Main Aim(s) of the Unit:

To prepare students to address business communication situations encountered in their careers through the writing of memoranda, letters, reports, resumes, electronic messages; manuals withterms, mechanisms and instructions; process analysis; proposals; web portfolios; delivering oral presentations, in order to develop interpersonal skills and to foster critical thinking and problemsolving skills through the writing of effective communication for assigned business scenarios / situations.

Main Topics of Study:

The process of communication

• The objectives of communication
• The meaning of words
• Non-verbal communication
• The context or situation
• Barriers to communication
• Why? Who? Where? When?
• What? How?
• Planning the message
• Summary – how to communicate

Speaking effectively

• Basic speaking skills
• Qualities to aim for when speaking
• Summary – good speaking

Listening

• Listening– the neglected skill
• Reasons for improving listening
• Are you a good listener?
• Ten aids to good listening
• Summary – good listening

Human interaction and non-verbal communication

• Metacommunication and paralanguage
• The language of silence
• The language of time
• Body language or kinesics
• The underlying psychology: NLP, El and TA
• Conflict between verbal and non-verbal communication
• Summary – the importance of paralanguage in human interaction

Talking on the telephone

• Telephone problems
• Basic telephone rules
• Switchboard operators
• Making a call
• Gathering information by telephone
• Answering the telephone
• Voicemail
• Mobile phone manners
• Summary – good telephoning

Interviewing

• Interviewing weaknesses
• What is an interview?
• The purposes of the interview
• Types of interview information
• How to plan an interview
• Structuring the interview
• How to question and probe
• Summary – Interviewing

Being interviewed for a job

• Preparing – the organisation
• Preparing – know yourself
• At the interview
• Tips to remember
• Summary – being interviewed for a job

Communicating in groups

• Advantages of groups
• Disadvantages of groups
• Factors affecting group effectiveness
• Summary – making groups and committees work

Running and taking part in meetings

• Chairing meetings
• Decision-making methods
• Responsibilities of participants
• Duties of officers and members
• The agenda
• The minutes
• Videoconferencing and audio-conferencing
• Formal procedure

Giving a talk

• Techniques of public speaking
• Preparation
• Developing the material
• Opening the talk
• Closing the talk
• Visual aids
• Use of notes
• Practising the talk
• Room and platform layout
• Delivery of the talk
• Summary – being a good speaker

 Using visual aids

• General principles
• Whiteboards
• Flip charts
• Build-up visuals
• Physical objects
• Models and experiments
• Overhead projector
• Data projector
• Slide projector
• Videos
• Closed circuit television and video
• Points to remember about visual aids
• Video and DVD hire and purchase
• Summary – being in control of visual aids

Faster reading

• How do you read?
• The physical process of reading
• Ways of increasing your vocabulary
• Summary – faster reading

Better reading

• Determine reading priorities
• Scanning
• Skimming
• SQ3R method of reading
• Summary – better reading

Writing business letters

• Why good letter-writing matters
• Backing up the phone call or meeting
• Planning a letter
• Layout and style
• The structure of a letter
• Dictating
• Standard letters
• Summary – writing business letters

Applying for a job

• What sort of job do you want?
• What is available and what are they looking for?
• The application itself
• Job-hunting on the Internet
• Summary – applying for a job

Writing reports

• What is a report?
• Types of report
• Essentials of a good report
• What is the purpose of the report?
• Fundamental structure
• Format, layout, headings and numbering
• Long formal reports
• House style
• How to get started
• Setting your objective
• Researching and assembling the material
• Organising the material and planning the report
• Writing the first draft
• Editing the report
• Producing the report
• Summary – report writing

Memos, messages, forms and questionnaires

• Memos
• E-mail
• Fax
• Postcards and reply cards
• Text messaging
• Forms and questionnaires
• Summary – other writing tasks

Visual communication

• When to use charts and graphs
• Presentation of statistical data
• Presenting continuous information
• Presenting discrete or non-continuous information
• Presenting non-statistical information effectively

Getting to grips with grammar

• Why does grammar matter?
• What is grammar?
• How good is your English?
• The parts of speech in brief
• The framework of English
• The architecture of the sentence

Common problems with English

• Subject–verb agreement
• Problems with verbs
• Problems with adjectives
• Problems with adverbs
• Problems with pronouns
• Problems with prepositions and conjunctions
• Problems with ellipsis
• Problems with negatives
• Revision of grammar

Appendices

• A Punctuation made easy
• B Using capitals
• C Using numbers 
• D Business clichés or ‘commercialese’
• E Commonly misused and confused words
• F Ten (simple?) rules of spelling
• G Commonly misspelled words
• H Tips on modern business style
• I Differences between men and women communicating

Learning Outcomes for the Unit

At the end of this Unit, students will be able to:

1. Demonstrate how business communication strategies and principles can be applied to prepare effective communication for domestic and international business situations
2. Discuss the relative merits of and appropriate organisational formats and channels used in developing and presenting business messages
3. Demonstrate understanding of the mechanics of oral and written communication including presentations, memos, letters, and reports.
4. Demonstrate language skills competency in grammar, spelling, punctuation, capitalization, number usage, and sentence structure by communicating in concise, clear, straightforward language.
5. Explain relative merits and mechanisms for communicating via electronic mail, Internet, and other electronic media.
6. To deliver an effective oral business presentation (Non credit bearing assessment)
7. To demonstrate problem-solving and critical-thinking skills by analysing business problems, resulting in functional business documents, memoranda, letters, and/or reports.

The numbers in the boxes below show which of the above module learning outcomes are related to particular cognitive and key skills.

Learning and teaching methods/strategies used to enable the achievement of learning outcomes:

Learning takes place on a number of levels through lectures, class discussion including problem review and analysis. Formal lectures provide a foundation of information on which the student builds through directed learning and self managed learning outside of the class. The students are actively encouraged to form study groups to discuss course material which fosters a greater depth learning experience.

Assessment methods which enable student to demonstrate the learning outcomes for the Unit:

Examination: 3 hours duration 100% 

Indicative Reading for this Unit:

Main Text:
‘Mastering Communications’ by Nicky Stanton, published by Palgrave Macmillan, 5th Edition

Alternative Text and Further Reading:
Practical Communications - F W Bergin (Pitman)
People of Communication - D W Evans (Pitman)
Basic Business Communication – K Lesikar (McGraw Hill)

Guideline for Teaching and Learning Time

50 hours Lectures / Seminars / Tutorials / Workshops
Tutorial support includes feedback on assignments and may vary by college according to local needs and wishes.

50 hours Directed learning
Advance reading and preparation / Class preparation / Background reading / Group study / Portfolio / Diary etc

100 hours Self managed learning
Working through the course text and completing assignments as required will take up the bulk of the learning time. In addition students are expected to engage with the tutor and other students and to undertake further reading using the web and/or libraries.