It started as an assignment.

Recently, someone I respect challenged me to devise a communication framework to assess the communication skills of professionals and executives. Then, the goal was to track their improvements and close identified gaps over time.

I’m no stranger to communication skills assessment, training, and coaching. I’ve been fortunate to have facilitated communication sessions for 1,000+ executives and leaders for almost a decade at the Lagos Business School — a prestigious institution named #1 in Africa by the 2025 Financial Times executive education ranking. At that educational powerhouse, I’ve received 4.9/5 ratings for executive seminars.

Considering my obsession with effective communication for two decades and my positioning as the #7 communication professional in the 2025 Global Gurus ranking, I’ve seen some gaps recur across professional grades, industries, and regions.

Therefore, I know that communication assessment is necessary to identify deficiencies so that professionals, executives, and leaders can upskill and thrive.

Why existing tools are inadequate

The problem?

Most communication assessments focus on one or two aspects. This fragmented approach leads to incomplete development, leaving professionals and leaders with hidden weaknesses that can stall careers or limit business impact.

For example, Mr X, a leader, might get standing ovations for his rousing speeches. But if he can’t write clear, persuasive shareholder letters (Buffett-style), then his ambiguity stalls execution.   

What about the female executive, Ms Y, who has excellent interpersonal skills (aka ‘people skills’) and garners trust in her region? If she communicates poorly across cultures or falls apart in a crisis, her impact is diminished.

In this AI age, note that effective communication skills are your superpower to collaborate, inspire, influence, and generate results.

So, I built a solution to transform the global marketplace.

I developed a framework to fill the gap for a rigorous assessment tool that integrates the four most essential communication domains.

Enter The Global 4-Domain Communication Skills Rating Tool.

1) Overview of the Tool:

The Global 4-Domain Communication Skills Tool is the first comprehensive framework that assesses communication capabilities across four domains to minimise subjective biases.

Consider it an X-ray of your communication abilities that gives valuable information on strengths and gaps so that targeted intervention can be applied, and your growth can be tracked.

This tool is the roadmap to upskill and amplify your credibility across industries and regions.

2) Scope of the Tool: The 4 Domains

This tool differs from others because it integrates four domains, which are rarely assessed together:

Domain 1: Nonverbal Communication & Interpersonal Skills

Critical for boosting trust, spurring cooperation, ensuring collaboration, and nurturing relationships.

Domain 2: Verbal Communication (Public Speaking & Presentations)

Critical for winning hearts and minds, coaxing buy-in, and getting results

Domain 3: Business Writing

Critical for clear, powerful writing that educates, advocates, and persuades

Domain 4: Leadership Communication & Influence

Critical for sharing vision, leading with warmth, communicating accountability, and inspiring people to action

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3) Features of the Tool

a) 360-degree option

Multiple evaluators can complete the assessment to gain comprehensive communication development insights.

It also provides value to six groups: professionals, executives, leaders, learning & development specialists, succession planners, and global organisations.

b) Proprietary methodologies

Integrated in the tool are my three proprietary models (also introduced in my business communication blueprint Influence & Thrive) that sharpen communication delivery and generate results: ABF Formula, Three Rules of Business Writing, and the six-component Flexible Communication Strategy.

These methodologies are seamlessly embedded to provide clarity, depth, and completeness.

c) Professional benchmarks

The Global 4-Domain Communication Skills Rating Tool supplies benchmarks for communication mastery at different professional levels, from entry-level to the C-suite. Furthermore, the tiered rating system presents aspirational and inspirational paths to communication skills mastery.

4) Benefits of the Tool

a) Global relevance

The tool tackles the WIIFM (what’s-in-it-for-me) premise:

For professionals at all levels, it helps to identify communication blind spots that diminish effectiveness and impede growth.

For executive recruiters, the professional benchmarks are useful for role-specific evaluations.

For learning and development specialists, the tool enables the design of targeted interventions to improve communication competencies.

b) Cultural intelligence

The tool superbly addresses the reality of the global marketplace by tackling the effect of cultural intelligence on communication effectiveness.

The emphasis on cultural appropriateness throughout all domains (proxemics, formality levels, communication directness, etc.) makes it priceless for multinationals and global leaders.

c) Supplementary notes and resources

Concise notes and recommended resources that accompany the tool offer further insights and guide post-assessment actions.

Conclusion

So, that challenge led me to develop a robust and relevant assessment tool. Now, I’m excited to see its impact around the globe because I’m convinced of one thing:

Despite machines perfecting routine communication, your enhanced communication skills across the four critical domains become your superpower and differentiator in this AI era. They will determine whether you influence people beyond your borders, snag that promotion, receive approvals for impressive projects where others failed, or generate support for your vision.

With the Global 4-Domain Communication Skills Rating Tool, you identify deficiencies and refine your abilities to position yourself for success globally.

Important notes:

1) The Global 4-Domain Communication Skills Rating Tool will be available for early access in Q3 of 2025.

2) The methodologies, frameworks, and evaluation criteria are the exclusive intellectual property of Lucille Ossai.

3) Copyright terms that apply:

•   © 2025 Lucille Ossai. All rights reserved

•  The Global 4-D Communication Skills Rating Tool is a proprietary intellectual property

• Unauthorised reproduction or distribution is prohibited

Over to you:

Be honest:

Which of the four domains do you think is the most useful in your professional advancement, and why? Share your thoughts in the comments.

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N.B: All images are courtesy of Lucille Ossai.