Ability to communicate ranked first among personal qualities of college graduates sought by employers, in a survey of 480 companies and public organizations by the National Association of Colleges and Employers. Work experience was second, motivation third, and academic credentials sixth. Ethics was 10th.

-The Wall Street Journal, 29 December 1998, p.1.

Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, the ability to plan and execute organizational goals, and a record of consensus building among competing interests are critical.

- a common requirement in job ads

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

As a businessperson, you will need to understand the role of writing in corporate decision making. You will have to communicate effectively both within organizations and between organizations and their various external audiences, including the public, government agencies, and shareholders. In this course, you will learn strategies for understanding and communicating in organizational settings. You will write memos, letters, and reports that simulate on-the-job communication tasks. You will also learn to write collaboratively and to comment effectively on other people's writing. As is common in organizations, you will summarize various documents in oral briefings to the class.

COURSE OBJECTIVES

1. Understand the basic principles of successful written and oral communication as they apply in a global business setting
2. Understand and use visual and electronic modes of communication
3. Write, individually and as a member of a group, well designed, grammatical, and effective business documents
4. Make effective individual and group oral presentations

REQUIRED TEXT

Andrews, D.C. and W.D. Andrews, Business Communication, 4th edition (Needham Heights MA: Pearson, 1999).

YOUR OBLIGATIONS AS A STUDENT

1. Attend every class. The course prepares you for your role as a professional, and professionals meet their obligations. In addition, you paid for this class, and you should get your money's worth. We'll discuss all assignments in detail in class and do exercises that are hard to make up if you're not there. If you must miss a class, send me or Karen an e-mail message in advance explaining why. More than 3 absences will result in a reduction in your grade.

2. Prepare for class by reading assigned chapters in the text. Be ready to discuss the end-of-chapter exercises in class. Write any assignments to be handed in; all assignments are due at class time on the dates indicated in the schedule. We'll accept late work only if you talk with me or Karen about the assignment before the scheduled due date. You must complete all assignments to pass the course.

GRADING

Criteria for the grade on each assignment

A-Outstanding

The document more than meets the specifications for the assignment.

The document demonstrates sensitivity to the context.

The document addresses the right audience and meets that audience's needs.

The content is worthwhile, rich, accurate, and complete.

The organization emphasizes what's important, makes information easily accessible, motivates the right audience response, sorts the familiar from the new and begins with the familiar.

The style is readable, fluid, appropriate, and correct in grammar and mechanics.

The format and design are engaging and enhance content.

B-Good

The document meets the specifications for the assignment but requires minor improvements in content or organization or style or design.

C-Satisfactory

The document meets the specifications for the assignment--but only minimally. It needs a new organizational plan to make its information accessible. It covers the topic only superficially. The text is hard to read and demonstrates serious errors in mechanics or grammar.

D-Just passing

The document meets only some of the specifications, its content is barely adequate, and it demonstrates major errors in mechanics and format.

F-Failure

The document doesn't meet the specifications of the assignment, is weak in content, and contains major and excessive errors.

Final grades will be weighted as follows

Individual memos, letters, white paper (Assignments 2A&B, 5 ,6, 8)	35%
Team report (Assignments 4, 7A&B)	35%
Laboratory discussion & exercises (including Assignments 1, 3, 9A&B)	30%

ASSIGNMENTS

The only way to learn to write is to write, actively and often. This class will give you many occasions for writing. You'll develop skills in analyzing situations and seeing how writing, and, to a lesser extent, oral communication, can help you set and achieve communication goals. You'll learn, too, how to comment on other people's writing and write both individually and on a team. To profit from the class, you need to prepare well and then participate vigorously in both the general discussions on Thursdays and the communication laboratories on Tuesdays.

Any changes in the assignments will be announced in class, circulated on e-mail, and posted in the "Updates" section of the course Website.

SCHEDULE

Ch.+ number refers to chapters in the text. T=Tuesday. R=Thursday. A=August; S=September; O=October (etc)

T A 29 Cases

R A 31 Memos and e-mail. Ch.1, 12

T S 05 Assignment 1. Self-introduction. On e-mail. Ch. 2, 3

R S 07 Employment communication. Ch. 23

T S 12 Assignment 2A. Draft resume 5 copies

R S 14 Letters. Talking, listening, interviewing. Ch. 13, 20, 21, 24

T S 19 Assignment 3. Employment interviews with follow-up memo

R S 21 Collaboration. Planning. Ch. 5, 11

T S 26 Assignment 2B. Draft cover letter. Form groups for team project

R S 28 Reports. Ch. 18, 19

T O 03 Assignment 4. Group planning memo. Ch. 17

R O 06 Managing information. Ch. 9, 10

T O 10 Assignment 5.White paper

R O 12 Visuals. Voice. PowerPoint. Ch. 6, 7

T O 17 Assignment 6. Progress memo. Oral presentations. Ch. 22

R O 19 On the Job: Karen Gutmann

T O 24 Assignment 7A: Team oral presentation

R O 26 On the Job: (Speaker to be announced)

T O 31 Assignment 7A: Team oral presentation, continued

R N 02 Revising. Ch. 8

T N 07 Election day. No class

R N 09 Assignment 7B. Team report. The global environment of business. Ch. 4

T N 14 Perceptions

R N 16 Procedures. Persuasion. Ch. 14, 15, 16, 25

T N 21 Assignment 8. Letter or memo on a policy or procedure

R N 23 Thanksgiving. No class

T N 28 Assignment 2: Final resume and cover letter. Crisis communication. Ch. 26

R N 30 Corporate documents and presentations in crisis

T D 05 Assignment 9A : Crisis briefings and 9B: Crisis documents