Virtual reality (VR) has emerged as a promising technology for training oral communication skills (OCS), resulting in a rapidly growing body of research. We conducted a systematic review of 57 studies (2013–2025) mapping OCS types, communication contexts, and key variables, and introduce a conceptual model to guide future research and practice. Findings reveal that current VR-based OCS training captures only a small part of oral communication. Expanding the Cognitive Affective Model of Immersive Learning (CAMIL), we highlight the need for stronger theoretical and pedagogical foundations by exploring cognitive-affective mediators (e.g., cognitive load) and learner-related moderators (e.g., learning styles).

Research on psychological safety has expanded rapidly; however, how employees’ communication behaviors shape organizational adjustment remains underexplored. This study examined two dimensions of discussion skills—Discussion Leadership and Empathy—and their associations with psychological safety and adaptive attitudes. A survey of 300 employees in Japan showed a dual-path pattern. Empathy was the strongest predictor of psychological safety, whereas Discussion Leadership was directly associated with adaptive attitudes independent of psychological safety. These findings specify distinct affective and structural communication mechanisms underlying workplace adjustment and highlight Discussion Leadership as a high-impact, learnable skill for fostering engagement, retention, and psychologically safe work environments.

This study examines how information workers perceive charismatic communication in Finnish knowledge-intensive organizations. Based on 10 semi-structured interviews across IT firms, government agencies, and financial institutions conducted in 2014–2015, it identifies six dimensions of charismatic communication that emerged inductively through thematic analysis: authority, approachability, character, aspiration, integrity, and intelligence. Findings suggest that charismatic leaders combine confidence with warmth, emotionally engage followers, and adjust their style to different contexts. The research contributes to leadership studies by offering a perception-based understanding of charisma as a multidimensional and situational phenomenon in a Nordic cultural context. While the small, purposefully selected sample limits generalizability, the study provides rich qualitative insights into how charismatic communication manifests in flat, egalitarian organizational cultures that differ markedly from the Anglo-American contexts dominating existing research.

This study aims to explore the significance and relationship between soft skills of students and entry-level career success in the Malaysian logistics industry. Utilizing a descriptive and correlational research methodology, data were collected from 381 logistics students, educators, and industry professionals. Quantitative analysis using SPSS V 26 and structural equation modeling revealed that communication, problem solving, teamwork, and adaptability positively affect career success, while leadership showed no significant impact on entry-level career success. The study recommends experiential learning, workshops, and mentorship to address soft skills deficits and enhance employability in the evolving logistics industry.

This study examines how entrepreneurs’ public-speaking competence shapes investor sentiment and firm valuation in China’s emerging industries. Drawing on nine cases across digital technology, cryptocurrency, and new energy vehicles, we analyzed narrative structure, emotional marker density, credibility anchors, and delivery dynamics. Findings from this mixed methods study shows that while narrative structure and emotional marker density cues has no significant effect on Investor Sentiment, credibility anchors and delivery dynamics significantly enhance investor sentiment, which mediates their effect on firm valuation change. These results highlight that credibility anchors and delivery dynamics function as the strongest communicative signals, amplifying investor confidence and valuation outcomes. For practitioners, the study underscores the strategic value of cultivating credibility and delivery skills to strengthen market trust and access to capital. By linking communication and entrepreneurial outcomes, this research clarifies how rhetorical competence can be leveraged to support firm growth in competitive environments.

This review analyzes 59 studies from 2014 to 2024 examining design thinking integration in professional communication pedagogy across eight disciplinary journals. Design thinking has evolved from experimental use to systematic pedagogical approaches, with assignment-level integration proving most viable for educators. Empathy interviews and user research bridge design thinking principles with communication pedagogy’s audience awareness focus. Students show enhanced empathy, improved collaboration, and increased creative confidence with high motivation levels. Implementation challenges include time constraints, student resistance to ambiguity, and assessment difficulties. The study recommends scaffolded introduction, integration with existing content, and institutional support for desirable implementation in business and professional communication pedagogy.

As social media use proliferates, so does hateful language on such platforms among users. How might product teams be empowered to tackle hateful speech and promote inclusive language proactively among users? We developed an intervention that targets the organizational culture of tech companies and their product teams as a driver for change. More specifically, the intervention aimed to advance inclusive language practices within product teams, while introducing product development frameworks for advancing inclusive language and mitigating hateful language among social media product users. For this study, we partnered with a large U.S.-headquartered tech firm that owns several social media products to develop and pilot the intervention. The intervention was implemented with 238 participants—representing employees of the firm across several global locations, with particular representation from the United States—in seven workshops. Forty participants were tracked semilongitudinally across three surveys—prior to the intervention, immediately after, and 4 months after. Two participants participated in in-depth interviews 6 months after the intervention. Survey data were submitted to ordinal regression models that examined difference in workshop attendees’ confidence levels across the three time periods. Findings reveal positive impacts over time among product teams in regard to enhanced agency in advancing inclusive language and mitigating hateful speech among users. More specifically, confidence levels to guide one’s team in preventing or mitigating harmful language among product users significantly increased by 13.6% ( p  < .0001) from before the intervention to both postworkshop surveys. Confidence levels to guide one’s team in enhancing inclusive language among users significantly increased by 18.1% ( p  < .0001) pre- to postworkshop. Positive correlations are present between the measures. Lastly, qualitative responses in the surveys and interviews express appreciation of learning gained in the workshops, but also the need to continue such interventions as an effort to maintain critical understandings of inclusive language practices.

Advanced technologies and other rapid changes in the global business environment, especially following the pandemic of 2020, have fundamentally disrupted how, when, and where we work. Through design thinking, business communicators can reenvision the affordance of traditional rhetoric to thrive in this new workplace. The article opens with a scenario based on the postpandemic problem of accommodating a hybrid style of work and then describes how the mindset and method of design thinking transform traditional rhetoric. Grounded in empathetic collaboration, design thinking positions rhetoric as a recursive, nonlinear, and nimble process and provides new perspectives on rhetoric’s time-tested persuasive appeals.

This study utilizes a communication accommodation framework to explore how entrepreneurs shape positive social identities through initiated intra- and intergroup (non)accommodation with other entrepreneurs, and non-entrepreneurs. Thematic analysis of semistructured interviews with 43 women and men in several U.S. cities revealed nine themes that represent ways in which participants’ verbal and nonverbal intra- and intergroup communicative convergence and divergence enhanced the development of this identity. The results offer insights into motivation for engaging in entrepreneurial ventures. Discussed are the findings’ implications for educators, corporate consultants, and managers who seek to encourage individuals’ entrepreneurial or intrapreneurial mindsets through training program development.

Internationally operating business professionals communicate using English as a business lingua franca (BELF), which differs from “standard” English usage, leading to calls for innovations in business English (BE) pedagogy. However, how BE instructors incorporate BELF research findings in the classroom remains unexplored. Therefore, in this mixed methods explanatory sequential study, we used a questionnaire and semistructured interviews to collect data from BE instructors who had been exposed to BELF research. The findings revealed that while the exposure to BELF raised their awareness and understanding, there remain contextual, theoretical, and mindset-based obstacles to implementing BELF principles in the classroom.

This feature article delves into the experiences and insights from the interdisciplinary faculty team at Miami University’s Farmer School of Business to explore the practical application of four digital gaming platforms in the context of business communication courses. Grounded in self-determination theory, this article showcases the transformative potential of digital gamification in equipping students with a heightened sense of agency (autonomy), increased confidence (competence), and a profound sense of belonging (relatedness). This article aims to serve as a valuable resource for educators seeking innovative strategies to curate learning experiences that not only impart essential business communication skills but also cultivate agentic engagement and facilitate social learning activities.

This study assesses the potential use of artificial intelligence-programmed managers in the workplace through two experiments that manipulated source cues and time cues. Data were collected before the Novel Coronavirus pandemic and then 3 years after the pandemic’s outbreak when many businesses had returned to normal operations and ChatGPT had been released. Results held across the two experiments. Neither time nor source automation cues had an impact on the affective impressions participants formed of the simulated email exchange. Attention check data further suggests time cues may no longer be a relevant predictor of impression formation in workplace communication.

The emergence of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies is significantly impacting public relations (PR) practices, especially in the area of organization-public dialogues. This study explores how Kenyan PR practitioners perceive AI’s influence on their ability to achieve mutuality and openness, which are core principles of effective communication. Through in-depth interviews, the findings reveal that AI is regarded as a valuable tool for transforming dialogues across both online and offline channels, indicating a paradigm shift in how practitioners facilitate communication. However, concerns surrounding AI-generated content, data security transparency, and the responsible application of AI technology also arose, potentially affecting trust between organizations and their publics. The implications of these findings are discussed.

The research combines explanatory and predictive modeling to examine the impact of annual report tone in predicting publicly traded companies’ profitability in Vietnam, an emerging Southeast Asian market. SGMM regression shows that this year’s narrative tone affects next year’s profitability. The study also used Scikit-learn Python machine learning algorithms to forecast profitability. The tone-based forecasting model that incorporates the company’s general and financial features predicts profitability is the most effective model. This study provides stakeholders such as investors and creditors with an approach to predict future profitability based on the narrative tone and expands theoretical understanding of its predictive power. JEL codes: D21, G33, M40, M41

Emerging consensus suggests faculty should teach students to use large language models (LLMs) rather than ban them, but it is not clear that students need detailed AI-related instruction. To investigate, we conducted two studies: Study 1 used survey and focus group methods to assess how such instruction influenced students’ perceptions, while Study 2 used rater evaluation to examine how AI use affected message quality. Study 1 found no meaningful impact on perceptions. Study 2 found that instruction did not affect ratings, but genAI use did—messages composed with LLM assistance received higher evaluations than those without it. We conclude with recommendations for genAI-focused classroom instruction.

Teachers, students, and professionals widely use ChatGPT for business communication. Recent studies have explored predictors driving its adoption, predominantly from a general education perspective. To address this gap, this study examines predictors and barriers encountered by English for Specific Purposes (ESP) learners in India, a developing market with a significant number of ChatGPT users enrolled in business communication (BC) courses. A model based on the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT2) was proposed, incorporating seven predictors to assess their influence on the intention to use ChatGPT. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was performed on 526 students’ responses from two reputed Indian private universities, yielding a good model fit (minimum discrepancy by degree of freedom = 2.95, goodness of fit index [GFI] = 0.945, root mean square error of approximation [RMSEA] = 0.043). Further, the results identified five significant predictors: perceived usefulness (β = 0.234, p < 0.001), academic integrity (β = 0.291, p = 0.003), perceived ease of participation (β = 0.174, p = 0.013), privacy concerns (β = 0.224, p = 0.004), and perceived ease of participation’s effect on perceived usefulness (β = 0.354, p < 0.001). However, peer behavior (β = −0.032, p = 0.769) and security concerns (β = −0.059, p = 0.434) were found to be insignificant predictors. The findings suggest that ChatGPT adoption is shaped by perceived functionality, ethical confidence, ease of use, and privacy assurance, while peer behavior and security concerns play a limited role, likely due to the tool’s early-stage adoption and individualistic usage patterns. This study highlights the importance of addressing barriers through targeted training, transparent policies, and AI literacy initiatives to ensure responsible and effective integration of ChatGPT in academic and professional contexts.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, several countries have eliminated face-to-face classes in all schools, requiring all teachers to deliver classes remotely. In this regard, the wide spread of information and communication technology (ICT) products and services in the educational sector became a burden for several teachers. This article aims to study the impact of online teaching, and how technological stress might vary between male and female teachers and to what extent it alters their family lives and their way of living. The case of Lebanon has been examined and analyzed using 379 participants in various schools randomly distributed throughout the country, who participated in a survey on how COVID-19 affected their technostress levels. The findings showed that married women were more prone to technological stress and that their family life and lifestyle were strongly affected. In particular, young women with few years of experience were more likely to experience technostress problems. We also found no differences related to educational levels. In addition, the inclusion of different degrees of computer self-efficacy has shown an impact on the development of technostress among individuals.

This article discusses interdisciplinary approaches to help students overcome communication barriers by integrating performing arts in Business Communication courses. Companies emphasize a workforce with solid soft skills to succeed. International Business employs English; thus, practical communication skills in English provide access to jobs in international scenarios. However, in Puerto Rico, second-language speakers of English feel intimidated when speaking it. The emotional barriers students endure while developing intercultural and communication skills in English is a topic worth researching. Performing arts provide strategies to raise body awareness and increase self-confidence. These elements will lead to a confident and effective communicator.

This study aims to explore to what extent engineering students’ perceptions of the role of English in the workplace are affected by their internship and field of study. Previous research revealed that employers value engineers’ English communication skills highly. However, mismatches between workplace expectations and engineers’ competencies affect engineers’ employability negatively. To explore this topic, a survey and interviews were conducted. Results suggest that neither internship experience nor field of study made any difference in engineering students’ perception of the role of English in the workplace, which led to a potential mismatch between their perceptions and workplace expectations.

In a cross-institutional study, this article shares research findings about business student perceptions and experiences using an automated writing assistant program based on traditional artificial intelligence. Using a mixed-methods approach, we share student responses to Grammarly’s suggested revisions and provide insight into students’ confidence levels and correctness in workplace written communication. Finally, this study concludes with a discussion of the implications of this work related to business communication education and research, as well as possibilities for the future.

The concept of speaker credibility is proposed as mitigation to address two issues of confidence and anxiety, and gender differences, gathered from anecdotal feedback of business communication students. This article reviews the definition of speaker credibility and draws on two components—presentation skills and power—from Kenton’s source credibility model. It then discusses the two issues of confidence and anxiety, and gender differences. A speaker credibility framework is outlined from reviewing research on three specific presentation skills and proposing power from Janks’s critical literacy. Limitations and future research include testing the framework’s validity discussed at the end.

This study explores how confidence levels in user prompts affect AI-generated resume text. Using six varied prompts for AI models ChatGPT-3.5, Gemini, and Perplexity, it examines how AI interprets and responds to different confidence levels. The findings reveal significant differences in AI-generated resumes based on prompt confidence, highlighting the need to adapt resume pedagogy for the AI age. Emphasizing the importance of teaching genre conventions and developing critical AI literacies, the study offers practical recommendations for integrating AI tools into resume writing instruction to better prepare students for an increasingly digital world.

This study reports an investigative study with 55 English-major participants in a Chinese university about using simulation in business English correspondence teaching. The study found that participants had strong needs in practical skills development and learning business English correspondence writing. The simulation approach was perceived to be effective and had positive learning outcomes in business communication skills development, motivation, confidence and vocabulary growth, business and language knowledge improvement, and more understanding about the business practice. The constraint factors in simulation included lack of business knowledge and vocabulary, ineffective group cooperation, and lack of understanding about the real-world business background.

Through the guidance of social presence theory, this study sought to understand how instructors’ affirming messages and social presence behaviors affect students’ writing apprehension in online business communication courses. The data were consistent with two models, both of which indicate that instructor affirming messages indirectly affect students’ writing apprehension in the business communication classroom. Both models also indicate that students’ burnout mediates that indirect effect. The results show how important it is for instructors to take the time to leave affirming message feedback when teaching business communication online.

When companies take a stance on sociopolitical issues, it is considered corporate social advocacy (CSA). This article examines to what extent perceived corporate motives of engaging in CSA affect consumer skepticism and brand equity. It is one of the few published studies of consumer attitudes toward companies’ CSA involvement. An online survey was conducted ( N = 375). It provides evidence that consumer assessments of the motives that inspire CSA are similar to the better-researched motives that inspire CSR. The findings imply that companies need to develop a good understanding of the consumers’ attributions when engaging in CSA.

As of August 2022, COVID-19 continues to affect our daily lives in physical, psychological, and financial ways. Many vulnerable individuals are struggling to adapt to returning to work and as a result, employee morale is at risk. In times of crises, empathy is needed in the workplace to support one another, but many leaders and employees may not have a firm grasp of the concept. This article seeks to define empathetic communication and explore the need for prioritizing empathy amid the current post-COVID-19 workplace. Through a literature review of empathy, psychological safety in the workplace, and crisis leadership, the author explains how the development of empathetic communication must be intentional to achieve sustainable change and lead to long-term organizational success. Practical recommendations are provided on how organizations should define empathetic communication, provide training for leaders and employees, and incorporate empathetic communication as a standard of responsibility for every employee to be assessed on a regular basis.

This research examines the role of idiomatic expressions (IEs) in international business (IB) communication and non-native speakers’ (NNEs’) English proficiency. It investigates how IE affect IB communication’s effectiveness and whether IEs should be taught to NNE. We collected feedback from academics who confirmed the importance of IE and relevant business idioms from professional websites. We also assessed IE usage benefits for different cohorts working in IB settings. The results indicate that IE can enhance communication efficiency, cross-cultural social skills, monetary rewards, and satisfaction in IB. The findings support the need for teaching IE to NNE and justify inclusion in curricula.

In a case study involving three asynchronous online professional writing courses, this research investigates students’ abilities to establish a social presence and build team cohesion via collaborative, team-based writing projects. Using the Community of Inquiry (COI) framework, this study is situated in the understanding that teaching and learning in higher education are not about the mere transmission of knowledge but that “teaching and learning are inherently interactive” as the terms of “community” and “inquiry” used in the framework suggest. Prior researchers have also established a clear connection between one element of the COI framework— social presence and student satisfaction in online courses. Findings from this study indicate participation in collaborative team assignments contributes to team cohesion and positively affects students’ ability to establish their social presence within online environments as well as transfer their knowledge to other contexts.

This article aims to investigate the role of cultural differences within the current international business environment affected by technological advances, concentrating on the negotiation procedure and its outcome. The conclusion is based on the analysis of email interviews between top negotiators from the Czech Republic with long-term professional experience worldwide. The authors suggest considering a salesperson culture as a dynamic framework of top-down–bottom-up processes across cultural levels. Research indicates that, despite a reduction in costs thanks to the migration of negotiation meetings to online platforms, negotiators still prefer face-to-face meetings as the primary mode when managing intercultural nuances.

This study examines the effect of company field trips on Vietnamese university students’ corporate social responsibility (CSR) awareness and their intentions to share CSR-related content. Utilizing pre- and postvisit surveys among 136 students, the research reveals that these trips significantly enhance students’ understanding of CSR, particularly its ethical dimensions, and encourage them to share CSR information through social media and word-of-mouth. The research also finds that the perceived image of the company representative plays a critical role in shaping students’ intentions to disseminate CSR information, with complex interactions affecting their overall CSR perceptions. These findings underscore the importance of field trips in CSR education and suggest that both companies and educational institutions should focus on ethical and legal aspects of CSR communication to maximize its impact.

This study captured the perspectives of 887 working adults to explore views of professionalism, authenticity, and effectiveness of AI-generated messages. With a 3 (message type) × 2 (disclosed vs. undisclosed) × 2 (ChatGPT-generated vs. Google-generated AI messages) design, professionals generally view AI-generated content favorably in all conditions. Across all messages, professionals consistently rated the AI-generated messages as professional, effective, efficient, confident, and direct. They rate sincerity and caring slightly lower in some disclosed conditions, particularly for ChatGPT-generated messages, suggesting the importance of tool selection when using generative AI for workplace writing. Those professionals who use AI more frequently for work are more likely to view AI-assisted writing as authentic, effective, and confidence-building. Implications for teaching business communication, including the need to address AI literacy, and suggestions for future research are provided.

We analyze diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) reports from the top 20 Fortune 500 companies to particularly examine how these companies use visual design and representation to present an aspirational future that valorizes their current DEI efforts. We contend that if large corporations have the ability to affect outcomes among employees, stakeholders, and citizens, then educators have an obligation to prepare students to be well positioned to make change and to participate in conversations about change.

Business and professional communication courses hold special opportunities to contribute to students’ development of entrepreneurial mindsets through the use and extension of classical rhetorical theory and praxis. We situate pedagogical activities within the context of the entrepreneurial venture pitch by using Rhetorical Canons of invention, arrangement, style, memory, and delivery to develop oral discourse while recognizing and developing entrepreneurial mindsets. We utilize elements of entrepreneurial mindset development presented by Kuratko et al. and Daspit et al. to introduce business and professional communication instructors to cognitive, behavioral, and emotional aspects contributing to the establishment of entrepreneurial mindsets.

Data-driven decision making has now moved beyond its traditional domains—operations research, business economics, computer sciences, and business statistics—to “softer subjects,” such as human resource management, organization behavior, and business communication. In this context, teaching with technology encourages students to systematically apply domain knowledge to communicate across a wide variety of stakeholders. In the era of multimodal forms of communication and multiple data sources, management students must be analytical when writing compelling reports and giving persuasive presentations. They should be well versed in using both quantitative and qualitative techniques for report writing and presentation. Drawing on authentic user-generated comments on social media, this article presents two case studies on (a) crisis communication by 30 CEOs and (b) culture shock experienced by foreign tourists sojourning in India, China, and the United Arab Emirates, to demonstrate how master’s in business administration (MBA) students could derive insights from the online comments to make strategic decisions for organizational benefit and make reports based on those findings. The article asserts that this could help to cultivate a data-analytic mindset among the students by preparing them to communicate small (and big) data-driven analysis to relevant stakeholders. It attempts to suggest ways to develop MBA students’ ability to analyze their potential audiences as well as to generate meaningful insights from the available information on social media websites. Finally, it hopes to nudge business communication instructors to embrace multidisciplinary perspectives for planning a technology-based business communication assignment involving the social media landscape. Instructors can not only use the two case studies to illustrate ways to integrate technology with teaching but also create their own mini cases to improve the decision-making, report-writing, and business report presentation skills of their students.

It is unknown whether social presence in internet-based MBA courses enhances students’ career success. This study examined general self-efficacy and goal orientation mediation models to determine what strengthens MBA students’ social presence and their career planning self-confidence. Data included 278 online MBA students in an AACSB-accredited college of business. The regression analyses demonstrated that perceived general self-efficacy and goal orientation related to students’ career planning self-confidence. The mediation analyses revealed that internet self-efficacy, perceived general self-efficacy, and goal orientation had an indirect mediating effect on social presence and career planning. Implications are offered for business communication educators.

We analyze the self-rated writing skills of graduating business majors and perceptions on how much these skills changed during college. Subjective skill measures may be good proxies of objective skills, and affect outcomes such as career goals, job applications, and graduate school enrollment. The sample includes 436,370 students from 619 different institutions. On average and all else equal, business majors are estimated to be 17.6% less likely to report high writing skills at graduation when compared with other students and 11.5% less likely to report high gains in these skills during college. Average differences across disciplines are often large.

While previous research in business communication has surveyed business and professional communication instructors regarding their courses, it has not yet asked instructors about additional factors that affect their ability to teach and their students’ ability to learn. These factors include job satisfaction, institutional and collegial support, academic rank, physical teaching environment, teaching and learning resources, and student issues. This study examines the results of a survey of business and professional communication instructors regarding these factors, discusses implications for the disciplines of business and professional communication, and suggests additional avenues for advocacy and research.

This nationwide study of business communication instructors examined course delivery, course outlook, topics and depth of coverage, social media and technology coverage, diversity coverage, critical thinking, and accessibility. The outlook for the course appears positive and promising, and instructors continue to add content to the course. An important finding is that business communication instructors’ level of confidence in technology significantly affects how they cover technology-mediated communication. Therefore, we suggest professional associations and higher education institutions should provide more opportunities for voluntary training in these newer communication technologies. Further research is needed about the strain placed on business communication instructors.

Two studies investigated the effects of errors in German business letters written by Dutch students. Gaining insight into these effects is important since Germany and the Netherlands are one of the largest economically interdependent partnerships. One hundred and fifty-six German professionals rated letters with errors and letters without errors on comprehensibility, attitude toward text, writer organization, and behavioral intention. Errors negatively affected attitude toward text, writer, and organization. The second study investigated whether pragmatic, syntactical, lexical, and morphological errors elicited different effects on the same variables. Pragmatic and syntactical errors aroused negative effects and, therefore, deserve extra attention in class.

Although most students have learned to succeed academically, by the time they enter our business communication courses, their time as students is almost over. This article describes the challenges facing “students who will soon stop being students” and introduces the professional online portfolio as a project which enables them to develop the confidence, the capacity, and a concrete platform with which to communicate with the world outside the black box of school.

The present study experimentally manipulated the gender of an email sender, closing salutation, and sending mode (i.e., email sent via desktop computer/laptop as compared with email sent via a mobile device) to determine if these specific cues influence first impressions of the sender’s competence, professionalism, positive affect, and negative affect. Although no effect of sending mode was found, closing salutation influenced perceptions; females were viewed as less professional when using “Thanks!” as opposed to using “Best,” “Thank you,” or no salutation. However, in general, females were viewed as more professional than males, and “Thanks!” elicited perceptions of positive affect.

This study was undertaken to provide a more complete understanding of how the selection of various media in virtual team settings affects student team coordination. A total of 75 teams of 304 undergraduate participants took part in the study. Participants were asked to complete surveys before and after the project. Findings suggest that well-coordinated teams appeared to have anticipated the usefulness of social networking and richer communication channels earlier in the project than less well-coordinated teams. After engaging in virtual teamwork, team members identified rich and social channels as more effective while finding less rich channels to be less effective.

The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of the four listening styles of business communication students on their demonstration of compassion for others and themselves. A sample of 387 business students completed a questionnaire that inquired about their perceptions of their preferred listening style, their compassion for others, and their self-compassion for those in a given organization. This study found that people listening positively affected both compassion and self-compassion. Another finding was that action listening negatively affected both compassion and self-compassion. Other findings are also discussed along with future directions.

This article reports on the current status of client projects (CPs) in business communication courses, provides a scaffolded model for implementing CP, and assesses student learning in CPs. Using a longitudinal mixed method research design, survey data and qualitative materials from six semesters are presented. The instructor survey indicated need for a model for CPs, assistance identifying community partners, and advice on tailoring CPs to course objectives, all of which are provided here. Results from assessing the model’s application indicate that students expressed higher levels of confidence as communicators and felt better prepared to engage in workplace communication.

This study was conducted to determine the effectiveness of a soft skills employee training program. We examined willingness to learn and delivery methods (face-to-face vs. online) and their associations with the training outcomes in terms of learning and behavioral change. Results showed that neither participants’ willingness to learn nor delivery methods affected comprehension. However, both variables had significant effects on the reported behavioral change. This training is effective in teaching employees how to “flex” their personal styles and to improve their relationships with each other. Implications for business and professional communication training and directions for future research are discussed in detail.

This study tests the recognition of errors in context and whether the presence of errors affects the reader’s perception of the writer’s ethos. In an experimental, posttest only design, participants were randomly assigned a memo to read in an online survey: one version with errors and one version without. Of the six intentional errors in version one, on average, readers only noticed two errors, which suggests that readers notice some but not all errors. The ethos ranking for the writer was also statistically significant between the two versions, suggesting that the presence of errors can affect the writer’s ethos.

With the widespread popularity of distance learning, there is a need to investigate elements of online courses that continue to pose significant challenges for educators. One of the challenges relates to creating and managing group projects. This study investigated business students’ perceptions of group work in online classes. The constructs of learning and social interaction, process satisfaction, product satisfaction, and use of technology in the virtual learning environment were investigated. The use of social media networks by group participants was also examined. Recommendations are provided for business educators looking to develop or enhance teamwork in virtual learning environments.

Crisis has affected businesses worldwide. Many international corporations must cope with this turmoil, which affects their economic liability. Firms express their actual financial situation in the annual reports they issue every year. The annual report is a document that combines both promotional and informative features. Our study tries to find out how companies from two different countries (United States and Spain) deal with the issue of crisis in difficult times through their annual report. Additionally, and from a pedagogical perspective, we discuss the benefits of using the annual report in the teaching of writing for our students.

Typical business communication courses provide significantly more opportunities for students to hone their skills in writing compared with speaking. This article outlines an impromptu speech assignment and explains a course-level strategy for providing each student with more than 30 significant speaking opportunities during a term. This approach has proven to be surprisingly popular as students observe a remarkable transformation in their confidence and competence with presentational speaking. Teaching strategies, assignment guidelines, results, and additional resources are presented.