Communication Skills in The Workplace
An Investigation into Student Perceptions
Keywords:
business education, business communicationAbstract
The purpose of the study was to understand how college students perceive the importance of communication skills in the workplace and to gain a better understanding of how students perceive their own communication skills. Research questions were: 1) How confident are students in their communication skills? 2) How important do students perceive communication skills to their future careers? 3) Do students believe the basic business communication course helped improve their communication skills? Pre- and post-surveys were administered to a convenience sample of online and face-to-face students enrolled in a sophomore-level undergraduate business communication course. Findings showed students believe they have effective oral and written communication skills, they believe the course helped them improve their communication skills, they
believed those skills are important to their future careers, and their perceptions were that the course was beneficial. Communication skills are crucial skills employers seek in new hires and findings can inform instructors how students perceive their own communication ability.
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