Business and Professional Communication Quarterly Sep 2016

Business Communication Practices From Employers’ Perspectives

Tina A. Coffelt Iowa State University ; Matthew J. Baker ; Robert C. Corey Iowa State University

Abstract

This study investigates the meaning of communication skills from employers’ perspectives. Students enrolled in a business communication course were asked to contact potential employers in their fields of interest, requesting information about important communication skills in those fields. Using content analysis, two coders familiar with business communication analyzed 52 of the resulting open-ended responses. The analysis of 165 skills suggests employers recall oral communication more frequently than written, visual, or electronic communication skills. Of oral communication subskills, interpersonal communication was mentioned more than other workplace communication skills.

Journal
Business and Professional Communication Quarterly
Published
2016-09-01
DOI
10.1177/2329490616644014
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Topics
professional writing digital rhetoric
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Citation Context

Cited by in this index (11)

  1. Mishra et al. (2025)
    Reimagining Communication Pedagogy for Virtual Workplaces: Work-From-Home Study…
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  2. Marino (2025)
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  3. Coffelt et al. (2024)
    Which Communication Skills Do I Need? A Multimethod Study of Communication Need…
    Journal of Business and Technical Communication
  4. Dolechek et al. (2023)
    Rebuilding From the Ground Up: Employer and Alumni Perspectives for Course Redesign
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  5. Baker et al. (2023)
    Qualitative Oral-Presentation Feedback: Comparisons from Business Professionals…
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Show all 11 →
  1. Coffelt et al. (2022)
    Measuring Business and Professional Communication Skills
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  2. Coffelt et al. (2020)
    Exemplary and Unacceptable Workplace Communication Skills
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  3. Hastings et al. (2020)
    Nonverbal Communication and Writing Deficiencies of Graduates: Research by Unde…
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  4. Smallwood (2020)
    The Need for Cross-Cultural Communication Instruction in U.S. Business Communic…
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  5. Carradini (2020)
    A Comparison of Research Topics Associated With Technical Communication, Busine…
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  6. Coffelt et al. (2019)
    Employers’ Perspectives on Workplace Communication Skills: The Meaning of Commu…
    Business and Professional Communication Quarterly

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CrossRef global citation count: 31 View in citation network → Build reading path →

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