Business and Professional Communication Quarterly Dec 2019

Employers’ Perspectives on Workplace Communication Skills: The Meaning of Communication Skills

Tina A. Coffelt Iowa State University ; Dale Grauman Iowa State University ; Frances L. M. Smith Murray State University

Abstract

Employers provide their interpretation of the meaning of communication skills in this qualitative study of 22 managers. Employers understand written communication to be types of documents, a way to write, and a mode of communication. Oral communication skills mean a style of interacting, presenting, and conducting meetings. Visual communication skills were understood to be data visualization or nonverbal communication. Electronic communication was interpreted as email. The findings contribute to closing-the-gap research by highlighting areas where meaning converges for employers and instructors. Faculty members in communication disciplines can incorporate these findings into their course design and learning outcome discussions.

Journal
Business and Professional Communication Quarterly
Published
2019-12-01
DOI
10.1177/2329490619851119
CompPile
Open Access
Closed
Topics
Export
BibTeX RIS

Citation context

Cited by in this index (15)

  1. Mishra et al. (2025)
    Reimagining Communication Pedagogy for Virtual Workplaces: Work-From-Home Study…
    Business and Professional Communication Quarterly
  2. Sharma et al. (2025)
    A Decade of Business and Professional Communication Quarterly : A PRISMA Guided…
    Business and Professional Communication Quarterly
  3. Çal et al. (2025)
    Two Worlds Apart? Engineering Students’ Perceptions of Workplace English
    Business and Professional Communication Quarterly
  4. Frei et al. (2023)
    Doing What We Do Best: Advancing Business Communication Instruction Into the Fu…
    Business and Professional Communication Quarterly
  5. Tomlinson (2023)
    Feature on Teaching: Bringing an Entrepreneurial Lens to the Business Communica…
    Business and Professional Communication Quarterly
Show all 15 →
  1. Fuller et al. (2023)
    Empathy Competencies and Behaviors in Professional Communication Interactions: …
    Business and Professional Communication Quarterly
  2. Dolechek et al. (2023)
    Rebuilding From the Ground Up: Employer and Alumni Perspectives for Course Redesign
    Business and Professional Communication Quarterly
  3. Baker et al. (2023)
    Qualitative Oral-Presentation Feedback: Comparisons from Business Professionals…
    Business and Professional Communication Quarterly
  4. Jankens et al. (2023)
    A Dual Mission: Antiracist Writing Instruction and Instructor Attitudes about S…
    Across the Disciplines
  5. Sharma (2022)
    Making Meaningful Connections and Learning Workplace-Like Business Writing Thro…
    Business and Professional Communication Quarterly
  6. Coffelt et al. (2022)
    Measuring Business and Professional Communication Skills
    Business and Professional Communication Quarterly
  7. Kleckner et al. (2022)
    Developing Entry-Level Communication Skills: A Comparison of Student and Employ…
    Business and Professional Communication Quarterly
  8. Routon et al. (2021)
    The Self-Rated Writing Skills of Business Majors: Graduating Perceptions and Co…
    Business and Professional Communication Quarterly
  9. Sharma (2021)
    A Business Communication Assessment Tool Based on Workplace Assessment Processe…
    Business and Professional Communication Quarterly
  10. Coffelt et al. (2020)
    Exemplary and Unacceptable Workplace Communication Skills
    Business and Professional Communication Quarterly

References (48) · 6 in this index

  1. 10.1080/08832323.2010.497819
     ↗
  2. Anson (2016)
    The Pop Warner Chronicles: A Case Study in Contextual Adaptation and the Transf…
    College Composition and Communication
  3. Bawarshi A. S. (2010)
    Genre: An introduction to history, theory, research, and pedagogy
  4. 10.2307/359061
     ↗
  5. Beaufort A. (2007)
    College writing and beyond: A new framework for university writing instruction
Show all 48 →
  1. 10.1080/03634520902755458
     ↗
  2. Brent (2011)
    Transfer, Transformation, and Rhetorical Knowledge: Insights From Transfer Theory
    Journal of Business and Technical Communication
  3. 10.1177/1080569905278863
     ↗
  4. 10.4135/9781446263150
     ↗
  5. Campbell K. K. (1978)
    Form and genre: Shaping rhetorical action
  6. Coffelt et al. (2016)
    Business Communication Practices From Employers’ Perspectives
    Business and Professional Communication Quarterly
  7. Conrad D., Newberry R. (2011). 24 business communication skills: Attitudes of human resource managers versus …
  8. Creswell J. W. (1997)
    Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five traditions
  9. 10.1016/S0889-4906(00)00031-4
     ↗
  10. Denzin N. K. (2000)
    Handbook of qualitative research
  11. 10.1177/1080569912458966
     ↗
  12. 10.1177/1080569909356350
     ↗
  13. 10.1177/1056492610375988
     ↗
  14. 10.1177/0021943606295781
     ↗
  15. 10.1080/17459430701617879
     ↗
  16. 10.1080/19312458.2013.789838
     ↗
  17. 10.1177/1080569911413808
     ↗
  18. 10.1016/j.esp.2009.10.002
     ↗
  19. 10.1177/0021943612474990
     ↗
  20. Kramer M. W. (2010)
    Organizational socialization: Joining and leaving organizations
  21. Kress G. (2001)
    Multimodal discourse: The modes and media of contemporary communication
  22. 10.1177/1080569913507479
     ↗
  23. Lindlof T. R. (2011)
    Qualitative communication research methods
  24. 10.1177/002194369703400104
     ↗
  25. 10.1080/00335638409383686
     ↗
  26. National Association of Colleges and Employers. (2014). Job outlook 2015. Bethlehem, PA: Author. Retrieved fr…
  27. 10.17265/2159-5313/2016.09.003
     ↗
  28. Ortiz et al. (2016)
    Employer Perceptions of Oral Communication Competencies Most Valued in New Hire…
    Business and Professional Communication Quarterly
  29. Perkins D. (1992)
    If minds matter: A forward to the future
  30. Petraglia J. (1995)
    Reconceiving writing, rethinking writing instruction
  31. Rainey K. T., Turner R. K., Dayton D. (2005). Do curricula correspond to managerial expectations? Core compet…
  32. Reinsch et al. (2014)
    Do Communication Abilities Affect Promotion Decisions? Some Data From the C-Suite
    Journal of Business and Technical Communication
  33. 10.1177/108056999605900104
     ↗
  34. 10.1177/108056999706000401
     ↗
  35. Reinsch et al. (2006)
    Ari, R U There? Reorienting Business Communication for a Technological Era
    Journal of Business and Technical Communication
  36. Rounsaville A., Goldberg R., Bawarshi A. (2008). From incomes to outcomes: FYW students’ prior genre knowledg…
  37. Russell D. R. (1995)
    Reconceiving writing, rethinking writing instruction
  38. Saldaña J. (2016)
    The coding manual for qualitative researchers
  39. 10.1007/BF00987266
     ↗
  40. Strauss A. (1998)
    Basics of qualitative research: Techniques and procedures for developing grounded theory
  41. 10.1177/108056999505800410
     ↗
  42. 10.1177/108056990206500406
     ↗
  43. 10.1177/108056999906200404
     ↗
CrossRef global citation count: 47 View in citation network → Build reading path →

Related articles

  1. Technical Communication Quarterly Jul 2022
    Black Professional Communicators Testifying to Black Technical Joy ↗
    Antonio Byrd
    rhetorical criticism african american rhetorics revision collaborative writing technical communication professional writing qualitative research digital rhetoric multimodality literacy studies race and writing disability studies editorial matter
  2. Communication Design Quarterly Nov 2013
    Networked knowledges: student collaborative digital composing as communicative action ↗
    Guiseppe Getto
    genre theory service learning collaborative writing professional writing qualitative research digital rhetoric multimodality
  3. Business and Professional Communication Quarterly Aug 2026
    Managers’ Perceptions of Gen Z’s Communication Readiness ↗
    Karen McCullough; Laura Nicole Miller
    curriculum design professional writing qualitative research disability studies
  4. Computers and Composition Jun 2026
    “Article laundry” or “tutor in pocket?”: Multilingual writers’ generative AI-assisted writing in professional settings ↗
    Qianqian Zhang-Wu
    writing pedagogy teacher development professional writing qualitative research digital rhetoric artificial intelligence multilingual writers
  5. Journal of Response to Writing Apr 2026
    Composing in Relation: Rethinking Multimodal Feedback as Rhetorical Design ↗
    Laflen, Angela
    rhetorical criticism composition theory genre theory first-year composition writing pedagogy professional writing qualitative research multimodality editorial matter