Business Communication Today, 15th Edition By Courtland L Bovee
Email: Richard@qwconsultancy.com
Syllabus foundation for Business Communication courses using Business Communication Today, 15th Edition, by Bovée and Thill This document provides a foundation for building your course syllabus. It includes several assessment rubrics, a suggested course schedule, and other elements you might want to adapt for your course. Complete the empty fields in brackets with as much information as you want to share with students.
[Course name] [Course identifier] [Term] [Department/college] [Course website] Course mode: [Course mode (classroom/online/hybrid)] Credits: [Credits]
Instructor Information Instructor: [Instructor name] Office: [Office location] Office hours: [Office hours] Virtual office hours: [Virtual office hours] Email: [Instructor email] Office telephone: [Instructor phone] Contact guidance: [Contact guidance] Instructor media: [Instructor media] Instructor bio: [Instructor bio]
Course Overview Welcome to Business Communication. This course offers the opportunity to develop skills that will serve you throughout your career. In fact, improving your communication skills may be the single most important step you can take in your career. You can have the greatest ideas in the world, but those ideas aren’t going anywhere if you can’t express them clearly and persuasively. The world is full of ambitious entrepreneurs, clever marketing strategists, sharp accountants, and smart engineers—but it is not full of effective communicators. View this as an opportunity to stand out from your competition in the job market.
Be aware that the changing nature of employment is putting new pressure on communication skills, too. Many companies now supplement their permanent workforces with independent contractors who are brought on for a short period or even just a single project. Chances are you will spend some of your career as one of these independent freelancers, working without the support network that an established company environment provides. You will have to “sell yourself” into each new contract, communicate successfully in a wide range of work situations, and take full responsibility for your career growth and success. The good news: You can develop and fine-tune all the communication skills you’ll need in this course, so let’s get started! Class days and times: [Class days and times] Important dates: Be aware of the following dates and plan accordingly: First day of class: Last day to drop the class: Final project due: Last day of class: Course outcomes: The successful completion of this course will give you the knowledge, skills, and confidence to communicate in a professional context. Specific learning outcomes include the following: 1.
Understanding the challenges of communicating in a professional context, including participating in teams and communicating with diverse audiences 2. Communicating ethically with sensitive attention to business etiquette 3. Planning, writing, and producing a wide variety of messages and documents in the appropriate style for each audience and situation 4. Conducting the research needed to support messages, documents, and presentations with relevant and reliable information 5. Crafting a variety of brief message types that address a range of specific business communication needs 6. Crafting high-quality reports and proposals 7. Designing and creating basic visual elements, from charts and graphs to presentation slides 8. Creating and delivering presentations using slides or other visuals 9. Creating a package of job-search tools that you can use in your own job search, including an effective résumé and a variety of supporting messages 10. Developing the insights and skills needed to succeed in job interviews 11. Using a variety of technologies to communicate efficiently and effectively Course concept: This course seeks to replicate as closely as possible the opportunities, challenges, and expectations of communicating in the contemporary workplace while also providing you with a protected and supportive space in which to practice and develop your communication skills. No matter what your current levels of communication skill and confidence, you will have the opportunity to improve with the support of your instructor and your classmates. The course combines lectures, discussions, individual and team writing projects, presentations, and hands-on practice with a variety of digital communication tools. Prerequisites: [Prerequisites] Expected skills: To succeed in this course, you will need to be minimally proficient with Microsoft Word (including the ability to create, format, and print documents), Microsoft PowerPoint (including the ability to create
presentation slides using templates and making minor modifications to slides and templates), the college’s email system, and the [insert name] course management platform. If you aren’t comfortable with any of these, please make the effort now to learn the basics, as you would be expected to on the job. You will need basic keyboarding skills. You are also expected to have basic proficiency in grammar, spelling, and punctuation. (You can refer to the Handbook of Grammar, Mechanics, and Usage in your textbook if you need to brush up on these basics.) Weather and emergency closure information: [Emergency info] Resources for students: [Student resources]
Course Materials Textbook: Business Communication Today, 15th Edition, 2021, by Courtland L. Bovée and John V. Thill Required additional materials: [Required materials] Optional additional materials: [Optional materials] Materials on library reserve: [Reserve materials] Technology requirements: [Technology requirements]
Assignments and Grading To help you polish business-ready communication skills, my expectations for your performance in this course will mimic as closely as possible the expectations that employers will have for you on the job. These involve conducting yourself in a professional manner and developing the skills needed to communicate effectively and efficiently. Grading Structure and Policies Your grade is the sum of four components: 50%
Written communication • • •
30%
Oral communication and presentations • • •
10%
The effectiveness of your writing in a variety of assignments, which can range from tweets and other brief messages up to formal reports and proposals The demonstrated ability to conduct research, analyze and synthesize research findings, and incorporate that data and information into your writing projects The design and production quality of both printed and digital documents
The ability to plan, prepare, and deliver compelling presentations in both individual and team formats As with written assignments, the demonstrated ability to conduct research and apply the results as needed to support your presentation efforts The design and production quality of presentation slides and handouts
Professionalism • •
Your contribution to the success of your colleagues through constructive feedback, active listening, and mutual respect Your conduct and participation in class
• 10%
The quality of your interactions with your instructor, both in class and via digital communication
Exams, quizzes, and other assignments
Your final letter grade will be determined by the following scale: % of total points Letter grade 93 and above A 90-92.9 A87-89.9 B+ 83-86.9 B 80-82.9 B77-79.9 C+ 73-76.9 C 70-72.9 C67-69.9 D+ 63-66.9 D 60-62.9 D59.9 and below F % of total points Letter grade 90 and above A 80-89.9 B 70-79.9 C 60-69.9 D 59.9 and below F [Viewing grades online]