Richard Anderson, CEO of Delta Airlines, defined his expectations for effective communication in a recent NYT interview.

1.  Know the fundamentals.  "People really have to be able to handle the written and spoken word."  This applies to expressing yourself verbally as well as on paper or in emails.

2.  Think clearly about what you will say.  Anderson believes you need a subject, verb and object to convey "complete thoughts."  Too many mangers sketch out thoughts (a la PowerPoint bullets) vs. fleshing them out.

3.  Prepare for meetings.  Distribute clear and concise documents for meetings in advance.  And start meetings on time.

4.  Engage in discussion.  Anderson welcomes alternate points of view.  "I want to hear everybody's perspective, so I try to ask more questions than make statements."  This avoids "groupthink."

5.  Listen to others.  Focus on what others are saying.  You'll be better informed and better prepared to deal with issues before they turn into problems.