Teaching Professional Communication in the Information Age: Problems in sustaining Relevance

Abstract

The teaching of professional communication must reflect the realities of the Information Age if our courses are to adequately prepare students for a work place that is being radically transformed by communication technology. Professional-communication instruction must reflect such changes as exces sive information, meaning lag, the conceptual nature of work in an informa tion society, the inextricable meshing of computers and communication, and the reality of global communications. Professional-communication theory must reflect the problem of excessive information. Audience analysis must take into account the realities imposed by computer conferencing and elec tronic mail. Assignments must teach students to transform raw data into in formation and then into communication for readers with various information requirements. The use of computers in writing instruction must be reexam ined to insure that the computer as a communication tool is effectively inte grated. International-communication strategies and protocols must be stud ied. Dictation instruction must be included.