I have a Bachelor's in computer science and a Master's in technical communication. In addition to my IT background, I also have experience as a professional technical writer. And on top of all that, I teach part-time at the community college level.

I think I can honestly say that I've been around the block when it comes to the importance of communication. I strongly believe that 90% of the world's problems can be solved simply by communication. And when I say "communication," it means both parties are speaking, and -- most importantly -- both parties are receptive to what's being communicated.

(Note: This is not to say I consider myself an expert at communication; I've had more than my share of communication screw-ups!)

I'm constantly amazed as to the number of issues we have that are due to communication problems -- and that's almost always the root cause.