Changes in the political, social, cultural and economic life of the country and the world need quality training and education of highly skilled personnel in general and preparation for professional careers in particular. The objective of vocational education is not only the formation of professional knowledge and skills, but it also focuses on the formation of a permanent increase of their professional competence, the development of the ability to communicate using words as a communication tool for solving professional problems in terms of the expansion of international relations (Goncharenko & Nychkalo, 2002: 93). Therefore, there is an urgent need to prepare future professionals of foreign professional communication.
It is the culture of business communication that depends largely on the success of professionals in many areas, including economic, political and social, who should be able to navigate in different communicative situations, to choose appropriate tools, methods and techniques of communication, correctly, logically and persuasively express their opinions, establish productive relationships with partners. High professionalism, formation of valuable horizons and broad erudition – this is an incomplete list of requirements for the modern professional. The future specialist should be able to predict market conditions and simultaneously take into account the social, psychological, political, and other factors that allow one to select priority areas for vocational training. But the most important requirement today that will ensure the future competitiveness of the skilled labor market is a combination of narrow professionalism and versatility (Kondrashova, 2008: 27).
Inconsistency between professionally important qualities associated with business communication and development of requirements for future professional activities leads to long-term adaptation of the young specialists in industrial situations. Therefore, solving the problems of abilities and skills related to the possession of the basics of business communication in higher education is a prerequisite for improving the quality of training. Formation of skills of business communication lays the basis for the full use of the creative forces, faculties and talents of the graduates.
Based on the leading concept of professional education in modern society – the concept of lifelong learning, “lifelong learning”– it can be argued that training of competent, successful, competitive specialist is only possible under the conditions of formation of culture of foreign professional communication that requires mastery of relevant skills.
Mastering foreign language professional communication skills will allow a full use of the potential of modern foreign language information sources to improve professionals’ skills allowing them to be full participants in the dialogue with foreign counterparts; if necessary, to realize their professional potential abroad.
Mastering a foreign language is seen as students’ acquition of communicative competence in practical use in a foreign language: working with foreign literature according to the professional field, participation in discussions and international conferences, writing articles and other research materials in a foreign language, maintaining a correspondence with foreign partners. The acquisition of communicative competence is carried out in accordance with the basic assumptions of the theory of language and communication activities, and language material as a means of implementing the relevant type of speech activity (Doronyna, 2010: 34).
So, more and more attention is paid to the culture of business communication in foreign languages, but the scale of the study has not yet reached the required level. The number of hours in curricula in higher education to study this aspect should be significantly increased. It will help to take into account the principles of consistency, communication and professional orientation training, interactivity, integration and speech-mental activity underlying the course and complete the task of the discipline.
Business communication is the most important procedure in the system of economy. The effectiveness of economic management is largely dependent on the quality of communication and effectiveness of business communication. Indeed, none of the functions of management can not be realized without the implementation of business communication in any of its form.
Along with the term “communication”, “mass communication” is also often used. In the theory of management mass communication has a meaning of a binding process, it is present in all the functions of management – planning, organizing, motivation, control, and it really connects them to a single administrative process. Business Communication is required for a decision-making as well. Business communication is also the primary means of negotiations – an important part of modern economic management.
Business communication involves three main elements. These are perception, transmission and understanding of information. On the effectiveness of each depends the degree of understanding and information. In this respect, business communication is divided into verbal and non-verbal. To the non-verbal business communication belongs from 60 to 80% of the transmitted information, and to the verbal means – only 20–40%.
Business communication – is primary communication, but in order for it to be effective, people need to know both means of communication (verbal and nonverbal) and ways to overcome barriers in communication (Kolodko, 2011: 46).
Communication as interaction should be focused on the understanding of a companion, the desire to achieve positive results; it comprises certain stages: establishing a contact; orientation in the situation; discussing the problem; decision making; finishing a contact.
