Communication quotient (CQ; alternately called communication intelligence or CI) is the

theory A theory is a rational type of abstract thinking about a phenomenon, or the results of such thinking. The process of contemplative and rational thinking is often associated with such processes as observational study or research. Theories may be s ...

that

communication Communication (from la, communicare, meaning "to share" or "to be in relation with") is usually defined as the transmission of information. The term may also refer to the message communicated through such transmissions or the field of inquir ...

is a

behavior Behavior (American English) or behaviour (British English) is the range of actions and mannerisms made by individuals, organisms, systems or artificial entities in some environment. These systems can include other systems or organisms as wel ...

-based skill that can be measured and trained. CQ measures the ability of people to communicate effectively with one another. In 1999 Mario de Vries was the first to present a theory on CQ measurement. The first scholarly article referring to CQ was "CQ: the Communication Quotient for IS professionals" by Robert Service.

History

The development of CQ began with challenges to the idea that IQ fully explained cognitive ability. In 1983

Howard Gardner Howard Earl Gardner (born July 11, 1943) is an American developmental psychologist and the John H. and Elisabeth A. Hobbs Research Professor of Cognition and Education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education at Harvard University. He is cur ...

published ''Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences''. Gardner claimed that IQ failed to fully explain

cognitive ability Cognitive skills, also called cognitive functions, cognitive abilities or cognitive capacities, are brain-based skills which are needed in acquisition of knowledge, manipulation of information and reasoning. They have more to do with the mechanisms ...

. CQ is one of Gardner's "intelligences".

Daniel Goleman Daniel Goleman (born March 7, 1946) is an author, psychologist, and science journalist. For twelve years, he wrote for ''The New York Times'', reporting on the brain and behavioral sciences. His 1995 book ''Emotional Intelligence'' was on ''Th ...

emotional intelligence Emotional intelligence (EI) is most often defined as the ability to perceive, use, understand, manage, and handle emotions. People with high emotional intelligence can recognize their own emotions and those of others, use emotional information ...

and

social intelligence Social intelligence is the capacity to know oneself and to know others. Social intelligence is learned and develops from experience with people and learning from success and failures in social settings. Social intelligence is the ability to underst ...

are others. As explained by de Vries: one measure of intelligence is to be able to explain an insight, whether it is analytical or emotional. Hence, CQ is required to activate IQ and EQ.

Definitions

The Times of India ''The Times of India'', also known by its abbreviation ''TOI'', is an Indian English-language daily newspaper and digital news media owned and managed by The Times Group. It is the third-largest newspaper in India by circulation and largest ...

'' in 2005 , in "A Shift from IQ", referred to CQ as an ability multi-national corporations were seeking among Indian graduates. In 2005 Craig Harrison in ''Improving Your Communication Quotient'' described CQ skills specifically in terms of

workplace communication Workplace communication is the process of exchanging information and ideas, both verbally and non-verbally between one person or group and another person or group within an organization. It includes e-mails, videoconferencing, text messages, notes, ...

. In 2007 Clare Munn defined CQ as "Expressive & Receptive Intelligence" the communication bridge between IQ and EQ. In 2011 Alistair Gordon and Steve Kimmens in ''The CQ Manifesto'' defined CQ as "saying the right thing in the right way to the right people at the right time in a such a way that the message is received and understood as it was intended". Robert Service presented CQ as a measurable and improvable type of intelligence, specifically for IT and IS professionals. Service argued that the improvement of communication skills allows individuals promotion opportunities. The article presents two models to explain communication: * a model of two-way communications * CQ measurement and improvement matrix. In 2020 de Vries finished research into the distinctive factors of communication at HAN University of Applied Sciences in

Arnhem Arnhem ( or ; german: Arnheim; South Guelderish: ''Èrnem'') is a city and municipality situated in the eastern part of the Netherlands about 55 km south east of Utrecht. It is the capital of the province of Gelderland, located on both banks of ...

. He concluded that all communication models are mere frameworks than models, because they lack measurement. Furthermore these frameworks only visualizations of information flows. De Vries defined more than forty communication competences in seven different layers. The result is a proven system for measuring CQ. De Vries claimed that communication competences are different from communications skills, such as presentation skills. Competences can be taught in a learning program, skills need to be trained. He defines CQ as "the competence and creativity to communicate content in the context of the consumer to maximize the capacity of that information".Mario de Vries, ''CQ: The Discovery of a Communication Code'' (self published: Dutch version 2020, English version 2021).

References

{{Reflist Business terms Human communication Industrial and organizational psychology Intelligence by type

History

Definitions

See also

References