As a business communication instructor, it is crucial to equip your students with the skills and knowledge needed to navigate the complex and often controversial aspects of workplace communication. By addressing these issues in the classroom, you can help your students develop the sensitivity, adaptability, and professionalism required to succeed in today's diverse and ever-changing […]
Category Archives: Communication Ethics
Back to Basics: Avoiding Ethical Lapses in Business Communication
This is the fifth post in a new series in which we revisit the fundamentals of business communication, from what it means and why it matters to tips and techniques for success. We’ll present the information in ways that you can share directly with your students, and we hope this information will enhance your lectures […]
Intelligent Communication Technology: The Ethics of Artificial Intelligence
As one of the most powerful technologies ever developed, artificial intelligence (AI) is already influencing human life in multiple ways and promises to do so even more in the future. AI is now used in a variety of business communication applications, from message testing to employee recruiting and evaluation. Although many of these developments are […]
Free Video for Classroom Use: Communication Ethics: How to Make Good Choices When Your Choices Aren’t Clear
Here is the sixth video in our new series that addresses a variety of specific communication challenges and offers practical advice that students can apply now in their coursework and take with them on the job. This video gives students a four-step decision model to guide them in making ethical communication choices. Instructor version (concludes […]
Free Video for Classroom Use: Do Your Visuals Tell the Truth?
Here is the third video in our new series that addresses a variety of specific communication challenges and offers practical advice that students can apply now in their coursework and take with them on the job. This video helps students understand the nuances of visual ethics and gives them a framework for making ethical choices when […]
Using the Business Communication Course to Teach Professionalism
One of the major benefits of the business communication course is that it helps students practice so many valuable skills, from research and analysis to organization and document design. The course also creates an opportunity to incorporate these communication-focused skills into the larger context of being a business professional. We define professionalism as the quality […]
Please Don’t Buy This: Patagonia’s Un-Marketing on Cyber Monday
From Black Friday to Small Business Saturday to Cyber Monday, business communication over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend is all about buy, buy, buy. In this hypersaturated message environment, this email missive from the outdoor-clothing supplier Patagonia on Cyber Monday definitely stood out, starting with the large headline "Don't Buy This Jacket" and a large photo […]