IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication Sep 2016

Lessons from Scranton: Using Scenes from the Television Series The Office to Teach Topics in Professional Communication

Janel Bloch Northern Kentucky University ; Sandra E. Spataro Northern Kentucky University

Abstract

Background: Despite efforts to include communication instruction in both college and continuing education curricula for students in all areas of study, workplace surveys continually report that employees' communication skills are lacking. The differing contexts of school and the workplace may be one reason for this disconnect, so teaching strategies that can effectively bridge this gap are needed. Research questions: How do students respond to using scenes from a television series to teach professional communication concepts within workplace contexts? What are advantages and drawbacks to this strategy? Situating the case: Strategies used to teach professional communication in a way that facilitates its application in the workplace include classroom exercises, service-learning projects involving real clients, and simulations. In addition, videos are a commonly used method of classroom teaching. They can activate verbal/linguistic, visual/spatial, and musical/rhythmic intelligences, allowing students to use their stronger intelligences and develop their weaker ones. Research also suggests that students appreciate visual stimulation and technology use when learning communication skills. How the case was studied: Students completed a brief end-of-course survey to gather both qualitative and quantitative data concerning their learning experiences with the activities described. About the case: To make undergraduate writing courses more relevant to the workplace, specific scenes from The Office were integrated to teach units on negative messages and intercultural issues. Following these clips, students completed both in-class exercises and course assignments pertaining to the topics covered. Results: After completing the class sessions and associated exercises described here, most students could discern the relevant concepts from the clips; they found both the clips and the associated exercises helpful in learning the concepts; and they recommended ongoing use in future classes. Students appreciated the comedic nature of the material, the use of different media, and the pop culture reference. Drawbacks included scenes focusing on what not to do, that often showed communication gone awry rather than the correct way to communicate. Some students also prefer more traditional teaching methods. Conclusions: The results indicate that the use of television clips along with associated exercises can be useful aids in teaching professional communication concepts.

Journal
IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication
Published
2016-09-01
DOI
10.1109/tpc.2016.2583300
CompPile
Open Access
Closed
Topics
writing pedagogy graduate education service learning teacher development professional writing
Export
BibTeX RIS

Citation Context

Cited by in this index (2)

  1. Veeramoothoo et al. (2026)
    Intercultural Communication in Technical and Professional Communication Classro…
    Journal of Business and Technical Communication
  2. Chong (2018)
    Implementing Usability Testing in Introductory Technical Communication Service …
    IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication

References (42) · 1 in this index

  1. (2008)
    Business Trip
    The Office—Season Five
  2. locker (2013)
    Communicating across cultures
    Business and Administrative Communication
  3. locker (2013)
    Adapting your message to your audience
    Business and Administrative Communication
  4. (2015)
  5. (2015)
Show all 42 →
  1. 10.1177/1080569910395565
     ↗
  2. chaney (2014)
    Intercultural Business Communication
  3. (2005)
    Health Care
    The Office—Season One
  4. anderson (2011)
    Defining your communication's objectives: Purpose, reader, context
    Technical Communication A Reader-Centered Approach
  5. locker (2013)
    Delivering negative messages
    Business and Administrative Communication
  6. 10.1177/1080569912450312
     ↗
  7. (2005)
    Diversity Day
    The Office—Season One
  8. 10.1177/1080569912470711
     ↗
  9. 10.1177/1080569913493923
     ↗
  10. 10.1177/1080569910385385
     ↗
  11. FREEDMAN et al. (1994)
    Wearing Suits to Class: Simulating Genres and Simulations as Genre
    Written Communication
  12. 10.1177/1080569913507479
     ↗
  13. (2014)
    Job Outlook 2015
  14. tapscott (1999)
    Growing up digital The rise of the net generation
  15. palfrey (2008)
    Born Digital Understanding the First Generation of Digital Natives
  16. proctor (1990)
    Interpersonal communication and feature films: A marriage worthy of a course
    Michigan Assoc Speech Commun J
  17. (1998)
  18. gardner (1999)
    Intelligence Reframed Multiple Intelligences for the 21st Century
  19. (2002)
  20. gardner (1993)
    Multiple Intelligences The Theory in Practice
  21. miller (1997)
    BrainStyles Change Your Life without Changing Who You Are
  22. kolowich (2010)
    Movie clips and copyright
  23. 10.3758/BF03201127
     ↗
  24. 10.1080/03634529109378863
     ↗
  25. berk (2009)
    Multimedia teaching with video clips: TV, movies, YouTube, and MTVU in the college classroom
    International Journal of Technology in Teaching and Learning
  26. 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195066661.001.0001
     ↗
  27. berk (2008)
    Humor and the Net generation
    NEA High Educ Advocate
  28. white (2013)
    The real reason new college grads can't get hired
    Time
  29. 10.1177/1080569905282099
     ↗
  30. 10.1080/00220973.1988.10806492
     ↗
  31. 10.1177/1080569909340684
     ↗
  32. weiss (2009)
    Scrubs: Goofy, cartoonish, and the most accurate portrayal of the medical profession on TV
    Slate
  33. glaser (1967)
    The Discovery of Grounded Theory Strategies for Qualitative Research
  34. (2006)
    Diwali
    The Office—Season Three
  35. miles (2013)
    Qualitative Data Analysis A Sourcebook of New Methods
  36. (2016)
  37. (2000)
CrossRef global citation count: 8 View in citation network → Build reading path →

Related Articles

  1. Pedagogy Oct 2025
    Contributors ↗
    modern rhetorical theory rhetorical criticism genre theory cultural rhetorics first-year composition writing pedagogy advanced composition creative writing writing across the curriculum graduate education two-year college service learning teacher development technical communication professional writing labor and working conditions archival research multimodality artificial intelligence literacy studies race and writing gender and writing disability studies literary studies editorial matter
  2. Pedagogy Apr 2023
    Contributors ↗
    rhetorical criticism first-year composition writing pedagogy creative writing graduate education two-year college service learning teacher development writing centers technical communication professional writing labor and working conditions digital rhetoric multimodality race and writing gender and writing literary studies editorial matter
  3. Reflections: A Journal of Community-Engaged Writing and Rhetoric Jan 2019
    Beyond Management: The Potential for Writing Program Leadership During Turbulent Times ↗
    Casie Fedukovich; Sue Doe
    rhetorical criticism first-year composition writing pedagogy graduate education service learning teacher development writing program administration professional writing gender and writing
  4. Business and Professional Communication Quarterly Mar 2026
    Role of Experiential Learning Program on Business Writing Skills of Management Students ↗
    Shruti Srinivasan; Ravikumar Thangaraj; Jain Mathew
    writing pedagogy graduate education service learning professional writing
  5. Prompt: A Journal of Academic Writing Assignments Jan 2026
    A Murder Most Technical: Gamification, AI, and Rhetorical Genre Studies in the Technical Writing Classroom ↗
    Justin Cook
    genre theory writing pedagogy service learning teacher development argument collaborative writing technical communication professional writing