Course Outline of Record

Item	Value
Curriculum Committee Approval Date	02/06/2024
Top Code	050630 - Management Development and Supervision
Units	3 Total Units
Hours	54 Total Hours (Lecture Hours 54)
Total Outside of Class Hours	0
Course Credit Status	Credit: Degree Applicable (D)
Material Fee	No
Basic Skills	Not Basic Skills (N)
Repeatable	No
Open Entry/Open Exit	No
Grading Policy	Standard Letter (S),  Pass/No Pass (B)

Course Description

This course provides a basic understanding of business communication and develops confidence and skill in writing effective business letters, memos, online communications, and reports. Focus will be placed on forming a solid foundation for writing business documents, eliminating “writer’s block,” improving writing techniques, increasing editing and proofreading skills, and developing actual practice in writing positive, negative, neutral, and persuasive communications. Transfer Credit: CSU.

Course Level Student Learning Outcome(s)

1. Course Outcomes
2. Analyze business problems by producing written and oral communications that reflect decision makingin today’s changing workplace.
3. Compose a variety of positive, negative, routine, and persuasive business communications using thethree-step writing process (planning, drafting, and revising).
4. Create document styles that are useful for various business writing tasks.

Course Objectives

• 1. Discuss the importance of good communication in the today?s changing workplace and improve individual listening, nonverbal, verbal, and written communication skills.
• 2. Develop business messages that are clear, concise, coherent, consistent, courteous, and complete in every detail.
• 3. List ideas, organize information into an outline, and transform the outline into a first draft.
• 4. Differentiate between direct and indirect communication strategies and apply them to a variety of business messages.
• 5. Use writing techniques that improve communications and avoid pitfalls that detract from a message?s comprehension.
• 6. Use correct spelling, punctuation, and grammatically correct sentences in written communications.
• 7. Format documents to maintain a professional appearance based on a variety of writing tasks.
• 8. Expand proofreading and editing skills.
• 9. Plan, draft, edit, and finalize a variety of positive, negative, neutral, and persuasive business communications.
• 10. Explain the basics of informal report writing and prepare both an internal and external informal report.
• 11. Prepare for, conduct, and record business meetings.

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Lecture Content

Understanding the Foundations of Business Communication Examining the communication process Identifying barriers to effective communication Developing better listening skills Improving nonverbal communication skills Communicating across cultures Differentiating between internal and external; formal and informal; upward, downward, and lateral communications Implementing the Three-Step Writing Process Prewriting business messages Brainstorming ideas Identifying the purpose of writing Analyzing the audience Comparing direct and indirect communication strategies Organizing data and preparing an outline Writing business messages Composing the first draft Emphasizing important ideas and de-emphasizing unimportant ones Developing sentence unity Identifying strategies for achieving paragraph coherence Creating audience-centered messages "You attitude Conversational tone Positive language Familiar words Plain expression Using active voice, passive voice, and parallelism in messages Improving writing techniques Avoiding writing pitfalls Revising business messages Revising messages to include Concise wording Precise verbs Concrete nouns Vivid adjectives Editing messages to eliminate Wordy prepositional phrases Long lead-ins Outdated expressions Needless adverbs Fillers Repetitious words Redundancies Jargon Slang Cliches Using technology to improve business communications Completing Business Documents Using business stationery Letterhead stationery Company letterhead Personal letterhead Interoffice memorandums Formatting business documents Letter styles Block letter style Modified-block letter style Simplified letter style Letter components Interoffice memorandums Informal reports E-mail messages Envelopes Using technology to improve business communications Final proofreading of documents Spelling Grammar Tone Accuracy Coherence Punctuation Format Signing the document Writing Interoffice Memorandums and Electronic Communications Writing memorandums and electronic communications Understanding when and how to use e-mail Formatting memorandums, faxes, and e-mail messages Using graphic highlighting techniques to create emphasis and clarity Composing Routine and Positive Communications Writing routine communications Form letters and acknowledgements Follow-up correspondence Routine requests and merchandise orders Writing positive messages Favorable replies Goodwill messages Granting claims Letters of recommendation Writing Negativ e Communications Differentiating between the use of direct and indirect writing patterns Writing negative messages Refusing requests, invitations, or claims Announcing bad news to customers

Method(s) of Instruction

• Lecture (02)
• DE Live Online Lecture (02S)
• DE Online Lecture (02X)

Reading Assignments

Textbook readings as assigned. Punctuation guides. Various handouts to supplement text and lecture.

Writing Assignments

Application of strategies necessary for effective communication in business.  Students will complete no less than 8 written assignments (e.g., business letters, memos, e-mail messages, short reports) to solve case-study problems and to complete writing-improvement exercises.

Out-of-class Assignments

Video case studies.

Demonstration of Critical Thinking

Students will develop a logical approach to analyzing and solving business problems by producing effective oral and written communications that reflect successful decision making in today s changing workplace environment.

Required Writing, Problem Solving, Skills Demonstration

Application of strategies necessary for effective communication in business. Students will complete no less than 8 written assignments (e.g., business letters, memos, e-mail messages, short reports) to solve case-study problems and to complete writing-improvement exercises.

Eligible Disciplines

Business: Master's degree in business, business management, business administration, accountancy, finance, marketing, or business education OR bachelor's degree in any of the above AND master's degree in economics, personnel management, public administration, or Juris Doctorate (J.D.) or Legum Baccalaureus (LL.B.) degree OR bachelor's degree in economics with a business emphasis AND master's degree in personnel management, public administration, or J.D. or LL.B. degree OR the equivalent. Master's degree required.

Textbooks Resources

1. Required Guffey Loewy. Essentials of Business Communication, ed. Cengage, 2022 2. Required Kolin. Successful Writing at Work, ed. Cengage, 2023