Big Five Personality Traits and Assertiveness do not Affect Mastery of Communication Skills

Authors

Jeroen Kuntze, Department of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Open University, The NetherlandsFollow
Henk T. van der Molen, Faculty of Social Sciences, Erasmus University Rotterdam, The Netherlands
Marise Ph. Born, Department of Psychology, Erasmus University Rotterdam, The Netherlands

Abstract

Background: Mastering communication skills is often emphasized as an important aspect of job or academic performance. However, research into the relationships between personality factors and these skills is scarce. Purpose: This study investigated whether the big-five personality factors and assertiveness predict mastery of communication skills before and after following communication skills training. Method: The skills level of 143 psychology students was assessed after two communication skills courses, namely a basic and an advanced communication skills training. Personality factors were assessed with the Five Factor Personality Inventory and the Scale for Interpersonal Behavior. Results: Participants showed substantial progress in their mastery of the communication skills after both courses. Surprisingly, none of the personality factors predicted the level of mastery of these skills. Discussion: This seems to imply that trainees can become professional communicators, regardless of their scores on these personality factors.

Recommended Citation

Kuntze, Jeroen; van der Molen, Henk T.; and Born, Marise Ph. (2016) "Big Five Personality Traits and Assertiveness do not Affect Mastery of Communication Skills," Health Professions Education: Vol. 2: Iss. 1, Article 6.
DOI: 10.1016/j.hpe.2016.01.009
Available at: https://hpe.researchcommons.org/journal/vol2/iss1/6