Amid the rise of artificial intelligence and remote work in a post-pandemic world, employers increasingly seek leaders who can communicate across platforms and foster a collaborative spirit with diverse teams. The Texas State University online Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Communication Studies program emphasizes communications theories that individuals can put into practice across different professions, allowing graduates to bring communications expertise to whatever field they are passionate about.
In fact, it’s no secret that communication skills are highly valued in a wide variety of careers. In both 2023 and 2024, LinkedIn identified communication as the most in-demand skill sought by employers who use the platform.
What Is Communication Theory?
Theories give people a lens to view the world, according to researchers Marianne Dainton and Elaine D. Zelley. In their book Applying Communication Theory for Professional Life, the authors explain that theories act like a pair of glasses: They not only help you see the world more clearly and improve your overall vision but also limit what you see outside the frames. Until you find the pair that works best for you, objects can seem larger or smaller than they are in reality.
Communication theories, which systematically summarize and analyze the nature of communication, operate similarly. They can help working professionals reflect on where their previous communication was particularly effective or unsuccessful and discover why those patterns have taken hold. At the same time, some theories have limitations, such as a lack of cultural context or simplification of complex challenges, according to Dainton and Zelley.
For instance, the Transmission Model of Communication remains a core principle of the communication field, according to one Teamazing article. It suggests that communication is linear — a sender transmits a message to a receiver, who decodes the it.
While the model is widely recognized as foundational to other theories, critics have noted that it oversimplifies communication by presenting it as a one-way process rather than a series of feedback loops between the receiver and sender. In addition, it doesn’t consider how cultural differences in language and appearance, among others, could influence the process. Still, the transmission model can help managers understand that their communication should be concise in whatever format they engage with employees and clients — emails, all-hands meetings and presentations included.
Applying Communication Theories in the Workplace
As Teamazing notes, rising professionals can also learn key lessons from the Social Learning Theory of Communication, which proposes that individuals acquire and improve their communication skills by observing and imitating examples of communication around them. This imitation, or modeling, of others can happen by observing people in their immediate surroundings or through media like television, film and music.
Social learning emphasizes that our communication patterns are shaped through social reinforcement, or the feedback cycle of negative pushback and positive affirmation that we receive from others. If someone gets a positive response when they’re respectful and clear in their message, they will be more likely to continue down that path.
Aspiring leaders should emulate the effective speakers and communicators around them. According to Indeed, building a solid set of communication skills now can help managers mitigate conflict among employees, improve employee engagement and workplace satisfaction, and increase productivity among their direct reports.
Those skills will translate to any number of professional opportunities. Communications graduates can pursue careers in marketing, public relations, event planning, journalism, human resources and more. Media and communications workers, who work across virtually all sectors of the economy, make an annual median wage of $66,240, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
Build Communication Skills to Expand Your Career Path With Texas State
Texas State’s online B.A. in Communication Studies program prepares graduates for various career opportunities through courses like Communication Theory and Introduction to Organizational Communication. Students explore contemporary theory and research in communication, examining where those theories apply to communication in small and large groups, organizations, cultures and mass communication systems. Graduates have the tools to navigate endless possibilities in the field.
Learn more about Texas State University’s online B.A. in Communication Studies program.
