Business and Professional Communication : Plans, Processes, and Performance

Centered on the notion that business communication aims to influence the interpretation of issues and events, this presentation-oriented text provides practical tips and applications while discussing relevant theory. Grounded in real business examples and basic skills, Business and Professional Communication places a strong emphasis on presentations in business settings to better prepare readers for the realities of daily career life. Its complete approach and unique topic coverage provides clear guidance for all communication practices in businesses and organizations.

New to the Third Edition

• Introduces the concept of strategic communication, which encourages students to state explicit goals, analyze audiences, and select communication tactics to help them achieve their ends.
• Integrates new research on various types of organizational crises, including natural disasters, malevolent sabotage, and technical breakdowns, among others.
• Provides students with the latest information in finding jobs in their field, including updated information on internet-based job hunting and research.
• Places new emphasis on the personal competencies needed by team members including experience, problem-solving ability, openness, supportiveness, action orientation, and personal style. Offers insight on how to consistently display these traits in oneself and encourage them in others, thereby creating more effective team members.
• Places new emphasis on team creativity. Introduces various discussion methods to improve creativity including brainstorming, nominal group technique, sensational thinking, morphological analysis, and group decision support systems (GDSS).
• Discusses the sources of risk information: toxicology, epidemiology, and statistical analysis, helping students better understand the strengths and limitations of risk data.

Praise for Business and Professional Communication

“The greatest strengths [of this text] are its balance between the perspectives of both supervisors and subordinates, its combination of theory and application, and its practical tips for navigating the organizational environment offered to both sides of the desk.”
Julie Davis, College of Charleston

“[This is a] resource students will find useful after they leave the class and enter the managerial world.”
Julie Davis, College of Charleston