Business and Professional Communication Quarterly

As a topic within the larger corpus of materials on selection interviewing, applicant appearance has been addressed through advice giving, folk wisdom, and other prescrip tions. As presented, such materials tend to undermine opportunities for issue identification and assessment. Through review and interpretation of that employment interview research which addresses the relationship between applicant appearance and interviewer selection decisions, the purpose of this paper is to encourage those who teach, train, and counsel others on employment inter viewing to devote more studied attention to appearance issues and ethics. To that end, five instructional proposi tions are offered. Each proposition is developed through review of related research and then capped by instructional observations.

Applying an international framework of work-related values, we offer practical suggestions for improving the effectiveness of training initiatives directed at Mexican- Americans. Specifically, it is recommended that those who train workers of Mexican descent (a) emphasize considerate behavior, (b) use encouragement techniques, (c) avoid public confrontation, (d) maintain a respectful distance with trainees, (e) foster participation, (f) offer collaborative team projects, (g) inspire ongoing education, (h) formally recog nize program completion, (i) allow ample time for topic coverage, (j) be sensitive to the status of women, (k) avoid blaming students for training failures, (l) settle conflicts amicably, and (m) provide guidance and structure for the participants. Since productive organizations must assume the responsibility for training employees when the prepara tory education system fails, implications for universities serving Mexican-American populations are also offered.

This four-year exploratory study was designed to investigate whether augmenting written comments on students' busi ness writing assignments with audiotaped remarks would lead to improved feedback, context, and performance; save time; and motivate student writers. The results showed that all factors improved except time, which could not be com pared directly to the results of previous studies.

Business communication instructors are often overwhelmed by the task of grading writing assignments. Instructors of writing are often frustrated by the complexities of the critiquing process. This article explores the benefits of using a uoice-graded writing approach which offers instructors an opportunity to engage in virtual office critiquing of student assignments.

E-mail is the primary communication vehicle for the information superhighway. Unfortunately, e-mail education is focusing on the hardware and software issues without regard for the requisite communication skills. To be effective electronic communicators, students need training in understanding the electronic organizational hierarchy and electronic communication volume and costs; selecting the appropriate media; and evaluating message permanence, security, ownership, and privacy. Including targeted exercises in the business communication class can enhance students' understanding of e-mail.

Corporate executives are often plagued with poor presentation skills, and the most time-efficient, customized solution is often individual coaching. This article, written by a practicing corporate speech. coach, describes a three-session approach to corporate speech coaching that has helped speakers improve on more than a hundred different occasions. It discusses optimal time schedules for coaching, what should be covered in individual sessions, how coaching should differ for speakers seeking to improve their skills in general and speakers working on a specific speech, and exercises to address specific presentation problems.