Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Fall 2011
1 Course Description This course focuses on the principles of writing and speaking in a business setting. Clarity, brevity, precision, and effectiveness in business communication are emphasized through practical assignments such as letters, memoranda, agendas, meeting minutes, short reports, resumes, and oral presentations. Students are encouraged to tailor certain assignments to their specific areas of study. 2 Student Learning Outcomes Upon successful completion of this course, and as a result of the activities and study in this course, the students should be able to accomplish the following: y To cultivate interpersonal skills conducive to ethical and effective professional relationships. y To build competent oral communication skills for giving effective presentations supported by electronic presentation software. y To develop writing skills for producing various types of correspondence such as memos, minutes, agendas, and diverse business and cover letters. y To proofread and edit various types of business correspondence. y To produce collaborative writing, such as team reports, letters, memos. y To recognize, design and carry out the steps needed to write a report, present quantitative data in the report, and interpret data. y To plan and participate in meetings. y To conduct and successfully participate in job interviews. To construct proper questionnaires. 3. Teaching Methodology and Techniques y Students will work individually, in pairs, and in groups. y Students are expected to present oral and written work, applying the skills as they are being acquired. y Students are held accountable for reading their assignments before class discussions, to better prepare for the discussions: five percent of the final grade will be allotted for the students active participation in class discussions of topics under study. y Students are encouraged to participate in mock interview sessions so that they can practice the interview skills needed to compete in a global economy. y Work during class time is encouraged. Keeping a folder of samples of each type of writing will prove useful once the student has completed the course. Students are expected to read all relevant material before coming to class. 4. Required Text Book/s Ober, S. (2009). Contemporary Business Communication (7th ed.). Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company. USB flash drive Manning, A. & E. Wilding (2007). Presentations.Reading: Garnet Publishing Ltd. For Engineering and Science majors only: Griffith, P. (2007). Scientific Writing. Reading: Garnet Publishing Ltd.
Fall 2011
6. Grading and Evaluation Tasks Participation & preparation (Practice) 2 quizzes 2 tests Interview CV and cover letter Report Oral presentation of the report (in pairs) Final Exam Total
Writing Across the Curriculum NDU considers that knowledge of a subject is both oral and written. Mastering the knowledge of a certain course means acquiring the ability to write on subjects related to that subject matter. Writing a research/term paper requires the appropriate command of language skills, proper terminology, and correct use of quotations, footnotes, and references, regardless of the course and topic. Guidelines for writing the report The practice of writing reports is found in businesses worldwide. In ENL230, writing the various components of the report is a process which requires time and planning. The instructor will set deadlines for each step below. 1. Choice of subject: Purpose, problem and scope. The instructor must approve a subject which is expected to be original. 2. Research the topic: writing a questionnaire, interview questions, data collection; presenting the data in visual form, i.e., tables, charts, etc. 3. Interpretation of the data and handing in the final report: paying special attention to format, mechanics, references, appendices. Students will meet with the instructor to discuss the progress of the report and to receive feedback. 7. Course Schedule
Date
Sept. 21-23 Sept. 26
Day
W-F M
Time
8:00a.m - 4:00p.m. 8:00a.m - 4:00p.m.
Important Dates
Registration Period Registration for New Students
Assignment
T T-W W
7:30a.m.
Course introduction: the syllabus Understanding business communication, Ch. 1: Directions of and barriers to communication; introducing and practicing the 3 Ps.
Fall 2011
Sept. 29 Sep. 30
M T T-F
8:00a.m - 4:00p.m.
Drop & Add (classes are in session) Orientation Sessions for New Students Attendance Obligatory Orientation Sessions for New Students Opening ceremony for the academic year 2011 - 2012
W Th F Interpersonal communication, Ch. 3: Non-verbal communication and body language. Meetings: preparing an agenda, taking minutes, following proper parliamentary procedure during meetings. The week will end with a mock class meeting based on an agenda provided by the instructor after class discussion. Students will use the necessary basic terminology that is usually used in meetings. Presentations, Unit 1 12:00 noon
M T W Th F
M T W Th F
Interpersonal communication, Ch. 3: Non-verbal communication and body language. Meetings: preparing an agenda, taking minutes, following proper parliamentary procedure during meetings. The week will end with a mock class meeting based on an agenda provided by the instructor after class discussion. Students will use the necessary basic terminology that is usually used in meetings. Presentations, Unit 1
The Writing Process, Ch. 4: The 5 steps of the writing process. Class work to concentrate on each
Fall 2011
T W Th F Style and Tone, Ch. 5: Preparing a memo, following the 3 Ps. Students can work in groups or pairs responding to specific situations from the textbook or provided by the instructor. Language: Work will be done with students to improve their sentence structure and to use effective style in communicating their messages, especially with regards to courtesy, emphasis, positivity, attitude, and bias. Presentations, Unit 2 All Saints Day
M T W Th F
WEEK 6 Nov. 7 Nov. 8 Nov. 9 Nov. 10 Nov. 11 WEEK 7 *Nov. 14 *Nov. 15 Nov. 16 Nov. 17 Nov. 18
M T W Th F M T W Th F
Employment Communication, Ch. 12: Preparing a CVlength, format, and content. Job application and CV cover letters. Letter format. Students will hand in their personal CVs with a cover letter for evaluation. Job Interviews: how to handle oneself, how to prepare for expected questions. Instructors will arrange to interview students individually in their offices during office hours.
WEEK 8 Nov. 21
Introduction to writing the report, Ch. 9: selection of topics (See Guidelines above.) Test 1: should test the material covered since the beginning of the semester. This test replaces the first part of the Midterm exam. (30
Fall 2011
T W Th
Nov. 25 *Nov. 26
F Sat.
Deadline for Spring and Summer 2010 Incomplete Grades Hijra New Year: Holiday Planning the Report, Ch. 9: Research and collecting data: Primary and secondary sources. How to build a questionnaire. Class work will come up with different parts of a questionnaire to be discussed by the whole class. Tabulating data: Using graphs and other visuals. Work on this part should be directly relevant to the students reports. Presentations, Unit 4
M T W Th F 8:00a.m.-4:00p.m. 8:00a.m.-4:00p.m. Advising Period for Spring 2011 Advising Period for Spring 2011
Ashoura: Holiday Advising Period for Spring 2011 Advising Period for Spring 2011 Advising Period for Spring 2011 Advising Period for Spring 2011
Writing workshop: Students will write in class the part of the report that interprets the data collected. (Ch. 9) They should be able to form a provisional outline for their report. Routine messages, Ch. 6: Claim and adjustment letters and goodwill messages.
M T W
Advising Period for Spring 2011 Advising Period for Spring 2011 Advising Period for Spring 2011
Further work on routine messages: Class writing with student samples discussed and evaluated by the whole class. Persuasive messages, Ch. 7: Audience analysis, direct and indirect plans. Emphasis on the sales message whether in letter form, memo, or electronic. Quiz 2: Students will be tested on their ability to form routine and persuasive messages. (15-20 minutes) Presentations, Unit 5
Fall 2011
Dec. 15 Dec. 16
Application for Work Study Grant Application for Work Study Grant Application for Work Study Grant Application for Work Study Grant Christmas Mass Christmas vacation begins Christmas vacation ends
classes resume WEEK 13 Jan. 2 Jan.3 Jan.4 Jan.5 Jan.6 M T W Th F 7:30 a.m. Application for Work Study Grant Application for Work Study Grant Application for Work Study Grant Application for Work Study Grant Epiphany and Armenian Christmas: Holiday
Oral Presentations, Ch. 11: Planning and delivery; planning team presentations; preparing and using visual aids Test 2: Students are responsible for all the material covered since Test 1. This is Part Two of the Midterm exam. (30 minutes) Reports are due. Oral presentations: Class practice, especially on the 3 Ps.
M T W Th F
Application for Work Study Grant Application for Work Study Grant Application for Work Study Grant Application for Work Study Grant Application for Work Study Grant
Writing Workshop: Class work on a variety of business communication means and the different strategies that need to be adopted for each. This week should summarize the material covered since the beginning of the semester. Oral Presentations: Students will present their reports in class in pairs; however, the evaluation will be individual. Presentations will not exceed 10 minutes each.
Fall 2011
Jan.17
Jan.18
Jan.19
Th
Jan. 20
4:00 p.m.
M T
Application for Work Study Grant Application for Work Study Grant Wednesday classes do not meet: Monday classes meet Application for Work Study Grant
Jan.25 Jan.26
W Th
9:00 p.m.
End of Classes Reading Day Final Examinations Period Reading Day Prophets Birthday: Holiday St. Maroun's Day: Holiday Will cover all the material for the course, except for the oral parts.
F W Sat. Th
8. Recommended Readings: Allen, J.G. (2004). The complete Q & A job interview book (4th ed.) Hoboken, N.J.: John Wiley & Sons. Shelfmark: 650.144 A4273c4 Arredondo, L. (1991). How to present like a pro: Getting people to see things your way. New York: McGraw-Hill. Shelfmark: 658.452 A774 Association for Business Communication (1995-). Business Communication Quarterly. Bennie, M. (1996). Mastering business English: How to improve your business communication skills. Hong Kong: Grolier. Shelfmark: 808.066651 B472m Bond, A. (2005). Three hundred+ successful business letters for all occasions (2nd ed.). Hauppauge, NY: Barron's Educational Series. Shelfmark: 651.74 B7111t2 Brace, I. (2007). Questionnaire design: how to plan, structure, and write survey material for effective market research London: Kogan Page. Shelfmark: 658.83 B7963q Bradburn, N. M., Wansink, B. & Sudman, S. (2004). Asking questions: The definitive guide to questionnaire design--for market research, political polls, and social and health questionnaires (rev. ed.). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Shelfmark: 300.723 B7982a
Fall 2011
Fall 2011
Fall 2011
0.0 The grade UW is assigned by the instructor when a registered student has never attended a class or has ceased attending and has not submitted an official course withdrawal request to the Office of the Registrar. This grade is computed as an F grade in the grade-point average.