Intro to Business Communication

Critical thinking question:To get a feel for how rapidly information technologies are changing and how significant the impact is on business, list all the information technologies (devices and applications) that you’ve learned to use over the last five years. Now reflect on how your communication, work, and life have changed as a result of these technologies.

• Form small groups of 2-3 students. Make introductions. Conceptualize what background factors might have influenced your answers to the previous exercise. Write a brief summary to present to the class.

What do you believe are core skills related to communication that are sought for by employers?

NACE’s Job Outlook Survey 2016 identified the following core skills:

Let’s talk about the syllabus

IC Integrated Communications landscape

• Why it is imperative to break down silos now – and five ways to do it

• By Robyn McLeod - See more at: http://chatsworthconsulting.com/2015/01/29/why-it-is-imperative-to-break-down-silos-now-and-five-ways-to-do-it/#sthash.7LTff4Md.dpuf

“Five ways to break down silos”• Emphasize transparency – a lack of transparency

creates organizational silos• Play nice – emphasize the importance of teamwork• Foster understanding –integrate cross-functional

meetings• Manage conflict –provide policies to resolve inter-

organizational disputes• Ensure continuous learning and improvement

• ”thought leader” “listicle” “silos” “building trust”

The Communication Process – recursive process

• Sensing a communication need• Defining the situation• Considering possible communication strategies• Selecting a course of action• Composing a message• Sending the message• Receiving the message• Interpreting the message• Deciding on a response• Replying to the message

Writing assessment exerciseNaturelle is Shells range of biodegradable oils for gear drives. These 6 lubricants are fully synthetic, and more environmentally considerate then mainstream oils. An excellent balance of wear protection and oil life are offered by naturelle. These products are priced at the premium level, and as such as are usually only used in environmentally sensitive areas which would mainly be in ports where the gear drives are located over water. In some instances mine sites are located in National Parks; given the focus local governments place on the environment protection in these areas some customers may also be under external pressure to ensure that any the environmental impact is associated with their operation kept to an absolute minimum. In these instances opportunities can exist to look to introduce these kinds of products.

Assignment #1 Facebook

Read Facebook’s Statement of Rights and Responsibilities• Write a brief summary (i.e. content and rhetorical

objective)• Evaluate the writing in terms of its sentence structure,

vocabulary, typography, paragraphs, focus, organization and how these decisions influence how readers relate to or understand the content.

• How does this communication artefact address and/or fail to address intercultural communication issues?

• Provide a brief recommendation for improvement.• https://www.facebook.com/legal/terms%20

Writing an effective memo

Read the memo on the following slides and take notes

Evaluate the writing style, take note of the use of polysyllabic words, the passive voice, and sentence structure.

Note any inconsistencies between the writing style and the content of the message.

Evaluate the tone. Make a list of any information that you believe is useful.

A memo should include the following parts:

Include a specific subject line.Open with a clear statement of purpose.Provide a brief summary.Use informative headings.End with a clear recommendation.

Let’s go home!