Citation/Abstract

To determine the content to be included in business communication/business correspondence courses, business communication/business correspondence faculty, human resource directors, and May 2007 post-secondary graduates were surveyed. Two hundred and nine respondents (25 business communication/business correspondence faculty members; 26 May 2007 post-secondary graduates; and 158 human resource directors) indicated that some soft skills (i.e., interpersonal skills, following directions, etc.) are more important to them than writing skills.

Business communication/business correspondence faculty members placed a greater emphasis on writing, while human resource directors and May 2007 post-secondary graduates placed a greater emphasis on soft skills. Business communication/business correspondence members indicated writing effective letters is one of the most important topics to include in business communication/business correspondence courses, while human resource directors indicated showing professional courtesy is the most important topic to include. May 2007 post-secondary graduates indicated making a good impression and following directions are the two most important topics to include in business communication/business correspondence courses.

There were 12 topics that were rated differently, at a statistical significantly difference, among the three groups. The topics included: prepare effective thank you letters; construct questionnaires; avoid sexist language; avoid culturally discriminatory language; use good telephone skills; follow directions; manage conflict; advise others; make oral presentations; use slides/projection equipment; effectively utilize APA, MLA, or other reference style; and understand cultural communication differences. A Scheffe' post-hoc analysis was conducted to determine where the differences were located between the three groups. Human resource directors and May 2007 post-secondary graduates consistently placed a greater emphasis on soft skills, while business communication/business correspondence faculty members placed a greater emphasis on writing skills.