Business Communication Instruction shares the latest news, tips, techniques, and methods being used by instructors today to make their classes more rewarding and enjoyable.

Generative AI in the Business Communication Curriculum: Where Do We Go From Here?

As we’ve been tracking the development of intelligent communication technologies in our recent editions, augmented and automated writing systems have been the most intriguing innovation of them all. ChatGPT received most of the attention when OpenAI unleashed it on a mostly unsuspecting world last fall, but several hundred companies are now developing tools that promise to create or co-create anything from routine email messages and social media content to podcasts, presentations, and videos.

While the AI industry is clearly in the overheated early-hype phase with some of these products, intelligent capabilities are now widely available in the mainstream tools people use on the job, so it’s safe to say that generative AI technologies are on their way to becoming everyday business communication tools. With that in mind, it’s time to start teaching tomorrow’s professionals how to use them effectively and ethically—as we know many of you are already doing.

Looking ahead to the next edition of Business Communication Today we’ll be working on in the coming months, which topics would you like to see us cover? Here are some of the topics we’re considering:

  • Understanding the various roles that AI now has in workplace communication
  • Using AI efficiently, including tips on framing AI prompts
  • Learning specific ways to use AI for business communication, from co-creation to proofreading to technical aspects of media production
  • Assessing information quality risks with AI-generated material, including accuracy (getting bad information), scope (missing important facts or facets of a topic), currency (getting outdated information), and nuance (getting output that is close but lacks important interpretation)
  • Understanding ethical risks, including biases baked into AI systems and attribution issues surrounding the use of AI-generated content
  • Understanding legal risks, such as misusing intellectual property or inappropriately uploading secure content into AI engines
  • Dealing with the “soullessness” of AI-generated content and its potential impact on interpersonal communication

If you have any thoughts on how our textbooks can help you help students with these new tools, we would certainly value your input. Please share your thoughts at any of these venues:

 

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May 18, 2023
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16 Dangerous Practices to Avoid When Writing for Business

writing concerned about his business writing

Here are ten of the most important findings that research has discovered about written business communication:

Email Length: Shorter emails tend to be more effective than longer ones in businesses, which leads to better email response rates and improved workplace efficiency.

Tone and Style: Professional tone, coupled with an individual writing style, establish a company's voice, captivates the reader, and conveys confidence when deploying certain communicative styles.

Audience Awareness: Understanding the target audience, their preferences, and needs helps businesses determine the tone, style, and format for their communication, which can enhance readability, understanding, and engagement from the audience.

Active Voice: Active voice provides clear and concise language, making communication more engaging and memorable.

Politeness and Persuasion: Politeness in written business communication, such as the use of please and thank you, can enhance persuasion, increase the likelihood of positive feedback, and foster improved business relationships.

Visual Appeals: Visuals like graphics, images or tabled data make the content interesting and easier to understand and retain.

Brevity: The use of simple language, bullet points, and emphasis on collaboration saves time, enabling more efficient and effective communication and reduces the chances of miscommunication.

Framing: Strategic and discreet framing techniques can emphasize important information, key points and redirect focus when necessary towards significant goals.

Making a Human Connection: Businesses communicating with their audience in a personalized and friendly tone, uses in-joke, or humor can create a sense of relatability and human connection with your audience resulting in better communication and stronger relationships.

Call-to-Actions: Including clear and effective calls-to-action drives engagement, workflows, and encourages interactions between business and its audience or prospects.

These findings offer businesses insights into how written communication can be used to engage, persuade, and build healthy relationships with their audience and stakeholders.

Comprehending the strategic use of language to persuade and engage customers and partners has become more crucial in the modern business landscape than ever before. By paying attention to important elements like language, tone, structure, audience specificity, and visuals, businesses can have a better chance of creating that level of engagement, driving results, fostering goodwill, and keeping communication lines open.

For further information about the leading textbooks in business communication, visit http://blog.businesscommunicationnetwork.com/texts. 

May 6, 2023
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