Importance of Communication Skills in ISAudit

In the workplace, soft skills can determine the difference between success and failure, regardless of the technical results ^[1]. It is not uncommon for someone to have enough charisma to be successful despite major weaknesses in other areas ^[1]. The importance of soft skills gradually ^[2] increases as an auditor climb up the career ladder. One of the key soft skills in IS audit is communication skills

As defined in http://en.wikipedia.org, communication is a process whereby information is enclosed in a package and is channeled and imparted by asender to a receiver via some medium. Thus, communication is a process of transferring information from one entity to another. Obviously, communication skills play a big role in IS audit as the profession continually involves communication to another party. More often than not, IS assurance professionals are required to interact withall types of people from different position levels. By communicating with those people, auditors establish understanding of the process, potential risks, and able to review the implementation of governance and controls in the company. This often involves asking tough questions and collecting sensitive information. At the end of the audit, IS auditors will communicate the audit result to management. Therefore, communication skills and the ability to establish and maintain positive relationships with other people during the course of the audit are one of the critical factors in achieving an effective IS audit.