COURSE OUTLINE

Rationale

Communications skills are essential to any person’s life because man is gregarious – associating with others in various forms: oral, non-verbal, and written. The most successful human beings are those who are good at interacting with others in different situations. At the centre of our ability to expertly interact with people are our solid skills in the different forms of communication. It is important for learners to recognise the value of and develop good communication skills. Business students across the different programmes in the School of Business are all expected to be armed with basic communication skills to enable them to engage in effective and professional communication.

Course Aim and Objectives

Business Communication aims to expose learners to the several forms of communication and skills for them to appreciate the various contexts within which they will be required to communicate. The purpose of this course is to equip students with the fundamental principles and skills that are required for communication in one’s academic and professional work environment. Students are expected to communicate in an academic manner by way of assignments (essays and reports), tests, oral presentations and examinations. Therefore, this course, (BS151/BSP151/HRM130) will help learners improve their communication skills necessary for success in both academic and business life.

           Learning Outcomes

At the end of the course, students are expected to:

1. Define the communication process and related concepts

2. Explain the forms and types of communication

3. Apply emotional intelligence (EI) to make personal and business decisions

4. Identify barriers to effective communication

5. Describe aspects of nonverbal communication

6. Explain the tenets of quality communication

7. Use accepted citation and referencing conventions

8. Develop critical reading skills through note-making

9. Use punctuation marks effectively in written work

10. Write well formatted academic essays and reports with visual appeal

11. Produce well written business letters, resumes/CVs, job descriptions and minutes

12. Demonstrate speaking skills by making oral presentations (PowerPoint slides, Virtual presentations, face-to-face)

Course Content

1. Introduction to Business Communication

a.       Communication and its importance

b.      Forms and types of communication

c.       The Communication Process

d.      Barriers to Effective Communication

e.       Nonverbal Communication

f.       Tenets of quality Communication

g.      Emotional Intelligence (EI)

2. Communication in Academic Situations

a. Plagiarism and Referencing

b. Rules and fundamental principles of referencing

c. Reading skills and note-making

d. Punctuation in written work

e. The Academic Essay

   i. The writing process

   ii. The structure of an academic essay

f.       The Academic research report

TEST 1

3.   Communication in the Business Environment

a. The Business Letter

   i. Types of letters

   ii. Structure of a letter

b. Resume and Curriculum Vitae

c. Job description

d. Business Reports

   i. Schematic Report

   ii. Progress Report

iii. Recommendation Report

iv. Feasibility Report

e. Notices and Memos

e. Meetings and Minutes

TEST 2

4. Making an oral Presentations

 a. Defining public speaking 

 b. Types of Speeches

 c. Types of oral presentations

PRESENTATIONS DUE

 Teaching Methods

  a. Lecture through guided practice (virtually and physically)

  b. Pair/ group work, discussion, oral presentations

  c. Assignments (library research)

Assessment

Continuous Assessment (2 tests and 3 assignments) = 40%

Final Examination = 60%

Recommended Readings

1.      Adler, R. & Elmhorst, J. (2008). Communicating at Work. McGraw Inc.

2.      Bailey, S. (2006) Academic writing: A handbook for international students, 2nd ed. Routledge.

3.      Communication in the Real World: An Introduction to Communication Studies. https://open.lib.umn.edu/communication/chapter/1-3-communication-principles/

4.      Deakin University (2012) Communication Skills, available: http://www.deakin.edu.au/_data/assets/pdf-file/0014/21326/communication-skills.pdf    

5.      Emerson, L. (2005). Writing Guidelines for Business students. 3rd edn. Cengage Learning.

6.      Hargie, O. (2019). The Handbook of Communication Skills, 4th edn, London: Routledge.

7.      Ivey, A. (2010) Perfect Presentations: How you can Master the Art of successful Presentations. Andrew and Ventus Publishing

8.      Johansen, R., Sibbert, D., Benson, S., Martin, A., Mittman, R., & Saffo, P. (1991). Leading Business Teams: How Teams Can Use Technology and Group Process Tools to Enhance Performance ISBN-13: 978-0201528299.

9.      McPheat, S. (2012).  Effective Communication Skills. Ventus Publishing.

10.  McPheat, S. (2012).  Emotional Intelligence. Ventus Publishing.

11.  Tyler, S., Kossen, C. & Ryan, C. (2002). Communication: A Foundation Course. Pearson Education Australia

12.     Olynk, N. & Widmar, D. (2004). Identifying and Addressing barriers to Communication. Purdue University.

13.     Robinson, L., Segal, J., & Segal, R. (2013). Improving Communication Skills in Business

Relationships.  on-line, available; http:ww.helpguide.org/mental/effective-communication-skills.htm [accessed on 05/12/13]

14.     University of Limerick. (2012). Cite It Right-Guide to Harvard Referencing Style. 2nd edn. Glucksman Library.

PORTFOLIO PRESENTATION

A portfolio contains samples of your work and shows your audience (e.g. potential employer) what you can do OR have done. It calls for deep reflection and introspection. As part of your CA, you are required to submit a portfolio to demonstrate your skills.

Contents of your portfolio (in order)

1.      Cover (Secure a neat folder for the entire portfolio)

a.       Title: Business Communication Portfolio

b.      Your name (include a photo if you like)

c.       Your SIN #

d.      Date of Submission

2.      Curriculum Vitae (professionally done): Typed and Printed.

3.      Emotional Intelligence Test results: Print results

4.      Personality Type Test results: Print results

5.      Presentation Guidelines & Performance (Print and include in your portfolio)

a.       Attach a written part of what you presented as an individual in the group – handwritten.

b.      On the oral presentation sheet provided (see page), write your score in the space provided.

6.      Writing Essentials

a.       Grammar Essentials (list them – you can add examples if you wish) – handwritten

b.      Essay structure (sample of your argumentative essay) – handwritten

7.      Schematic report – attach your peer marked report from class. (You can rewrite it if you want but the rewrite should be attached to the original copy as part of the portfolio). Typed.

8.      Minutes Writing  - Typed and formatted according to the template provided.

a.       Fill in (write) the sample minutes template using one of the group meetings you had.

b.      Use the details of that meeting to complete 8(a).

9.      Write (handwritten) a one-paged individual experience of your group meetings.

a.       Include how you dealt with conflict, attendance, level of participation, etc.

b.      What could you have done better? What did you learn about yourself through the group presentations?

10.   Contents of a job description – handwritten.

11.  Job Application Letter – Typed in fully blocked format

a.       Job application letter. Align your application to the contents of the CV. Be honest.

b.      Type your letter (1 page).

Due date: TBA