Business and Professional Communication: Where Are We Now? Are We Teaching Skills That Are Necessary in Business Today?

The current trends of today's workplace indicate that effective communication in business is very important. If academics are in sync theoretically and conceptually with the business world, they are not effectively communicating those theories and concepts to students; academics must be stronger in the area of application. A survey was conducted of 1,000 managers/recruiters as well as academicians who teach business and professional communication at colleges and universities; 346 questionnaires were returned. Academics and recruiters generally agreed on the top five characteristics necessary for new hires in getting and keeping a professional job: ability to communicate; ability to get along with people; listening effectively; and teamwork capabilities. Academics included"writing effectively" on their list; recruiters included "time management skills." An examination of texts used in business communication courses shows strong similarities on the level of content. However, professors should go beyond instruction in communication techniques to engage students more deeply in the nature and function of business communication. Five options are suggested: (1) use communication technology in the classroom; (2) use multimedia presentations in the classroom; (3) bring the real business world into the classroom; (4) do exercises using a hypothetical company; (5) perform realistic role-play simulations. (Contains 20 references.) (TB)