Transcript ES2002 Course Introduction

ES2002 Business Communication
Course Introduction
Outline
• Importance of communication skills
• Course details
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Objectives
Content
Structure
Assessment
Mini lectures
Recommended texts
ES2002 Business Communication: Course Introduction
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“As executives reach middle management and
above, the primary criterion for advancement
is communication and motivation skills rather
than basic job performance.”
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Primary factors in achieving success
(Executives earning over $250,000)
1. Communication Skills
2. Intelligence
3. Integrity
4. Experience
5. Enthusiasm, positive attitude
6. Self-esteem/confidence
7. Risk-taking attitude
8. Formal education
9. Ambition
10. Emotional Maturity
ES2002 Business Communication: Course Introduction
71%
64%
54%
50%
46%
37%
35%
29%
25%
16%
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“Of the Singapore nationals hired this year, the
most common skill shortages cited across all
industry sectors are communication skills (15.1
percent), computer skills (12.5 percent) and
managerial experience (13.9 percent).”
Source: A job survey by TMP worldwide, a leading global
human resource consultancy with local expertise across
the Asian region – reported in The Straits Times, Recruit
section, Tuesday, 30 October 2001.
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“… they [business communication courses]
teach the one thing that is perhaps the most
valuable for the future employee to know …
This one basic skill is the ability to organise
and express ideas in writing and speaking …
The letter, the report, the memorandum, the
‘ten-minute’ presentation to a committee are
basic tools of an employee.”
Peter Drucker,
A management expert
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Recent financial crisis as a communication problem
“in many ways the current situation does seem to be a series of communication failures.
Managers who had inside information about the problems failed to persuade others to take
appropriate action. Executives failed to convey the bad news to shareholders and boards but
instead reconfigured it as good news. Corporate directors and government regulators
failed to listen carefully to alternative or minority viewpoints (Labaton, 2008). Investors failed to
ask probing questions rather than accepting at face value what they were told. Bankers, realtors,
and brokers failed to explain information clearly and fairly, especially technical or
legal information being communicated to nonexpert audiences. Consumers failed to read
contracts and mortgage documents carefully and to question passages that were not clear. No
one, it seemed, could imagine the worst-case scenario. All these actions are forms of
communication: to persuade, convey, reconfigure, listen, ask, explain, read, question, and
imagine. The people involved either couldn’t or wouldn’t communicate what was necessary.
Jameson, 2010, p, 502-503
“Economic crises and financial disasters”
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By the end of the course, you should be able to:
• Understand the fundamental principles of effective
business communication
• Apply the critical and creative thinking abilities
necessary for effective communication in today’s
business world
• Organise and express ideas in writing and speaking
to produce messages suitably tailored for the topic,
objective, audience, communication medium and
context
• Demonstrate clarity, precision, conciseness and
coherence in your use of language
ES2002 Business Communication: Course Introduction
Course details Course objectives
Course objectives
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Communication: models, principles and problems
Meeting/group discussion skills
Letter writing skills
Report writing skills
Intercultural communication skills
Interpersonal skills
Oral presentation skills
ES2002 Business Communication: Course Introduction
Course details Course content
Course content
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• Tutorial activities: group discussions, class
presentations, mini lectures, case studies, simulations,
self and peer evaluations, discussion forums, and
others
• Course materials:
Course details Course structure
Course structure
• readings from recommended texts and online sources
• course notes available online
• tutorial handouts
• Contact hours per week: 4 (2-hr tutorials twice a week)
• Modular credits: 4
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ES2002 Business Communication: Course Introduction
Course assessment
• Continual assessment: 100%
Course details
Course assessment
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Course assessment
Group marks (45%)
Report
Individual marks (55%)
20 marks
Quality of report (80%)
Peer evaluation of report (20%)
Executive Summary
Letter Writing
20 marks
Power and Culture in
Communication
15 marks
10 marks
Oral Presentations
10 marks
Quality of summary (80%)
Quality of explanation of decision (20%)
Class Participation
10 marks
In-class Group Work
10 marks
Oral Presentations
5 marks
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• Turn up for tutorials and be punctual.
• Deliver mini lectures in a manner that will effectively
facilitate other students’ understanding of the topics.
• Provide useful feedback on your peers’ work, especially
their OP’s.
• Make valuable contributions as a group leader/member.
• Participate actively and constructively in class
discussions.
• Display an overall positive attitude.
ES2002 Business Communication: Course Introduction
Course assessment
• Demonstration of ability to take responsibility for own
learning (autonomous learning), for example:
Course details
Class participation assessment
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You work in teams and take turns to undertake
the challenging task of explaining to your
tutorial mates about different topics on the
course to aid their understanding.
ES2002 Business Communication: Course Introduction
Mini lectures
Course details
Mini lectures
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• You gain a better understanding and insight into the
topic to be taught
• You get to take responsibility for your own learning
and become more independent learners, while at the
same time benefiting from collaboratively working
with others
• You get to practise your oral presentation skills and
obtain useful feedback on them before your final
Project Presentation
ES2002 Business Communication: Course Introduction
Mini lectures
Benefits you stand to gain:
Course details
Mini lectures
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• Locker, Kitty O. 2006. Business and Administrative
Communication. 7th edition. Boston, Mass.:
Irwin/McGraw-Hill (Call No. : HF5718 Loc2006)
ES2002 Business Communication: Course Introduction
Recommended texts
• Bovee, Courtland L., Thill, John V. and Schatzman,
Barbara E. 2005. Business Communication Today.
8th edition. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall
International Inc. (Call No. HF5718 Bov2005)
Course details
Recommended texts
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