We believe this practical approach is key to successful teaching. My coauthor and I have always integrated numerous real-world examples from diverse companies within our textbooks. However, my LinkedIn content will stand out for its immediacy. That's why I'm launching a series titled "Ripped from the Headlines."
Get a sneak peek at upcoming titles:
How Airbus Mastered Multilingual Communication
Effective Communication Saved the Day at Amazon
Dropbox: Leveraging Communication for Remote Collaboration
Domino's: Mastering the Art of Business Communication
Peloton Found Its Rhythm Through Business Communication
Uber: The Impact of Business Communication on Conflict
Five Lessons in Business Communication (the Hard Way): Equifax
Ikea's Recipe for Global Harmony
In a separate series called "Optimize Your Business Communication Instruction," I'll share the latest research findings on essential topics like visual communication, algorithms, business writing, interviewing and resumes, social media, listening, email, and reports.
Recognizing the complexities of business communication, I've created "The Mysteries of Business Communication" series. Dive into topics like:
The Body Language Enigma
The Power of Tone
The Nonverbal Void
The Power of Silence
Grasping Speaker Intent and Emotions
The Charisma Conundrum
Join the discussion in "What Do You Think," a thought-provoking series exploring:
Caught Between a Clock and a Camera: The Employee's Privacy Paradox
Like It or Like It Not: Navigating the Social Media Tightrope
Ha-Ha, or Huh-Oh: Office Humor's Minefield
In-Box Obituary: Is Email Dead or Evolving?
Finally, "Bovee & Thill Playbook: Unmasking the Secrets of Business Communication in 2024" offers insights into:
The Magic of AI and Visuals in Messaging
Presentation Skills with Next-Gen Performance Solutions
The Trojan Horse of the Mind: Why Stories Conquer (and Win Hearts)
Emotional Insights at the Speed of Light: Microexpressions
As pioneers in covering digital communication in business communication textbooks, we were the first to cover social media, mobile communication, and artificial intelligence. Naturally, our most extensive coverage of AI appears in the highly acclaimed 14th edition of "Excellence in Business Communication." We appreciate the positive feedback it has received and encourage you to explore it yourself. You can obtain an examination copy by clicking here.
Want to receive these posts as soon as they're published? Join my group, Teaching Business Communication, on LinkedIn! Over 3,400 members enjoy weekly updates and engage in discussions. Click here to join.
All the best,
Court Bovee
John Thill
Bovee & Thill's Online Business Communication Magazines's insight:
Excellence in Business Communication takes a close look at the fundamental skills and principles of business communication. Featuring practical advice, time-tested processes, and real-world examples, Excellence is the premier text for helping you hone and develop essential communication skills.
The 14th Edition continues to set new standards for currency and innovation. The authors performed extensive research to ensure up-to-date coverage of diversity, equity, and inclusion in communication skills, innovative technology usage, and contemporary business practices.
In today's digital age, business communication is evolving rapidly, paving the way for innovative technologies to reshape how we connect, collaborate, and communicate. One such technology that holds immense potential is artificial intelligence (AI). As students of business communication, it is essential to understand why AI and intelligence technologies are becoming increasingly vital in this field. In this blog post, we will explore the reasons why students in a business communication course should embrace and learn about AI technologies.
Enhanced Communication Efficiency
AI technologies, such as chatbots and virtual assistants, are revolutionizing the way businesses interact with their customers. Learning about these technologies equips students with the knowledge to leverage AI-powered communication tools that streamline processes, provide instant responses, and enhance customer experiences, ultimately driving organizational efficiency.
Data-Driven Decision Making
AI algorithms have the capacity to process vast amounts of data and extract valuable insights. Understanding AI enables students to harness these capabilities in business communication, allowing for data-driven decision making. By analyzing communication patterns, sentiment analysis, and customer behavior, students can shape effective communication strategies and tailor messages to specific target audiences.
Personalization and Customer Engagement
AI technologies enable businesses to personalize communication and engage customers on a deeper level. Students learning about AI can explore how intelligent systems analyze customer preferences, generate personalized recommendations, and craft targeted marketing campaigns. This knowledge empowers students to create communication strategies that resonate with their intended audience, fostering stronger customer engagement and loyalty.
Voice-Based Interfaces and Natural Language Processing
Voice assistants like Siri, Alexa, and Google Assistant are becoming ubiquitous in homes and workplaces. Understanding the underlying technologies, such as natural language processing, speech recognition, and voice search optimization, helps students adapt their communication skills to this growing trend. Incorporating voice-based interfaces in business communication allows for more accessible and interactive interactions with customers, employees, and stakeholders.
Ethics and Responsible AI Use
As AI continues to evolve, ethical considerations surrounding its use become increasingly important. Students studying business communication should gain insights into the ethical implications of AI technologies, including issues like privacy, bias, and transparency. Developing an understanding of responsible AI practices prepares students to engage in meaningful discussions and make informed decisions regarding AI integration in business communication.
By embracing AI as part of their studies, students not only enhance their communication skills but also gain a competitive edge in the professional world. From improved communication efficiency to data-driven decision making, personalization, voice-based interfaces, and ethical considerations, learning about AI technologies equips students to navigate the evolving challenges and opportunities they will encounter in their future careers.
How Students Can Learn about AI in a Business Communication Course
Excellence in Business Communication, authored by Thill and Bovee, is the only textbook in the field to offer full coverage of AI. Order an examination copy of this text to prepare your students for their AI future.
Emotionally secure people are confident and comfortable in their own skin. But it takes work to get there. Dr. Cortney Warren, a Harvard psychologist and bestselling author, reveals the phrases that the most emotionally stable people say every day.
Here are 16 practices that are commonly viewed as unethical, harmful, or even dangerous in professional business communication and that individuals must be aware of to maintain ethics and legality in their communication practices:
Lying to customers or stakeholders for personal gain or misleading people about goods and services.
Sharing/selling confidential information about customers, partners, or competitors without their approval, leading to liability or litigation.
Manipulating data to improve audit results, financial statements, or other compliance risks or using deceptive practices in financial reporting, raising investor concerns.
Using threats, fear tactics, or intimidation to secure sales or contracts.
Defamation: Writing and intentionally publishing false statements about other people or companies, with ill motives and resulting in damaged reputation or economic harm.
Insider Trading: Sharing information on a company's financial performance or share value, obtained through personal and direct insight/knowledge with other parties, in violation of security laws.
Bribery/Kickbacks: Offering or receiving money, gifts, or any other type of compensation or benefits to influence business deals or enhance personal benefits.
Engaging in plagiarism or intellectual property theft by replicating content or ideas without proper attribution, harming other businesses' legitimate interests.
Harassing or bullying employees or coworkers through malicious gossip or spreading details of someone's personal life, creating possible legal ramifications and toxic office environments.
Cyberbullying & Cyberstalking: Using writing to harass or threaten individuals, with the use of technology such as email, texts, or social media platforms.
Discrimination or unfair treatment of employees based on age, race, gender, religion, or any other protected characteristic.
Exploiting vulnerability or weaknesses in a deal or using unethical tactics to gain an unfair advantage during negotiations.
Fraud: Writing statements intended to mislead investors, prospective customers, or partners about financial performance or the safety and effectiveness of products or services.
Data Privacy Violations: Writing copy that breaches an individual's or company's privacy rights by disclosing personal or confidential information without consent.
Using manipulative language, over-promising, or misleading prospects and customers, driving false expectations that lead to disillusionment and disloyalty.
Creating fake social media profiles, sharing fake reviews, manipulating online reviews to generate fake impressions or endorsements.
By being aware of unethical or illegal communication practices, individuals and businesses can maintain their professional reputation and comply with legal, regulatory, and ethical standards. Additionally, adopting a code of ethics or organizational policy provides guidance to staff and stakeholders on ethical best practices.
Like it or not, words, spelling, and punctuation can leave a lasting impression on others. But even the most educated people often unknowingly make these common flubs.
Here are ten of the most important things to keep in mind when writing for the web:
Keep it Simple: Writing for the web should be concise and straightforward, using short sentences and paragraphs to make content easy to read and quickly consumable.
Write for Scanning: Most web users skim through content, so organizing your information into digestible headings, subheadings, bullet points, and lists can improve the readability and enhance user experience.
Use Strong Headlines: Strong and meaningful headlines help grab the reader's attention and give them an insight into the content and structure of the post.
Understand Search Engine Optimization (SEO): Having relevant, focused, and keyword-rich content can improve your visibility in search engines and engage your audience.
Use Active Voice: Writing in active voice creates more engaging and compelling content than writing in passive voice.
Make It Relevant: Focus on creating content that adds value and provides solutions to your readership's needs, problems or concerns.
Be Authentic: Writing should reflect the personality and tone of your brand's culture, and reflect authenticity and transparency.
Use Visuals: Including appropriate and engaging visuals in your content can increase readership, enhance the readability, and make your message more memorable.
Edit Thoroughly: Editing your content through multiple rounds of review, spelling, and grammar checks, checking for redundancy or clarity issues can result in a more polished, professional, and error-free final draft.
Focus on Engagement: Encourage engagement with your readers through a comments section, a call-to-action, or well-placed social media buttons, which can increase your visibility, spread your message, and have your content be useful and shareable with a broad audience.
By keeping these essential principles in mind when writing for the web, you can improve user engagement, build your brand and thought leadership, and increase the effectiveness of your website and online presence.
To get content containing either thought or leadership enter:
To get content containing both thought and leadership enter:
To get content containing the expression thought leadership enter:
You can enter several keywords and you can refine them whenever you want. Our suggestion engine uses more signals but entering a few keywords here will rapidly give you great content to curate.