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Business Communication: Polishing Your Professional Presence, 5th edition

Published by Pearson (December 11, 2024) © 2025

  • Barbara Shwom Northwestern University
  • Lisa Gueldenzoph Snyder North Carolina A&T State University

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In this eTextbook — More ways to learn

  • More flexible. Start learning right away, on any device.
  • More supportive. Get AI explanations and practice questions (select titles).
  • More interactive. Bring learning to life with audio, videos, and diagrams.
  • More memorable. Make concepts stick with highlights, search, notes, and flashcards.
  • More understandable. Translate text into 100+ languages with one tap.

In this eTextbook — More ways to learn

  • More flexible. Start learning right away, on any device.
  • More supportive. Get AI explanations and practice questions (select titles).
  • More interactive. Bring learning to life with audio, videos, and diagrams.
  • More memorable. Make concepts stick with highlights, search, notes, and flashcards.
  • More understandable. Translate text into 100+ languages with one tap.

In this eTextbook — More ways to learn

  • More flexible. Start learning right away, on any device.
  • More supportive. Get AI explanations and practice questions (select titles).
  • More interactive. Bring learning to life with audio, videos, and diagrams.
  • More memorable. Make concepts stick with highlights, search, notes, and flashcards.
  • More understandable. Translate text into 100+ languages with one tap.

Title overview

Business Communication helps you achieve the highest level of professionalism when conducting business. The text uses a powerful communication model to assist you in analyzing, composing and evaluating business communication. It also stresses the importance of clarity, critical thinking, persuasion, goodwill, empathy and inclusiveness in both written and spoken messages.

A heavily revised 5th Edition reflects many changes in the field. Examples and discussion relate business communication to modern technologies, including generative AI, as well as important developments in diversity, equity and inclusion.

Table of contents

Visual Walk-Through

PART 1: UNDERSTANDING THE FOUNDATIONS OF BUSINESS COMMUNICATION

  1. Developing Your Professional Presence
  2. Working with Others: Interpersonal, Intercultural, and Team Communication
  3. Managing the Communication Process: Analyzing, Composing, Evaluating

PART 2: DELIVERING EFFECTIVE MESSAGES

  1. Communicating Routine Messages and Building Goodwill
  2. Communicating Persuasively
  3. Communicating Bad News
  4. Using Social Media in Business

PART 3: RESEARCHING, PROPOSING, REPORTING, AND PRESENTING

  1. Finding and Evaluating Business Information
  2. Preparing Persuasive Business Proposals
  3. Preparing Business Reports
  4. Preparing and Delivering Business Presentations

PART 4: PERSUADING AN EMPLOYER TO HIRE YOU

  1. Communicating Your Professional Brand: Social Media, Websites, Résumés, Cover Letters, and Interviews

APPENDICES

  1. Formats for Business Documents
  2. Documentation and Reference Styles
  3. Grammar, Punctuation, Mechanics, and Conventions

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