Professional Communication

General Business 300

Summer, 2013

Mark LindquistOffice hours: MTWThF 11-12

5182 Grainger 263-2259

PURPOSE AND DESIGN

This course focuses on providing you with the communication skills demanded by today's digital and global marketplace by building on the academic writing and speaking skills you’ve already developed and preparing you to present yourself professionally. In this class, you’ll be doing a lot of writing and speaking. In particular, you’ll

•Practice writing for a variety of common workplace situations.

•Give feedback to your peers on their writing and presentations; receive feedback from your peers on your writing and presentations.

•Receive feedback on your writing and presentations from me.

•Speak in class in both informal and formal contexts.

The content of this course reflects the belief that effective professional writing and speaking require careful attention to the needs of your audience; that is, you must be aware of the ways in which audiences respond to language and document design. Surveys of employers show that communication skills are critical to effective job placement, career advancement, and organizational success.

COURSE GOALS

•Learn rhetorical techniques and organizational strategies to compose clear, concise, and purposeful business messages that inform and persuade

•Apply critical thinking skills to analyze aspects of business communication

•Communicate with a professional tone and style in both print and electronic documents

•Research current business issues and evaluate arguments

•Incorporate data and visual evidence to support business messages

•Document and cite your sources in order to avoid plagiarism

•Develop speaking skills and design effective slideshows to accompany presentations

•Develop strategies for effective cross-cultural communication

•Collaborate effectively with peers and learn about the essential role of listening in communication

•Prepare for job interviews with an effective cover letter and other employment documents

The course combines lecture, discussion, and workshop formats and frequently emphasizes collaboration, the characteristic mode of today’s workplace. Active and enthusiastic participation is crucial to success. Striving to do your best work in every activity and on assignments will serve you well, not just in this class, but in all your future endeavors.

Note: Phones, laptops, and other electronic devices should be turned off and put away unless their use has been authorized by the instructor.

REQUIRED TEXT

Bovee, C. & Thill, J. (2012). Business Communication Essentials (5th ed.). Boston: Prentice Hall. This is the required text for all sections of Gen Bus 300.

RECOMMENDED TEXT

Gerald J. Alred, Charles T. Brusaw, Walter E. Oliu. The Business Writer's Handbook, 9th Edition. This is a good general business communication tool covering documents, mechanics, etc. that will be beneficial now and on the job.

OVERVIEW OF ASSIGNMENTS

Employment Documents 60

Persuasive Presentation(Corporate Profile) 60

Persuasive Memo 50

Short Report (Intercultural Written Report)100

Intercultural Presentation100

Midterm exam100

Final exam100

Collaborative Formal Report150

Collaborative Presentation of the Formal Report100

Participation

In class memo 50
In class letters 40
In class revision exercise 20
Intercultural Terminology Quiz 20
Peer Evaluations (Collaborative Formal Report) 50
Participation Total180

Total1000

GRADING

Final grades will be assigned according to the following scale:

A94-100 %

AB88-93 %

B82-87 %

BC75-81 %

C68-74 %

D61-67 %

F0-60 %

Written work will generally be evaluated on the basis of clarity and thoroughness of content, organization, tone, appearance, and correctness (including grammar, spelling, punctuation, and mechanics). Detailed instructions will outline specific criteria for grading for each assignment.

In collaborative work I assume that each group member will participate equally; consequently, I assign each member the same grade. It is your responsibility to make sure that you are pulling your weight; check with your group members at every stage of every collaborative assignment. As part of the collaborative project final assessment at the end of the semester, each group member will evaluate the contribution of all others in the group. In the event that group members report that a member has not contributed equally, the penalty will be to lower that student’s grade up to one letter grade.

ATTENDANCE

You may miss class twice during the semester without penalty.

Each absence after two may result in the lowering of your final grade for the course by a half-step (from an AB to a B, for example). Excessive absences (5+) will result in failing the course.

Religious Observances: You will not be penalized for missing class for a religious holiday; however, you must inform me of religious conflicts during the first three weeks of the semester.

LATE ASSIGNMENTS

Written Assignments: Speak to me in advance if you have a conflict with a due date for a written assignment in the class. Without an approved extension, you will receive a 5 percent penalty for each day an assignment is late.

Presentations: Once a presentation date has been assigned, you are responsible for exchanging dates/times with another classmate or group, as needed. Please let me know as soon as an exchange has been arranged. Failure to show up for a presentation will result in a 10 percent penalty in your grade for that presentation, except in cases of serious illness or emergency

PLAGIARISM

Plagiarism is the use of another person’s words or ideas without proper attribution. This includes copying and pasting from any web source, purchasing a paper from a website, or getting one from a friend. If you are unsure if something is plagiarism, please ask.

Cases of plagiarism cases can be reported to the Dean of Students, and may appear on your permanent record. You will also likely fail the assignment and possibly the course.

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Schedule of Class Work and Assignments

JULY 8

Intro, Profiles.

Grammar review. EMPLOYMENT DOCUMENTS ASSIGNED.

JULY 9(BCE Chapter 1: Understanding Business Communication in Today’s Workplace;

BCE 13: Building Careers and Writing Resumes; BCE 14: Applying and Interviewing for Employment)

Employment communications.
Fundamental principles for revising business writing

JULY 10 (BCE 3: Planning Business Messages; BCE 4: Writing Business Messages)

Revision skills workshop. Graded revision exercise. Employment documents due.

Common Memorandum Reports. MEMO REPORT ASSIGNED.

JULY 11 (BCE 2: Mastering Team Skills and Interpersonal Communication; BCE 5: Completing Business Messages)

Memo reports continued/email. Memo Report due.
Communicating in small groups/ writing proposals/ document design. COLLABORATIVE GROUPS & COLLABORATIVE REPORT PROPOSAL ASSIGNED

JULY 12 (BCE 9: Writing Persuasive Messages; BCE 10: Understanding and Planning Reports and Proposals)

Grainger Library Seminar on research materials (presented in classroom).
In-Class Memo Report Composed

JULY 15 (BCE 6: Crafting Messages for Electronic Media; BCE 7: Writing Routine and Positive Messages)

Research Proposals due. Group Conferences on Proposals.

Routine Letters. LETTERS ASSIGNED AND BEGUN IN CLASS

JULY 16 (BCE 8: Writing Negative Messages;)

Persuasion/Negative news letters: In-class negative letter -- Letters due

Speaking and Presenting Skills. CORPORATE PROFILE PRESENTATION ASSIGNED

JULY 17 (BCE 12: Developing Oral and Online Presentations)

Power Point/Prezi Training (1PM & 2:30PM classes in 2290; 4PM in 2294) --

JULY 18

Individual Presentations (Corporate Profiles)
Communicating Across Cultures (CAC): an Introduction. INTERCULTURAL REPORT & INTERCULTURAL PRESENTATION ASSIGNED

JULY 19

Midterm Exam

JULY 22(BCE 1 pp. 11-15 & 20: (section entitled “Communicating in a World of Diversity”)

Workshop on “… Expatriate” & “Canadians…” (handouts); Intercultural terminology quiz.