Exploring Beyond the Obvious: Social Skills Needed for Agricultural Communication Baccalaureate Graduates

This national study sought to expand on current research to identify the importance of and graduates’ ability to perform selected social skills to aid in curricula evaluation and small program development. Using three evaluation groups – agricultural communication graduates, communication industry professionals, and agricultural communication faculty members – 193 individuals responded to the online survey. The most important social skills were those associated with having work values and transitioning into an organization to be a productive member in the workplace. Graduates placed a higher importance on social skills than the other two evaluation groups. All three evaluation groups showed some agreement on graduates’ highest ability to perform several social skills: The ability to be trustworthy, trained, reliable, professional, dedicated, and behave ethically were assigned the highest mean ability. A significant difference was found with the ability graduates afforded themselves in having common sense, being professional, and encompassing maturity versus the other two evaluation groups. Recommendations included incorporating and identifying social skills into instruction for students. Group work, presentations, internships, and student organizations were proposed as opportunities for social skill attainment. Agricultural leadership principles, oral communication, and professional development courses were recommended for new and developing agricultural communication programs that could serve to incorporate the most important social skills. Faculty members could benefit from research that can identify more effective measures to evaluate social skill attainment. Recommendations for future research included a similar assessment with technical skills and for other elements of the Agricultural Communication Program System Model to be assessed

Technically Speaking: Technical Skills Needed for Agricultural Communication Baccalaureate Graduates

Technically Speaking: Technical Skills Needed for Agricultural Communication Baccalaureate Graduates Abstract The purpose of this national study was to assess the perceived importance of 57 technical skills identified in previous literature, and to determine entry-level, agricultural communication graduates’ ability to perform those technical skills as perceived by agricultural communication graduates, communication industry professionals, and agricultural communication faculty members. Participants from the three evaluation groups (n = 193) identified three of the most important technical skills needed by agricultural communication graduates. These skills were communicating in written form, concise and clear writing, and communicating verbally. Graduates placed a higher importance on technical skills than the other two evaluation groups. All three evaluation groups showed some agreement on graduates’ highest ability to perform several technical skills: ability to use technology, ability to use Microsoft Word, and ability to adapt to contemporary media. A significant difference was found between the evaluation groups for the ability graduates afforded themselves in telephone etiquette, ability to use Microsoft Word, reading skills, ability to use Instagram, ability to use graphic design software, and ability to use web design software, as compared to the other two evaluation groups. Recommendations included incorporating technical skills into instruction for undergraduate students. Content should be focused in technical-skill areas identified as being of high importance: communicate in written form; communicate verbally; write concisely and clearly; and use of proper punctuation, grammar, and spelling. Faculty members could benefit from research that identifies more effective measures to evaluate technical skills attainment