Addis Ababa University

College of Education and Behavioral Studies

Post Graduate Program

Program: Managements of professional Vocational and Business Education Unit

Course: Pedagogical Science in Higher Education Subject Area Methods Course: Numbers CTPD 601

Individual Assignment: ON Lesson plan preparation and teaching material in General Wingate Polytechnic College in Managements of Business Department for level V students

Course title: Business communication

Prepared by: Berhanu Tadesse

ID : GSE/0514/11

Submitted to: Instructors Girma Zewede Associate Professor

September 2013

Business communication Lessen Plan preparation and Lecture notes

INTRODUCTION

What is a lesson? Originally, a lesson a piece of reading, from the Latin lectio. Today, however, reading is but one of a multitude of possible lesson components. The contemporary concept of lesson is very elastic. It can embrace exactly 40 minutes of time, devoted exclusively to the teaching of chemistry to 14 years old in a laboratory, signaled by the sounding of a bell at the beginning and end it might equally be a 1½ hours session, between the start of the school day and morning break, between the start of the school day and morning break, during which 7-years engage in a variety of activities in an open school, with no formal indication formal indication, other than a signal from the teacher, as to when it should begin or end. Writhing the material can be discussed by taking to account the three major stages, namely. Arranging the topics, preparing course outlines and writing the material. preparing course outline preparation puts some various types of course outline preparation observed in the above hence, preparing outlines once the topics to come under each of the modules/units/sections are identified and arranged, the writer is required to develop some outlines to determine what should come under each section and sub-sections. Developing good outline is not an easy matter.

Lesson planning means making decisions in advance about what to teach, how to teach and the time assignment of every teaching procedure. Teaching plan is necessary for both novice and experienced teachers. Although preparation does not guarantee successful lessons, walking into a classroom unprepared is often the beginning of a disastrous lesson. Although the main teaching contents may be the same, the students, the time and the mood are all different.

Lesson stricture: the stricture of a lesson can vary considerably depending on the subject matter, the age and ability of the learners, the policies of the school, the beliefs, preferred teaching styles, and strategies of the teacher, the time, space, and material resources available, and any requirements laid down by local or national government. This entry discusses the ways in which lessons may be structured and the factors influencing their shape and direction.

Academic years 2013

General Wingate polytechnic college DEPARTMENT of BUSINESS Management

ADDIS ABABA TECHNICAL VOCATIONAL EDUCATION

COURSE NUMBER: 342

TITLE: BUSINESS Communication

DEPARTMENT / PROGRAM: MANAGEMENT of Business Education

Department Business Education Information Management

Credit hours: - 3

SEMESTER AND SCHOOL YEAR: I, and II, For Level V trainee

INSTRUCTOR: Berhanu Tadesse Taye phone number +251911086066/+251924307419

Business communication Lecture notes.

Course description

Definition of Communication. Communication is a complex process often involving reading, writing, speaking and listening. It may be verbal and non-verbal (or a mixture of both), and it uses a variety of media (language, mass media, digital technology, etc.). Broadly speaking, communication is a transfer and reconstruction of information. Morespecifically, we may define communication as the transmission and reception of ideas, feelings and attitudes – verbal and non-verbal – that produce a response Communication Theory. There are two major theories of communication: behavioral& mathematical.The Behavioral Theory covers both verbal and non-verbal communication. First set forth by Dr. Jurgen Ruesch, a psychiatrist, it postulates that communication is based on social situations in which individuals find themselves. Our participation in communication with others must conform to established behavioral patternsEffective Communication. We communicate with other people around us from the day we are born until death. Most of our communication, however, will be ineffective if we do not understand the processes involved and acquire special communication skills in order to enhance our effectiveness. What is effective communication? Human communication is effective, if: the input (a sum of information or experiences built up in the encoder’s mind) is translated into an encoded message in such a way that the output (encoded message sent) most accurately represents the input (1:1 output-input ratio), the encoded message is easily decoded, or translated by the decoder, andan adequate (= desired, predictable, calculated) feedback (response to the encoded message) is sent back and duly received.Prerequisites for effective communication:

Course objectives: understanding the importance and the difference of Business Communication, To increase, Listening, Speaking, Writing ability effectiveness in business communication. Basic Communication Model Speaker-encoding-message decoding -listener in successfull communication sent =received

Purpose of a lesson plan:

To, structure the lesson, organize its contents/materials, determine method of its delivery, assess students’ learning, and evaluate its application/effectiveness. 3 V of Communication, Verbal: What you say:the message, Vocal: How you say: music of your voice, Visual: How you seem&who are you, Most powerful element of communication is:Visual! Give importance to visual self, as much as the knowledge and experience.

Common Problem Areas, Sending : Lack of gestures, tone of voice, ambigious words!: Convey the importance of the message. Environment: Noise.Physical obstacles, inadequency of the

channels, Receiving: Misinterpretion of any word or behaviour, perceptual filter which reflect all our past experinces and learning

Problems in Sending, using technical words for communication to nontechnical people, forgetting that the visual and vocal elements are the most important, words less. Ignoring the situation, expectencies and interests of the listener according to their expertise.

Noise in the environment, Noise creates distortions of the message and prevents it from being understoood the way was intended, Noises may be ringing telephones, honking horns, messy, chaotic surroundings etc. Time, inapropriate time may be an obstacle to give message clearly.Friday afternoon is not proper for a heavy meeting.

Perception Problems, Listeners ability to understand. Lack of attention, inattentive or bored listeners, Emotional state, stress, fear, anxiety, anger, Financial pressures, Prejudgements, Be sure that the receiver is “on”

The importance &difference of business communication, Time is money&time has a cost, Time is limited with project D/L,workhours, Businesspeople are not our family or friends, Business is not a game or joke but serious, It is a half-diplomatic environment, We may need any person in our career path with the nice memories about us. Business Comm. must be, brief, Well-designed, precise, specific, Short, Net&clear, Understandable&comprehensive

Four Personal Types, Beside necessity of being briefly and precise, There are different types of people in businessworld. They seem different, behave different They expect to be communicated differently, Described by Carl Jung in 1920.

The Relater I, Relaters are supporting and indirect. They are the most people-oriented of all 4, Having close, friendly, personal relations with others is one of the their most important objectives, and dislike conflict. Have good counselling skills and supportive, Excellent listenners and like good listeners

The Relater II, Concerned with stability, Think logically, Want documentation and facts, Need personal involvement, Take action and make decisions slowly, Need to know step by step sequence, Avoid risks and changes

The Relater III, Work slowly with others, Try to accomodate others, Want tranquility and peace, Seek security and belongingness, Enjoy teamwork, Want to know they are appreciated

The Relater IV, Have strong networks of people like them, Unassertive, warm, reliable, soft-hearted, Compliant, slow in taking action, avoid risk, Good trust builders, good team players, Thet are irritated by pushy, agressive people.Ideal occupations are counselling,teaching, social work, nursing, human resources,

The Relater V, Primary strenghts of Relaters are caring for and loving others, They like others to be friendly, courteous, genuine, responsible and sensitive, For more balance need to learn to say “no” , to be more task-oriented and less sensetive for others, be willing to reach from comfort zone to set goals and to delegate it to others.

What is a lesson? Originally, a lesson a piece of reading, from the Latin lectio. Today, however, reading is but one of a multitude of possible lesson components. The contemporary concept of lesson is very elastic. It can embrace exactly 40 minutes of time, devoted exclusively to the teaching of chemistry to 14 years old in a laboratory, signaled by the sounding of a bell at the beginning and end it might equally be a 1½ hours session, between the start of the school day and morning break, between the start of the school day and morning break, during which 7-years engage in a variety of activities in an open school, with no formal indication formal indication, other than a signal from the teacher, as to when it should begin or end. Writhing the material can be discussed by taking to account the three major stages, namely. Arranging the topics, preparing course outlines and writing the material. preparing course outline preparation puts some various types of course outline preparation observed in the above hence, preparing outlines once the topics to come under each of the modules/units/sections are identified and arranged, the writer is required to develop some outlines to determine what should come under each section and sub-sections. Developing good outline is not an easy matter.

Lesson planning means making decisions in advance about what to teach, how to teach and the time assignment of every teaching procedure. Teaching plan is necessary for both novice and experienced teachers. Although preparation does not guarantee successful lessons, walking into a classroom unprepared is often the beginning of a disastrous lesson. Although the main teaching contents may be the same, the students, the time and the mood are all different.

Lesson structure: the stricture of a lesson can vary considerably depending on the subject matter, the age and ability of the learners, the policies of the school, the beliefs, preferred teaching styles, and strategies of the teacher, the time, space, and material resources available, and any requirements laid down by local or national government. This entry discusses the ways in which lessons may be structured and the factors influencing their shape and direction.

Teaching aid

A guide to communicating about business

Contents:

1. Why should you communicate about your Responsible Entrepreneurship?

2. What can communication do for your business?

3. What is effective communication?

4. Who are you talking to?

5. What should you be talking about?

6. Who is talking about you?

7. The “How To” Guide to Effective Communications

1. Why should you communicate about your Responsible Entrepreneurship?

Many smaller companies do not communicate about their responsible entrepreneurship activities. Some don’t want to be seen to be “blowing their own horn” or using it as a cynical marketing ploy. Some think that CSR communications are the exclusive preserve of big corporations. And to others, responsible entrepreneurship is so completely second-nature that it would never occur to them to talk about it. In fact, by letting people know what you are doing in the area of responsible entrepreneurship, you are providing them with information they want about your company’s values and, about the products or services you bring to the market. In addition, you are setting a positive example for other businesses to follow.

Strong arguments have also been made that while big companies are better at communicating about their responsible entrepreneurship, smaller companies actually have more impact, since they are always closer to the communities they serve, and are often more integrally involved in their responsible entrepreneurship activities. If raising awareness about your responsible entrepreneurship efforts has never been a priority, you might want to reconsider. Letting people know what you stand for will not only

open the door to potential business benefits for your company; it might even encourage others to get involved. A guide to communicating about CSR

2. What can communication do for your business?

For the vast majority of enterprises – big or small – it is clear that regular, effective communications can have a direct and positive impact on the bottom-line, particularly by opening up new business opportunities. Other beneficial results from communicating about your company’s responsible entrepreneurship can include:

• higher levels of customer satisfaction and loyalty;

• improved company, brand and product reputation;

• more motivated and productive employees;

• better relations with the local community and public authorities; and

• increased cost savings.

Deciding what messages your company is going to communicate about responsible entrepreneurship will also give you the opportunity to reflect upon what you actually do as a responsible entrepreneur.

A guide to communicating

3. What is effective communication?

Just as there are a thousand ways of delivering products and services to customers, there are many ways of delivering business-related messages – the choice of the best route depends on the people you want to reach, your own capabilities and resources and, very often, the subject you want to talk about. Effective communication consists of transmitting information to a target

group – such as your customers, consumers or suppliers – that is relevant to both your company’s and the target group’s goals.

To give you an idea, a few examples of commonly used CSR communications tools include product labels, packaging, press/media relations, newsletters, issue-related events, reports, posters, flyers, leaflets, brochures, websites, advertisements, information packs, or simply word-of-mouth. In short, effective communication requires whatever it takes to make sure that your target audience really “gets the message”.

A guide to communicating

4. Who are you talking to?

A good rule of thumb is that your customers, employees, local community (the wider public) and the local press will be interested to know about initiatives your company takes that show commitment to responsible entrepreneurship. Depending on the initiative you are talking about you should consider informing specific target groups. These will vary, but a bit of common sense (and the list below) will help you decide who exactly to inform. Generally speaking, most companies’ responsible entrepreneurship initiatives fall into four major categories: marketplace, workplace, community or environment.

Marketplace Audiences

If your company wants to raise awareness about the way it operates responsibly in the market, you will want to consider which of the following groups to notify: employees, customers; consumer associations; suppliers; business partners; and investors.

Workplace Audiences

If your company wants to make a statement about improvements in its workplace policies, you could think of informing: employees; trade unions (if any are involved); the local community; and public authorities.

Community Audiences

If your company wants to convey information about its commitment to the local community, you could focus on communicating to: employees; relevant local organisations or institutions (e.g. associations, schools, hospitals); public authorities; and relevant not-for-profit organisations.

Environment Audiences

Finally, if your company wants to communicate about its initiatives that help to preserve the environment, you might speak to: employees; business partners; relevant not-for-profit organisations; consumers; public authorities and the community around you.

A guide to communicating

5. What should you be talking about?

This section provides some useful examples highlighting how communicating about responsible entrepreneurship could positively differentiate your company.

Marketplace Content

Marketplace-related communications should show how your business has integrated responsible entrepreneurship into practice. Examples include your company’s efforts to improve: support of local suppliers; and timely payment of bills; customer retention and satisfaction; product safety; quality of

product/service; disclosure of information, labeling and packaging; fair pricing; marketing and advertising ethics and consumer rights; after-sales service and consumer education; criteria for selecting business partners; working and living conditions and human rights issues in developing countries where you may source raw materials.

Workplace Content

Workplace-related communications should centre on new or innovative actions taken by your company such as the improvement of working conditions, pay, benefits or increased job creation. Examples include actions to improve: job satisfaction; health and safety; and staff training and development; equal opportunity employment and diversity; the work/life balance (flexible hours, balancing family and work, etc. for your employees).

Community Content

Community-related communications should concentrate on any company-supported volunteer activities by owners or employees, charitable donations or sponsorships and ways in which the

company promotes economic regeneration. Examples can include your company’s efforts to improve: social integration (ethnic tolerance and social cohesion); community healthcare or education; quality of life (sports/culture); the local infrastructure; and security.

Environment Content

Environment-related communications should demonstrate ways in which your company takes actions that protect the natural environment. Examples include your company’s initiatives that: increase energy or water conservation; reduce air and water pollution; reduce use of hazardous chemicals; maintain biodiversity; and reduce waste generation and hazardous waste.

A guide to communicating

6. Who is talking about you?

The short answer is: everyone. The people talking about you regularly include your competitors, employees, business customers, consumers, business partners, suppliers, neighbours and investors. Increasingly, as you establish yourself as a responsible entrepreneur – through your successful communications efforts – you will also be talked about by the press, consumer associations, trade unions, public authorities, community organisations and institutions, and sometimes even interested not-for-profit organisations. You may find this hard to believe, but it’s true. The first group of people mentioned above – those most closely involved with your business – will talk about your company, products or services regardless. You already know about the power of word-of-mouth to drive your business, so you have seen the effects of these groups talking about you.

The second group – the press, community organisations, etc. – will become interested when they learn more about who you really are and what your company stands for.

A guide to communicating

7. The “How To” Guide to Effective Communications

There are many ways of communicating to a target audience. The most commonly used tools include meetings, newsletters, issue-related events, reports, posters, flyers, leaflets, brochures, websites, advertisements, information packs, product labels, packaging, among many others. Always know what you want to say – and why – before you communicate it, and also decide which audience(s) you are addressing. While brochures are more appropriate for business-partners than for journalists, information packs are more fitting for journalists than for consumers, and packaging or product labels are more suitable for consumers than for employees. Some of these methods, for example flyers and leaflets, are simpler than others to conceive, create and distribute. Below you will find information on a number of techniques, including press releases and press relations, communicating with your employees, and other means of communicating about responsible entrepreneurship. This guide is by no means an exhaustive report on all the options available. Rather, it focuses on the simplest, most common and most

effective means of communication, specifically those for smaller companies that have limited resources: time, manpower, expertise and finances.

A guide to communicating

7A. How to communicate with your staff

Keeping your staff informed of and involved in the efforts you are making towards responsible entrepreneurship is extremely important. Communicating with and involving employees is an integral part of building a successful business. There are a number of ways to communicate effectively with your workforce. The right choices for your company depend largely on the number of employees you have and the resources (expertise, time, funds, infrastructure, etc.) available to you. For example, if you own a small software publishing firm you are likely to have more access to intranets and email than if you own a small bakery.

Providing proper, relevant information about responsible entrepreneurship will keep your staff in the loop, educate them about company activities, make them feel like a member of the team, motivate them to perform and build their confidence. More specifically, when employees understand what is going on in the company, you can expect:

• better worker morale

• heightened pride in the business

• easier recruitment of quality talent

• increased employee loyalty

• more engagement and productivity

• higher efficiency; and

• more cooperation.

Below are three very basic examples.

• If your employees are fully informed of the environmentally-friendly nature of your products, they can then pass that information on to customers, possibly giving your company an edge over competitors.

• If you are offering new or better work-related benefits to your employees, letting them know will help to keep them motivated and productive.

• If your staff recognises that the company is committed to responsible entrepreneurship, they may well have valuable suggestions, they will feel better about where they work, and, as natural ambassadors of the company, they will communicate that information to others.

A guide to communicating

Company Value Statement

A company value statement is a single sentence that encapsulates the most basic business objectives of the company. For example, an ecologically-sustainable farm’s statement might be: “To provide our customers with the best-quality organic vegetables at the most competitive price.”

Involving your staff in the process of writing this statement could bring added-value and employee ownership to the process.

Regular All-Staff Meetings

The smaller a company is, the easier it is to have all-staff meetings on a regular basis. Every meeting is an opportunity to inform staff about the company’s progress on responsible entrepreneurship initiatives and it is also a unique opportunity to get their feedback.

New Employee Orientation

Probably the least practiced – but most important – moment to inform your employees about the company’s values is when they are initially hired. You have a golden opportunity to educate workers about responsible entrepreneurship and the company’s commitment to it.

Suggestion Boxes

Suggestion boxes are a great way to involve your staff in responsible entrepreneurship. Some of them will have new ideas that the company might want to adopt, while others will submit hints to help improve or streamline any existing initiatives.

Posters and Banners

Posters and banners are easy to produce and are relatively inexpensive. They can be placed wherever your employees gather – and they are a strong visual reminder of your company’s values. Newsletters While they are probably not an efficient use of resources for very small businesses, regular internal newsletters can be very useful for informing a company’s workforce

about what is going on in the firm. If you already have an internal company newsletter, consider inserting a regular article dedicated to responsible entrepreneurship.

A guide to communicating

Memos or Emails

A simple way to bring your staff into the loop about the company’s efforts towards responsible entrepreneurship is to send employees regular memos or emails explaining your thoughts on the subject. This is also one of the most cost-effective methods but remember that written messages should not substitute

face-to-face communication with your staff.

Internal Videos or Brochures

For companies with a larger number of employees and more resources, brochures or videos that explain your ideas about responsible entrepreneurship can be very useful. While the creation of effective, credible videos or brochures may be expensive because they require outside expertise, they can add real value to staff education and training.

Intranets

Technologically-advanced businesses can make use of intranets (controlled access websites for internal use) to inform employees about responsible entrepreneurship activities. Like suggestion boxes, intranets also allow for employee feedback and participation – this kind of two-way communication is crucial to secure employee involvement.

A guide to communicating

7B. How to communicate with your community

Providing relevant information to the community in which you do business has many advantages. Being considered a good neighbour will help you differentiate your company from others, highlighting your innovative, transparent and open attitude to business. There are many ways to tell people about your company’s commitment to responsible entrepreneurship - some of the simplest are listed below. But remember, regardless of the resources you have available for

your communications efforts, you will only be successful if you deliver the right message to the right people.

Company Brochures

Credible brochures may require a bit of work and expense, but they are an excellent way to reach a wide variety of audiences, particularly customers and consumers.

Mailing Lists

Keeping updated lists of names and addresses of people who have clearly expressed interest in your company is an invaluable first step to communicating with them. You should try to have separate lists for the various target audiences, as they are interested in different kinds of information.

Product Labels and Packaging

What your product labels or packaging say can make an enormous difference to customers and consumers. Labels can let them know that you are committed to responsible entrepreneurship and may set your products apart from those of your competitors. For example, buyers are interested to know if your product is “green” (bio-degradable, made with recycled materials, organic, free range, etc.), who made it (hand-crafted, made locally, made abroad with fair trade labour, etc.), or if a proportion of profits go to support community initiatives, charities or not-for-profit organisations.

Events

If you are launching a responsible entrepreneurship initiative, you may want to consider organising a specific event (such as a reception or a small press gathering) to draw attention to it. Such events are also a great way to celebrate excellent results or the end of a particular project. In addition, your company

might consider sending a speaker to responsible entrepreneurship-themed events at local clubs or associations

A guide to communicating about CSR

Websites

If your company has a website, it should definitely let visitors know about your commitment to responsible entrepreneurship. Websites are extremely useful for this because they offer information to every target audience, and because they can be easily and cheaply updated.

Advertisements

Advertisements, like product labels and websites, offer an opportunity to reach many target groups – especially customers and consumers. Consider using your advertising to let people know about the values your company stands for. Such advertisements may also attract new employees who wish to work for a

responsible company.

Newsletters and Company Reports

If your company already produces a regularly-distributed company newsletter or public report (such as an annual report), bear in mind that these can be an excellent means of keeping customers and other interested parties up-to-date with what is going on in your business. To take this approach a step further, you may want to consider producing a publication or report dedicated to your responsible entrepreneurship activities. This might have the added benefit of allowing you to take a more objective and comprehensive look at how your company deals with responsible entrepreneurship. It might also serve as a benchmark against which you can compare your future activities. Awards are sometimes available for such publications.

The trainee should fulfill the entire subject starting from chapter 1. To chapter 14. They are as follows

Chapter 1: Understanding Business Communication in Today’s Workplace

Chapter 2: Mastering Team Skills and Interpersonal Communication

Chapter 3: Planning Business Messages

Chapter 4: Writing Business Messages

Chapter 5: Completing Business Messages

Chapter 6: Crafting Messages for Electronic Media

Chapter 7: Writing Routine and Positive Messages

Chapter 8: Writing Negative Messages

Chapter 9: Writing Persuasive Messages

Chapter 10: Understanding and Planning Reports and Proposals

Chapter 11: Writing and Completing Reports and Proposals

Chapter 12: Developing Oral and Online Presentations

Chapter 13: Building Careers and Writing Résumés

Chapter 14: Applying and Interviewing for Employment

Conclusion

The information presented in previous chapters has been largely theoretical, emphasizing concepts and principles pertinent to the learning process, human behavior and effective communication in education and training programs. This knowledge, if properly used, will enable instructors to be more confident, efficient, and successful. The discussion which follows departs from the theoretical with some specific recommendations for the actual conduct of the teaching process. Included are methods and procedures which have been tested and found to be effective.

Teaching methods in common use, such as the lecture method, the guided discussion method, and the demonstration-performance method are covered in this chapter. A discussion on cooperative or group learning also is included since this type of learning may be useful in conjunction with either the lecture or guided discussion methods. A teaching method is seldom used by itself. In a typical lesson, an effective instructor normally uses more than one method. For example, a demonstration is usually accompanied by a thorough explanation, which is essentially a lecture.

Personal computers are a part of every segment of our society today. Since a number of computer-based pro- grams are currently available from publishers of aviation training materials, a brief description of new technologies and how to use them effectively is provided near the end of the chapter. Business organizations are established to achieve a specific purpose, such as theproduction of some goods or services. Effective communication is vital for the coordinated functioning of any organization. There are the two main contexts in which organizational communication may be viewed: internal and external communication

Reference

Prentice Hall 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall