Business Writing and Professional Communication
The Business Writing and Professional Communication faculty are dedicated to promoting effective business communication practices. Our faculty equip School of Business undergraduates with skills needed to establish a strong foundation for success in and outside of the classroom.
Communication Skills Make You Successful
Communication skills continue to be a top priority for employers and for student success in a classroom. In a recent National Association of College and Employers' Job Outlook Report, employers ranked the attributes they look for on college resumes. Out of twenty characteristics, written communication skills ranked 3rd while verbal skills ranked 6th. Regarding “Career Readiness Competencies,” the same report found that written and oral communications were ranked “above essential” for new hires. The Business Writing and Professional Communication program is designed to elevate the communication skills that students practice through academic and experiential learning opportunities.
Business Communication Lab
Need help putting together a pitch deck for a class or editing a report? Don't understand your assignment guidelines, or aren't sure how to get started on a project?
Our trained staff can assist undergraduate business students with their written and oral communication needs which satisfy their coursework. Through one-on-one coaching and editing services, we can help students succeed in their business courses.
Click here to learn more and schedule an appointment with our staff.
Business Communication Courses
The business communication courses offered at the School of Business are 3003W Business Communications and 3004W Business Writing and Communications. Each course offers a different approach (based on credits and campus availability) to improve written and verbal competencies within the workplace. Business students should consult their plan of study for which course is required. Students are limited to earning credit for one business writing/communication course (BUSN 3003W or 3004W).
- Learn to identify and attend to the rhetorical elements (e.g., audience, purpose, use) and strategies (e.g., persuasion) that govern effective professional communication;
- Create messages that reflect both the features and conventions of professional workplace genres (e.g., correspondence, short reports) and emerging genres (e.g., new media);
- Develop a professional writing style, as well as use critical feedback to improve principles of clarity, coherence, and accessibility that govern this style;
- Practice platform speaking strategies and presentation skills to help you communicate with authority and impact stakeholders;
- Explore the integrated, multimodal dimensions (e.g., written, oral, visual) of professional communication across a range of rhetorical situations;
- Develop strategies to enhance your collaborative composing process.
Meet the Faculty
Amanda Coletti is an Assistant Professor In-Residence in the School of Business at UConn and teaches business writing and communication courses. She has a background in neuroscience, with a B.A. in Behavioral Neuroscience from Connecticut College and an M.S. in Physiology and Neurobiology from UConn. Amanda graduated from UConn in 2024 with a Ph.D. in Communication, where her doctoral research explored science communication, narrative storytelling, and training evaluation. Her current research examines how storytelling and communication training can enhance communication skills, promote identity, and support professional wellbeing. Amanda is also a story slam-winning storyteller who loves to craft and perform her own stories on the stage.
Stephen Florian teaches business writing and communication in the UConn School of Business. Steve has taught composition, writing in the humanities, writing in the professions, public speaking, and interpersonal and small group communication courses, at California State University Northridge, the University of Alaska Southeast, and most recently at Landmark College, a school that specializes in teaching students with learning differences. Steve holds a PhD in Composition and Applied Linguistics from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. His research interests have focused on the effects of academic probation on retention and persistence in first year composition students, and how student/teacher affordances support neurodivergence in the composition classroom.
Brent Lucia teaches business writing and communication courses for the School of Business at UConn. In the past he’s taught both literature and composition courses for The City University of New York and William Paterson University. Brent is also Chair of the Advisory Board for the International Rhetoric Workshop and a past member of its Organization Committee. He graduated from Indiana University of Pennsylvania in 2018 with a Ph.D in Composition and Applied Linguistics. His current research explores the rhetorics of technology and its relationship to spatial operations and user experiences.
Online Professional Communication Tools
- Guide you to library resources designed for business students
- Empower your student organization with connections they need to industry-specific guides
- Help you access scholarly and reputable sources to improve:
- business pitches
- stock pitches
- case competition entries
- academic reports
- Show you how to read an academic paper
- Help you narrow down your field of study or jobs in your industry
- Marsen, S. (2020). “Navigating Crisis: The Role of Communication in Organizational Crisis.” International Journal of Business Communication, 57(2), 163-175.
- Nadanyiova, M., & Das, S. (2020). “Millenials as a Target Segment of Socially Responsible Communication within the Business Strategy.” Littera Scripta, 13(1), 119-134.
- Newman, S. A., Ford, R. C., & Marshall, G. W. (2020). “Virtual Team Leader Communication: Employee Perception and Organizational Reality.” International Journal of Business, 57(4), 452-473.
- Lauer, C. & Brumberger, E. (2019). “Redefining Writing For the Responsive Workplace.” College Composition and Communication, 70(4), 634-663.
- Blythe, S., Lauer, C, & Curran G.P. (2014) “Professional and Technical Communication in a Web 2.0 World.” Technical Communication Quarterly, 23, 265-287