An incredibly important skill
I whole-heartedly agree with you on this point. I have long been touting the need for effective communication, even when it's just a quick conversation between good friends.
I am very detail-oriented and enjoy using the correct technical jargon when explaining things with others. When explaining things to people I know are "non-techy" I still use these words, but explain them afterward in a way that I hope they understand. This technique doesn't always work though, as some people don't care what this is or how that works; they'd rather just get a quick run-down. In any case, effective communication is underrated in my opinion. After all, letters, words and sentences don't have a function until they mean something. They are simply tools to convey messages from one person to another.
