Essentials of Business Communication

by Mary Ellen Guffey

This cost-effective textbook/workbook/handbook presents a streamlined approach to business communication that includes comprehensive Web resources and unparalleled author support for instructors and students. ESSENTIALS provides a four-in-one learning (1) authoritative text, (2) practical workbook, (3) self-teaching grammar/mechanics handbook, and (4) premium Web site (www.meguffey.com). Especially effective for students with outdated or inadequate language skills, ESSENTIALS offers extraordinary digital and printed exercises to help students build confidence as they review grammar, punctuation, and writing guidelines. Textbook chapters teach basic writing skills and then apply these skills to a variety of e-mails, memos, letters, reports, and resumes. Realistic model documents and structured writing assignments build lasting workplace skills. The Eighth Edition of this award-winning favorite features increased coverage of professionalism, employment communication, and communication technology in the workplace.

Genres: School, Business, Nonfiction, Textbooks, Communication, Reference, Writing

560 pages, Paperback

Published January 13, 2009

Reviews

[Lori · Rating 4 out of 5]

I used this book to teach Business Comm in December. It was a pretty good book.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

I learned quite a bit from this book about writing proper letters and other communication. I didn't want to keep it anymore so I donated it to the library.

[Katje van Loon · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read it for school, so didn't do a cover-to-cover, just assigned chapters.

Did learn some stuff about business communication that I didn't know before, so it was useful in that regard.

However, the book was very "Hello, fellow kids." At one point it talked about how young people spend their time "twittering." Twittering. Not tweeting. Twittering.

Also, its advice regarding email newsletters should be taken with a heaping spoonful of salt.

Kind of seriously out of date in places. Hopefully the new edition coming out soon will update those bits for the next round of students about to spend way too much on textbooks. (Book buyback today gave me LESS THAN NINE DOLLARS for this tome that cost me something like $100 when I bought it so I'M A LITTLE BITTER.)

[Westveil Books · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you struggle with English grammar and/or never learned how to write a letter, this book is for you. If you, like me, are a 30-something mature student with life experience, this is a decent reference at best. It's long, it's dry, and it's mostly common sense and high school language skills. I barely cracked this book open, and when I did it was usually because our instructor wanted the assignment to look like "the example in Chapter X" or something, and then I'd spend far too much time figuring out WHICH example in that chapter she was referring to...

[Reader · Rating 1 out of 5]

lengthy, dry, and sleep-inducing. the book told readers not to have those qualities but the book itself did. reading this book as compulsory course material felt like having to remember linkedin posts by heart and take tests on them.

[Tracy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very repetitive, but would make a decent reference book.

[Phillip · Rating 3 out of 5]

As business writing textbooks go, this one is pretty strong. But it's still a business writing textbook, so...

[Nessie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clear and practical. Slightly outdated, but this is an old edition.

[Imtiaz Ahmed]

I read

[Ashley Snow · Rating 5 out of 5]

definitely a life-applicable course and reading

[Alp Pacino · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thınk ıt will help me..

[Da Yal · Rating 5 out of 5]

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[Serith · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a textbook for a college class and at first I was reluctant to read it because it did not seem necessary. However I was shocked at how much I learned and how it really improved my business writing and professionalism. You get all different types of advice that contradict each other from people, the internet, and other sources, etc - but it is this book’s content that has appealed to me the most. I’ve been living by its advice and find myself quoting it a lot.

[Vonze · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn't looking forward to this class because I figured most of it was common sense. However, there's some really good advice in this book. Especially the chapters on negative messages (dealing with upset customers) and persuasive messages (getting your boss and co-workers to back your ideas).

[Gloria · Rating 5 out of 5]

The textbook arrived within 5 days! It was quick and I personally thought it would take at least a week to come. I was very satisfied on the condition of the book.

[Henry · Rating 1 out of 5]

I thought it had good points yet the organization was messy and there was unnecessary fluff throughout the book.

[angelica castro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very very informative

Loved the way this book was written and organized. It is very helpful and easy to understand as you read.

[Laurette Greenfield · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has a lot of common sense applications and practical applications.