Skip to main content

MCC Daily Tribune Archive

All WRite: WAC in Practice


Writing Across the Curriculum in Business and Marketing

By Kathleen Borbee (Business Administration)

In the NACE (National Association of Colleges and Employers) Job Outlook 2016, one of the skills employers want most is for employees to have excellent written and verbal communication skills. Many employers still complain that they can’t find qualified candidates. It often turns out that the mismatch results from poor communication skills (both oral and written) on the part of job applicants for the jobs that are available.

These days the ability to communicate effectively is often challenged with younger generations, because everything is in shorthand and text. According to the Recruitment and Employment Commission (REC), around half of all resumes received by recruitment consultants contain spelling or grammatical errors. Candidates between ages 21 and 25 are most likely to make these mistakes. Yet the ability to speak and write clearly has never been more important. With emails, notes, letters, texts and Tweets, most people spend a fair amount of time at work communicating via the written word.

Incorporating opportunities for our students to improve these skills by having writing assignments in business courses reinforces the idea that writing is not limited to English courses. Business communication must be clear and organized. Even focusing on helping our students writing an email that is clear is critical. This is often one of the most difficult skills to master, yet when done correctly provides the stamp of professional courtesy. They need to understand that the first impression they make is often via an email. What impression are they making if it is poorly organized? At best, they were negligent in that they didn’t proofread their message or use spell check; at worst, they come across as less intelligent and less capable.

Being able to persuade is also important for our students. While sales and marketing professionals may be skilled in using the written word to persuade customers, everyone in the business world will find it necessary to persuade someone to take action at some point based on some written material they have sent. In his book To Sell is Human--a business bestseller in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Washington Post--Daniel H. Pink says, “Whether we’re employees pitching colleagues on a new idea, entrepreneurs enticing funders to invest, or parents and teachers cajoling children to study, we spend our days trying to move others. Like it or not, we’re all in sales now.”

If the idea that good written communications is important in the business world doesn’t quite hit home for our students, we can always try to appeal to their social life. Within the last year, The Wall Street Journal printed an article entitled “How Grammar Snobs No U Ain’t Mr Rite.”  This article says that “with crimes against grammar rising in the age of social media, some people are beginning to take action.” It appears that poor grammar is beginning to have an effect in the world of online dating!

The bottom line is that good writing skills are critical for our students as they pursue their business careers. By helping them hone their business writing skills, we can help them become more credible, have a positive impact on their career advancement, and perhaps help their personal life.

If you have any questions about how to make your business and marketing courses writing intensive, or if you’d like to see examples of assignments, please do not hesitate to contact me at <mailto:kborbee@monroecc.edu> .

**Note: This is an installment of a series of Daily Tribune articles written by members of the Writing Across the Curriculum steering committee. 

If you are a WR-certified faculty member who would like to be featured in future installments (Spring 2017, for example), please contact Amy Burtner, Interim Coordinator for WAC, at <mailto:aburtner@monroecc.edu>. We would love to highlight your teaching!

Amy Burtner
Writing Across the Curriculum
11/21/2016