The Role of Social Networks in the Development of Skills of Professional Communication: An Empirical Study

Introduction

As a virtual communication space, social networks are becoming increasingly important for professional communication these days (Malvini Redden & Way, 2019). The possibility of instant distribution of advertising, conducting negotiations, organizing online events, as well as the availability of various forums and blogs contribute to the fact that a variety of professional activities take place in social networks (Flanagin, 2017; Slone & Gaffney, 2016) (Figure 1). Professional communication on social networking websites has begun to develop particularly intensively in connection with the COVID-19 outbreak. The introduced quarantine restrictions forced not only educational but also service and other sectors of the economy to switch to a predominantly remote working format (Franz et al., 2020). Therefore, as of the present day, professional communication remains an essential component of any activity. The development of corresponding skills in this field is among the central aspects able to ensure the success of work (Müller et al., 2020). Even though social networks are widely regarded as an area of professional communication skills’ application and, at the same time, as a means of their development, this research area is still insufficiently studied, which determines the relevance of the present research.

Figure 1.

The purpose of social networks using

The aim of this paper is to study the role of social networks in the development of professional communication skills.

Research objectives are as follows:

• - Analyze recent papers on the role of social networks in the development of professional communication skills;

• - Conduct an empirical study of professional communication skills;

• - Develop a practical course aimed at improving professional communication skills by means of social networks and assess its effectiveness.