The need for communication skills in the meteorological private sector

In 1995, the American Meteorological Society (AMS) conducted a survey of the private sector members of the AMS. The results, published in the Bulletin of the AMS, substantiate the importance of teaching communication skills in colleges and universities.

• The top three jobs performed by the professional meteorologists were broadcasting, general consulting, and weather information/communications.

• The top five requirements for advancement are quality of work, communication skills, experience, meteorological expertise, and writing skills.

• The top three additional desireable skills are presentation/communication, computer programming, and technical writing.

• “The leading ‘other skill’ mentioned by respondents was ‘presentation/communication skills’ (86% of respondents). This includes not only the obvious ability to communicate one’s forecast (or other work products) but also transcends into other areas of business, such as sales, marketing, and preparation of documentation.”

• When asked what can colleges and universities be doing to better prepare individuals for initial employment in the private sector, the three most common answers were
  
  
  
  • encouraging internships and summer programs for students,
    
  • stressing communication skills, and
    
  • offering hands-on experience with forecasting products and their application.
    

• When asked what courses should be taught in meteorology programs to best prepare students for a career in the private sector, the three most common answers were
  
  
  
  • synoptics,
    
  • communication, and
    
  • dynamics.
    
  
  Technical writing was sixth.
  

Houghton, D. D., T. S. Glickman, J. Dannenberg, and S. L. Marsh, 1996: Results of the 1995 AMS Private Sector Survey. Bull. Amer. Meteor. Soc., 77, 325–333.

Thanks to Paul Croft for pointing me to this article. Graphic from Bob Henson, UCAR.