ABSTRACT
In all jobs planners take on, the ability to communicate effectively is essential, perhaps the most essential of all required skills. The key required communication skills are writing and editing; preparing graphics; making oral, written, and graphic presentations; giving clear directions and listening to others; and knowing how to respond to and manage the media. Whether planners are a public agency planner, a consultant, a real estate developer, or a nonprofit representative, they may have to venture out in public and communicate what their work is all about to people whom they want to inform or persuade. Another form of working and communicating with the public takes place during the plan-making process, in which citizens participate (through citizens advisory committees) in assisting and directing professionals. First and foremost in planners' arsenal of skills must be the effective use of words.
