This article outlines opportunities and challenges of teaching neurologically diverse students in the business communication course, providing basic resources and information for instructors to supplement their knowledge and pedagogical ability to support neurodiverse students. While the business communication course may represent obstacles for neurodiverse students, it also provides the ideal opportunity for them to practice and develop the soft skills that are essential to their success. Included are implications for neurodiversity as competitive advantage as employers look to harness the unique talents of neurodivergent graduates through active recruitment programs and universities increase programming to support these diverse and talented students.

This article presents findings of a 2014 survey of 72 U.S. employers asking: Which oral communication skills are most utilized daily by new hires? Which oral skills are most important to company success? The study utilized Qualtrics to administer a mixed-methods, 12-question survey to employers of various sizes and across various industries. Findings show that employers rank (a) proper grammar use, (b) team communication, (c) ability to engage in conversation, (d) meeting participation, and (e) ability to speak well using the telephone as the most valued oral competencies for new hires as a factor in company success.

This article presents a qualitative text analysis of persuasive documents written by a major U.S. airline in a 2004 counter-campaign against the Teamsters union. The methodology for this study is based on Stephen Toulmin's argument model, including his “double triad” and his interpretation of artistic proofs, which parallel the three classical rhetorical appeals. Actual corporate documents are featured in this article, supported by content from management conference calls that were attended by the researchers. The article concludes with implications for teaching and research in the field of technical and professional communication.