communication education paper

kira

Table 2. Kinds of communication and types of evidence in the themes and their subthemes.

Theme and number of annotations Subthemes and number

of annotations Kinds of communication in each theme and

subtheme

1. Enhancing organizational processes and organizational life (n = 309) (n = 46%)

Internal communication (n = 211) (n = 31%)

Subtheme: internal organizational communication Upward communication Employee to Manager communication Workplace health Employee morale Trust

Downward communication Manager to employee communication Leadership skills Restructuring/mergers Communication and collaboration Decision-making

External communication (n = 98) (n = 14%)

Subtheme: external organizational communication Communication with clients/customers Customer service Communication with stakeholders Communication with stakeholders Marketing Public relations Blogging Facebook/Twitter E-mail/text

2. Promoting health communication (n = 120) (n = 18%)

Patient communication (n = 55) (n = 8%)

Subtheme: patient communication Patient communication Patient safety Coping with cancer End of life Caregivers and patients Doctors and patient communication Mental illness Alzheimer’s and dementia

Medical business (n = 49) (n = 7%)

Subtheme: medical business practices Informed consent Malpractice Patient-centered care Physician to physician communication

Medical education and training (n = 16) (n = 2.35%)

Subtheme: medical education and training Communication with seriously ill patients Importance of communication training Student exposure to different cultures

3. Enriching the educational enterprise (n = 58) (n = 9%)

K-12 (n = 36) (n = 5%)

Subtheme: K-12 Student to teacher communication Students with disabilities Teacher development Teaching math in middle school

School administrative communication Principals Superintendents

Higher education (n = 22) (n = 3%)

Subtheme: higher education Teaching in a university Teaching in a community college Foreign colleges

4. Understanding crisis, safety, risk, and security (n = 55) (n = 8%)

Crisis management in natural disasters Communication during earthquakes Communication for firefighters Crisis in schools Communication during pandemics Industrial safety Airplane safety Safety for real estate agents Risk management Metal industry safety Safety for miners

(Continued)

414 S. P. MORREALE ET AL.

thereby communication education, is present in the 679 documents in academic and popular press publications. Extending the results of the past two studies, the results for RQ2 provide a preliminary description of the specific kinds of communication that are deemed important. Then, the results for RQ3 show some critical changes and an evolution concerning perceptions of communication’s importance since the last study. The signifi- cance of the nine themes, the identified kinds of communication, and the perceptual changes that have occurred are now considered.

Table 2. Continued.

Theme and number of annotations Subthemes and number

of annotations Kinds of communication in each theme and

subtheme

5. Improving interpersonal communication and relationships (n = 44) (n = 6%)

Family communication Parents and children Military families Couple’s communication

Communication and relationship satisfaction Communication with others Better relationships with others Communication among musicians

6. Influencing diplomacy and government relations (n = 34) (n = 5%)

Communication between countries Relationships within government

7. Being a responsible participant in the world, socially and culturally (n = 26) (n = 4%)

Issues of language Social change Science and society Service to communities

8. Developing as a whole person (n = 20) (n = 3%)

Communication skills Nonverbal communication

9. Succeeding as an individual in one’s career and in business (n = 13) (n = 2%)

Career development Communication skills in business

Note: Only kinds of communication with more than one writing are listed. Those kinds are arranged in order from most popular to least popular.

Table 3. Results of three studies on the importance of communication education in 2000, 2008, and 2016. Themes identified in each study 2000 study 2008 study 2016 study

1. Enhancing organizational processes and organizational life 0 (0%) 24 (26%) 309 (46%) 2. Promoting health communication (under emerging concerns in 2008) 0 (0%) 0 (0%) 120 (18%) 3. Enriching the educational enterprise 9 (9%) 19 (20%) 58 (9%) 4. Understanding crisis, safety, risk, and security (under emerging concerns in 2008)

0 (0%) 0 (0%) 55 (8%)

5. Improving interpersonal communication and relationships 0 (0%) 0 (0%) 44 (6%) 6. Influencing diplomacy and government relations 0 (0%) 0 (0%) 34 (5%) 7. Being a responsible participant in the world, socially and culturally 8 (8%) 6 (6%) 26 (4%) 8. Developing of the whole person 17 (17%) 10 (11%) 20 (3%) 9. Succeeding in one’s career and in business 50 (51%) 23 (25%) 13 (2%) Addressing emerging concerns in the 21st century 0 (0%) 11 (12%) 0 (0%) Communication education provided by specialists in its study 15 (15%) 0 (0%) 0 (0%) Total number of references (annotations) 99 93 679

Note: The final two themes listed in Table 3, Addressing concerns in the 21st century and Communication education pro- vided by specialists in its study, were not part of the 2016 study’s results, and so do not have a number corresponding to the results section as the other themes do.

COMMUNICATION EDUCATION 415

Discussion

In this study examining the importance of communication education, a marked increase is evident in the number of articles and reports in the popular and academic press compared with the prior two studies. The 679 instances over the seven years explored for this study (2008–2015) dwarfs the 93 identified between 2000 and 2007 in the second study (Morreale & Pearson, 2008), and the 99 found in the first study spanning from 1955 to 1999 (Morreale et al., 2000). Clearly, more people are thinking about and writing about communication and its importance, perhaps in part because of the inclusion of communi- cation in policy recommendations like those proffered in the LEAP program of the Associ- ation of American Colleges and Universities and the Common Core State Standards for K- 12. However, the study’s increase in sample size also may be the direct result of a more robust search procedure and therefore more effective sampling.

Notably, the thematic categories into which the documents in this study are grouped have expanded with each time period. This exponential growth in the number of instances where communication is identified as critical in the popular and academic press, as well as the expansion of themes where communication is deemed important, is heartening for the discipline. That said, one consistent finding in each of the three studies is that communi- cation education is deemed central in broad areas almost exclusively for its efforts at devel- oping practical communication skills. This emphasis on the skills dimension of communication instruction suggests a lack of awareness and appreciation for the quantity and quality of content knowledge contained in communication research and theory that forms the foundation of the discipline.

A closer examination of the growth in themes illustrates a few other notable trends. First, the primary source of the explosion of references to communication occurred within a theme first identified in the 2008 study: enhancing organizational processes and organiz- ational life. This theme grew from no references in 2000, to 24 (26% of overall references) in 2008 to 309 (46% of overall references) in the current study. Second, the promoting health communication theme, identified as an emerging concern in 2008, grew to 120 (18% of overall references) instances in this study. Interestingly, this may be due to several notable health crises in the past eight years, such as the 2009–2010 worldwide pandemic of H1N1, or swine flu, and the 2014 outbreak of Ebola, which crossed continental barriers for the first time in history. Such instances necessitated strong communication strategies for both governments and the health care industry, and so it is no surprise that during these periods, articles and essays on health communication saw a marked increase over the periods examined in prior studies. In addition, other domestic and international crises during this time, such as the economic recession and Russian invasion of the Ukraine, likely resulted in the emergence and expansion of themes such as influencing diplomacy and government relations (5% of overall, no occurrences in prior studies) and understanding crisis, safety, risk, and security (8% of overall, no occurrences in prior studies). Similarly, the extensive development of social media platforms during the years of this study may have contributed to the rise in references of communication in the thematic categories of improv- ing interpersonal communication and relationships (6% of overall, no occurrences in prior studies). With increased usage of these platforms, it should not come as a surprise that there is a concern over making sure basic interpersonal communication skills do not dimin- ish for the next generation.

416 S. P. MORREALE ET AL.

One final area that saw increased attention was how communication serves to enrich the educational enterprise. Like the other categories that saw an increase during the eight years covered in this study, this increase also may be influenced by contextual events. Specifically, the adoption and inclusion of communication in the Common Core for K-12 schools in 46 states, and subsequent debate over the Common Core’s viability and appropriateness, may have garnered communication some attention. The impact of this development cannot be understated. On the one hand, it represents a timely recognition of the importance of com- munication skills and knowledge as a key part of the educational enterprise, but on the other hand, it calls for teachers and administrators to include communication at elementary and secondary levels with little to no training in the discipline. The increased focus is good news, but the prospect of underqualified instructors introducing precollege students to the disci- pline is illustrative of a potential danger for the health and vitality of communication studies. Equally impactful for the discipline in the U.S. educational system is the recommendation of the AAC&U to include communication instruction in general education curricula. That inclusion also likely affected the increase in references for this theme; but it also highlights the concern for instruction to be provided by trained communication professionals, especially with a growing demand for dual enrollment programs.

The current study also identifies several negative trends in themes. For example, there is a rather drastic reduction in references to communication’s importance in the category of succeeding in one’s career and business (2% of overall, down from 25% in the previous study). This may be due to the recession of 2008–2010 and the public shift in emphasis from succeeding to surviving due to the drastic number of job cuts that occurred. A second theme that garnered no references, compared with 11 in the previous study, emer- ging concerns in the 21st century, would seem to have logically dissipated due to the gradual progression into the 21st century; that is to say, the deeper we enter the century, the less this theme may be deemed an appropriate emphasis by authors.

Of perhaps more concern, for both this iteration of the study and the immediate prior study, the theme of communication education provided by specialists in its study received no references. It is disheartening that even with the growth of social media technology and the events that have necessitated competent communicative responses in the last 15 years, society appears to see no need to train those teaching communication skills and knowl- edge. This disinterest seems to reinforce the foundational myth of communication as something people do well because they have been doing it all their lives. Such a perpetu- ation is dangerous to the discipline and could have significant negative practical conse- quences for society. Those trained and knowledgeable in any skill or domain should conduct instruction in their areas of study, and communication should be no different. These data certainly imply that members of the communication discipline need to do a better job of advocating for the benefits of trained communication specialists for students and the public. Communication scholars must take heed and engage the larger academic community as well as the broader public to help explain why understanding the discipline is essential for properly instructing the communication skills sought by so many.

Limitations and recommendations

Despite the overwhelming evidence of the increased importance of communication knowledge and skills in society, and the resultant centrality of communication education

COMMUNICATION EDUCATION 417

to contemporary pedagogy, this study has limitations. For example, much of the public discourse on the importance of communication is not to be found in the more traditional types of documents included in the present study’s sample. Rather, many contemporary discussions on communication’s importance can be found on blogs and other online and electronic outlets. While the present study is certainly admirable in that the sample size increased considerably over the past two studies, its search procedure cannot be con- sidered contemporarily comprehensive. A study of references to the importance of com- munication in electronic media needs to be left to subsequent researchers.

Another limitation of the present study relates to the fact that it does not represent what would commonly be understood as original research, because the documents in the sample are available elsewhere. That said, as a thematic analysis effort, this study is intended as an integrative synthesis of the work of others on the topic at hand that may point the way to other needed original research studies. Future studies may seek to integrate the findings of this research effort with other recent published work that has advanced our understanding of the centrality of communication. Other work, such as that of Hooker and Simonds (2015), Wallace (2015), and Swenson-Lepper et al. (2015), also adds to the growing repo- sitory of studies that provide conclusions supporting the importance of communication education. Specifically, this present effort identifies the thematic areas in which society feels communication is important, thus implicitly arguing for training in communication skills in these areas. Working to integrate these different projects will help to build a strong case for communication instruction, and specifically communication instruction by disci- plinary experts.

Another glaring absence in this body of studies continues to be the lack of exploration into why some colleges and universities fail to recognize the importance of communi- cation in their curricula, and thus do not require instruction in it for their students. However, as already referenced, anecdotal evidence does suggest this trend is reversing with the inclusion of communication as an outcome of the Common Core and as a desired outcome by AAC&U.

Additionally, this and the past two studies provide no concrete best practices for advo- cating on behalf of the discipline, something future studies could and should take on (Wallace, 2015). It is also important to note that the findings of this study illustrate the complexity of communication as an area of study, and thus they underscore the need to advocate for dual enrollment courses in communication to be taught by those with training in this complex discipline. In that regard, the findings could inform the work of administrators seeking to create articulation agreements with community colleges and high schools, wherein they can call for credentialing in the discipline before providing college credit for courses in communication taken at the high school level.

One other impactful project that could grow from this current study is the refinement of teaching strategies, syllabi, and other pedagogical resources that might continue to develop the public’s understanding of the importance of communication education. The findings can, and should, inform curricular modifications within communication pro- grams. They can inform the development and enhancement of tracks within communi- cation majors that would provide students with coursework focused on the themes and even subthemes identified in this study. Such an endeavor would go a long way toward achieving the societal aims and goals identified in this study’s themes and subthemes. Finally, a future study could further map the communication skills and knowledge

418 S. P. MORREALE ET AL.

relevant to each theme, and thus provide a guide for developing course content and cur- riculum designed to achieve specific communication instructional goals desired by society.

Finally, it falls to communication scholar teachers to ensure that whether someone is a major in the discipline or only exposed to one required communication course, it is dis- ciplinary experts who bear the responsibility for developing communication competence in all students. It is also their responsibility not just to educate students but also to engage and educate university administrators and members of society at large as to the impor- tance of communication education. Davidson (2016) reminds us of that importance in a recent report of a survey conducted by the Wall Street Journal. In that survey of nearly 900 executives, 92% said soft skills were equally important or more important than technical skills. According to Davidson, “Companies across the U.S. say it is becom- ing increasingly difficult to find applicants who can communicate clearly, take initiative, problem-solve and get along with co-workers.” Davidson points to a LinkedIn’s descrip- tion of the most sought-after soft skills, “The ability to communicate trumped all else.”

Note

1. Unless otherwise noted, all usage of “communication” or “communication education” is meant to refer to “oral communication” as opposed to “written communication.”

Notes on contributors

Sherwyn P. Morreale (Ph.D., University of Denver, 1989) is Professor of Communication at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs. Sherwyn P. Morreale may be contacted at [email protected].

Joseph M. Valenzano, III (Ph.D., Georgia State University, 2006) is Associate Professor of Com- munication at the University of Dayton.

Janessa A. Bauer (M.A., 2015) is Adjunct Lecturer at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs.

References

Aden local council holds talks with YJS’s new admin. (2010). Arabia, 2000. Retrieved from http:// web.a.ebscohost.com.libproxy.uccs.edu/ehost

Al Owais, Tunisian and Chilean envoys discuss cultural cooperation. (2011). Arabia, 2000. Retrieved from http://web.a.ebscohost.com.libproxy.uccs.edu/ehost

Alshare, K. A., Lane, P. L., & Miller, D. (2011). Business communication skills in information systems (IS) curricula: Perspectives of IS educators and students. Journal of Education for Business, 86(3), 186–194. doi:10.1080/08832323.2010.497819

Association of American Colleges and Universities. (2013). Liberal education and America’s promise. Washington, DC: Author. Retrieved from http://www.aacu.org/leap/vision.cfm

Babber, G. (2012). Our members are hard-wired to doing things better. Financial Management, 3. Bakeman, R., & Gottman, J. M. (1986). Observing interaction: An introduction to sequential analy-

sis. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. Bedell, D., & Landesberg, P. (2008). Communication matters, whether it’s with employees, custo-

mers or community. Central Penn Business Journal, 24(41), 15. Block, L., Morgan-Gouveia, M., Levine, R. B., & Cayea, D. (2014). We could have done a better job:

A qualitative study of medical student reflections on safe hospital discharge. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 62, 1147–1154. doi:10.1111/jgs.12783

COMMUNICATION EDUCATION 419

Brown, L. C. (2009). Building a cohesive team: Increasing communication and understanding between music educators. Teaching Music, 16(5), 24–28.

Bullock, S. (2011). Empowering staff with communication: Addressing conflict and silence contrib- utes to a safer culture. Healthcare Executive, 26(4), 80–82.

Common Core State Standards Initiative. (2009). Common core English language arts state stan- dards (2009). Retrieved from http://www.corestandards.org/ELA-Literacy

Contelmo, D. (2013). A successful addition begins with communication. Qualified Remodeler, 39 (1), 12.

Crosling, G., & Ward, I. (2002). Oral communication: The workplace needs and uses of business graduate employees. English for Specific Purposes, 21(1), 41–57.

Cushing, A., Abbott, S., Lothian, D., Hall, A., & Westwood, O. (2011). Peer feedback as an aid to learning—what do we want?? Feedback. When do we want it?? Now! Medical Teacher, 33(2), E105–12. doi:10.3109/0142159X.2011.542522

Danielson, C. (2015). Framing discussions about teaching. Educational Leadership, 72(7), 38–41. Davidson, K. (2016, August 30). Employers find ‘soft skills’ like critical thinking in short supply.

The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved from http://www.wsj.com/articles/employers-find-soft- skills-like-critical-thinking-in-short-supply-1472549400

DeLapp, T. (2014). School safety plans: Communicating during crisis. Leadership, 43(5), 8–11. Du-Babcock, B. (2006). Teaching business communication: Past, present, and future. Journal of

Business Communication, 43(3), 253–264. Editorial: Please, wake us up from this budget nightmare. [Editorial]. (n.d.). Moscow-Pullman Daily

News, 1. Retrieved from http://web.a.ebscohost.com.libproxy.uccs.edu/ehost Eğeci, İ. T. (2006). Factors associated with relationship satisfaction: Importance of communication

skills. Contemporary Family Therapy: An International Journal, 28, 383–391. doi:10.1007/ s10591-006-9010-2

Eli, D. (2011). The principle of charity and intercultural communication. International Journal of Communication, 5, 969–982.

Ferenc, L. (2011). Camp gets family back on track. Toronto Star. Retrieved from http://web.a. ebscohost.com.libproxy.uccs.edu/ehost

Geier, P. H. (2009). 10 principles for bad times that work in good times, too. Advertising Age, 80 (12), 6.

Goudreau, J. (2012). Is your body language costing you a promotion? Forbes.Com, 50. Retrieved from http://web.a.ebscohost.com.libproxy.uccs.edu/ehost

Gutierrez, A., & Petscher, E. S. (2011). A behavior analytic approach to teaching language. Journal of Communications Research, 3(1), 39–53.

Hambelton, D. W. (2008). “Do you hear me now?” Communication: Mastering an essential safety skill. Industrial Safety & Hygiene News, 42(12), 41.

Hanson, L. C., & Winzelberg, G. (2013). Research priorities for geriatric palliative care: Goals, values, and preferences. Journal of Palliative Medicine, 16, 1175–1179. doi:10.1089/jpm.2013. 9475

Hart Research Associates. (2009). Trends and emerging practices in general education: Based on a survey among members of the association of American colleges and universities. Washington, DC: Author. Retrieved from http://www.aacu.org/about/membersurvey/2009/part-two

Hess, J. (2016). Strengthening the introductory communication course: An opportunity through better alignment with today’s needs. Basic Communication Course Annual, 28, 11–21.

Hooker, J. F., & Simonds, C. J. (2015). From the outside looking in: Employer’s views of the basic course. Basic Communication Course Annual, 27, 102–116.

Interfax. (2014). Moscow, Beijing will complement each other bilaterally, internationally - Ivanov. Russia and FSU General News. Retrieved from http://web.a.ebscohost.com.libproxy.uccs.edu/ ehost

Isbell, M. G., Koschmann, M., & Lewis, L. (2011). Me versus we: Communicating in collaborations. Communication Currents, 6(1), 1–3.

Kelly, P. (2008). Towards global sapiens: Transforming learners in higher education. Rotterdam: Sense Publishers.

420 S. P. MORREALE ET AL.

Kern Entrepreneurial Engineering Network [KEEN]. (2016). KEEN frameworks Poster. Retrieved from http://engineeringunleashed.com/keen/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/KEEN-Frameworks-2016.pdf

Lehr, D. (2008). Dialing for development. Stanford Social Innovation Review, 6(4), 44–49. Levine, K. J., Muenchen, R. A., & Brooks, A. M. (2010). Measuring transformational and charis-

matic leadership: Why isn’t charisma measured? Communication Monographs, 77, 576–591. doi:10.1080/03637751.2010.499368

Mathers, J., & Blanco, E. (2013). To succeed at sustainability, first learn to communicate. Supply Chain Management Review, 17(3), 8–9.

McCloskey, D. (1994). The neglected economics of talk. Planning for Higher Education, 22(4), 11–16. McManus, T. G. (2012). Factors influencing stressor communication: Severity, communication

competence, and tendency to disclose about distress. Conference Papers—International Communication Association, 1–50.

Mitchell, K. (2015). St. Pete chief’s walk-talk patrols building community goodwill. Tampa Tribune, 1. Retrieved from http://web.a.ebscohost.com.libproxy.uccs.edu/ehost

Morreale, S. P., Osborn, M. M., & Pearson, J. C. (2000). Why communication is important: A rationale for the centrality of the study of communication. Journal of the Association for Communication Administration, 29, 1–25.

Morreale, S. & Pearson, J. (2008). Why communication education is important: The centrality of the discipline in the 21st century. Communication Education, 57, 224–240.

Murray, L., Arteche, A., Bingley, C., Hentges, F., Bishop, D. M., Dalton, L., … Hill, J. (2010). The effect of cleft lip on socio-emotional functioning in school-aged children. Journal of Child Psychology & Psychiatry, 51(1), 94–103.

National Association of Colleges and Employers. (2014, November). Job outlook: The candidate skills/qualities employers want, the influence of attributes. Retrieved from http://www.naceweb. org/s11122014/job-outlook-skills-qualities-employers-want.aspx

Parmar, P. (2013). Role of communication in the improvement of one’s personality. Language in India, 13, 699–704.

Pearson, J. C. (2011). How to create lasting love. Communication Currents, 6(1), 1–3. Punch, K. F. (2005). Introduction to social research: Quantitative and qualitative approaches (2nd

ed.). London: Sage. Ray, R., Jr. (2010). Communications commandments for cooperatives. Management Quarterly, 51

(2), 4–12. Reclaiming communication for life, justice, and peace. (2012). Media Development, 59(3/4), 34–36. Rios, F. (2014). Bedside communication: To avoid malpractice claims. Caribbean Business,

42(23), 40. Robles, M. M. (2012). Executive perceptions of the top 10 skills needed in today’s workplace.

Business Communication Quarterly, 75, 453–465. doi:10.1177/1080569912460400 Russill, C. (2009). Social contagion: A communicable approach to communication. Conference

Papers -- International Communication Association, 1-33. de Sanctis, R. (2009). Science and communicating to its public. History and Philosophy of the Life

Sciences, 31(1), 99–109. Sharkin, B. S., & Coulter, L. P. (2009). Communication between college counselors and

academic faculty when supervising graduate student trainees. Journal of College Counseling, 12 (2), 162–169.

Siegel, R. (2012). Communicating to Pack a Punch. Nonprofit World, 30(5), 28. Steen, J. O. (2015). Bridging the generation gap through clear communication. Tennessee Bar

Journal, 51(4), 3–4. Swenson-Lepper, T., Leavitt, M. A., Hoffer, M., Charron, L. N., Ballard, R. L., McManus, L. M. B., &

Tompkins, P. S. (2015). Communication ethics in the communication curriculum: United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. Communication Education, 64, 472–490. doi:10.1080/03634523.2015. 1041996

Thatcher, K. L., Fletcher, K., & Decker, B. (2008). Communication disorders in the school perspec- tives on academic and social success an introduction. Psychology in the Schools, 45, 579–581. doi:10.1002/pits.20310

COMMUNICATION EDUCATION 421

Trice, E. D., & Prigerson, H. G. (2009). Communication in end-stage cancer: Review of the literature and future research. Journal of Health Communication, 14, 95–108. doi:10.1080/10810730902806786

Wallace, S. P. (2015). A model for the development of a sustainable basic course in communication. Basic Communication Course Annual, 27, 78–101.

Zolkos, R. (2009). Risk managers discuss drivers of innovation. Business Insurance, 43(33), 4.

Appendix

Sample annotation

Abstract: “As the importance of communication skills for students, regardless of their disciplines, becomes evident, it is important to determine whether colleges provide students with adequate opportunities to acquire such skills. The authors compared information systems (IS) educator and student perceptions of communication skills in IS curricula. Gender, discipline, position and student classification, and school size were among the variables that were examined. Results showed that educators and students agreed that IS curricula had the appropriate emphasis on many of the communication skills. However, the two groups significantly differed on their extent of agreement or disagreement with appropriate level of emphasis and the number of courses that cover such communication skills. Results revealed that educators felt there were a few communication skills, such as proofreading, listening, facilitating meetings, and using interper- sonal skills with external customers and management, that needed more emphasis in the IS curri- culum. Implications for educators and researchers are reported” (186).

Annotation: In this study, researchers sought to identify differences in perceptions of communi- cation skills in Information Systems curricula between educators and students. The authors cite the importance of communication skills to those who work in the information systems field. Individ- uals in this profession need to be able to communicate with customers, many of whom are not com- puter professionals themselves. Results of the study indicate that both students and educators of Information Systems believe communication skills, particularly those related to business communi- cation, are important to success in this field (Alshare et al., 2011).

422 S. P. MORREALE ET AL.