readings, so a strong score promises nothing about managing people.
How a low Communication Aptitude score shows up on the job
The cost never lands on the person communicating. Instead, it lands on everybody who has to guess what was actually meant.
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How the Communication Aptitude Trait Is Scored
Eight questions produce a score from 0 to 100 across six named ranges, and the three bands below summarize them. Because the lowest range stops below 25 while the next one starts at 26, treat 25 itself as part of the low band.
Read this beside the Communication trait on the behavioral chart. That one is self-reported and scores willingness to speak up, so a low reading here against a high self-report means somebody overrates how well they explain.
Low — under 39
A poor understanding of the best ways to get ideas over to others. Under 25 guessing alone could produce it.
Medium — 39 to 55
A borderline to OK understanding of the best ways to get an idea over to another person, and nothing more.
High — 56 to 100
A good understanding of the best ways to get ideas over to others, which becomes excellent from 70 points upward.
Communication is one of the People Traits on the Aptitude assessments
Each trait in this set scores knowledge about people rather than personality. Moreover, this particular reading sits underneath several of the others, because most of them depend on getting an idea across first. Understand Human Nature names Communication among its own relations, since pitching an idea depends on predicting how somebody receives it.
Trainer
Trainer is a close relation in both directions. Teaching a procedure is getting an idea across with a narrower purpose.
Customer Service Strength
Defusing a frustrated customer depends on landing the explanation quickly, which is exactly why these two readings sit closely together.
Solution Selling
Solution Selling asks somebody to explain how a service fixes a problem, so a weak reading here undermines that one.
Listener
Listener scores the importance somebody places on listening. Read both together, since explaining anything well starts with hearing the question.
People Traits
The category this trait belongs to. Every People Trait is scored from multiple choice questions with one correct answer, so these readings measure what a candidate knows rather than how they describe themselves. This one underpins most of the others.
Best Practice: Always read this score next to the trait of the same name on the behavioral chart, which scores willingness to express ideas rather than method. A low score with a high self-report means somebody overrates how well they explain.
How to Interpret Communication Aptitude Results
Six named ranges cover this trait. Both the IC Aptitude Test and the Sales Aptitude Test include it.
What to Do Based on Your Communication Aptitude Score
Guessing alone could simply reach 20 here, so treat this as a very poor understanding of the best ways to get ideas over to other people.
A poor understanding of the best ways to get ideas over to others. Avoid placing this candidate anywhere that explaining unfamiliar work is a daily requirement.
A borderline understanding of the best ways to get ideas over to others. Workable only where written instructions already exist and somebody else usually prepares them.
An OK understanding of the best ways to get ideas over to others. Compare it against your role benchmark, since explaining load differs sharply between positions.
A good understanding of the best ways to get ideas over to others. Strong for any position that has to brief, hand over or explain regularly.
An excellent understanding of the best ways to get ideas over to others. Read Supervisor Strength separately before assuming the person can also direct a team.
Assessment results support your hiring decisions, they do not replace them. Always read the communication aptitude trait score alongside the full profile and your role benchmarks before drawing a conclusion.
The Communication Aptitude Trait Matters for Every Role You Hire
Because the amount of explaining a job demands differs sharply between positions, benchmarks define what each reading means. Therefore, review results against the benchmark for the specific job.
Relevant for all role types
Customer Service Representative
Account Executive
Technical Support Specialist
Project Coordinator
Service Coordinator
Corporate Trainer
Team Lead
Field Engineer
If any of these situations sound familiar, this assessment is for you
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Frequently Asked Questions
It measures the understanding of how to get an idea over to another person. The questions ask about the best ways to do that, which means the score reflects knowledge of method rather than fluency, volume or confidence in conversation.
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