BUSINESS COMMUNICATION
Business Administration 127
Section 2: M/W/F 10:20-11:20
130 Garaventa Hall
Fall 2012
Rebecca Carroll, Ph.D.
rcarroll@stmarys-ca.edu
Office: 323 Galileo Hall
Office Phone: 925-631-8015
Office Hours: Monday and Thursday
1:00-4:00 + by appointment
As soon as you move one step up from the bottom, your success depends on your
ability to communicate through the written or spoken word.
—Peter Drucker, Management Expert
I have made this letter longer than usual because I lack the time to make it shorter.
—Blaise Pascal, Philosopher
If everybody in our company took an exam in writing, the highest marks would go to the
fourteen Directors. The better you write, the higher you go in Ogilvy and Mather. People
who think well, write well. Woolly minded people write woolly memos, woolly letters,
and woolly speeches. Good writing is not a natural gift. You have to learn to write well.
—David Ogilvy, Director of Ogilvy & Mather
Studies of working professionals typically estimate that 80% of the workday is spent
communicating. Yet few students are prepared for the writing and speaking that will be
expected of them at work. This is unfortunate, particularly because many studies show that the
ability to communicate effectively is critical to full professional development. While college and
university courses may develop skills in composition and speech, they generally do not prepare
students for the special demands of communicating within large and complex organizations.
This course will. In this course, you will become familiar with the conventions of organizational
communication and with the strategies you can use to communicate through memoranda and
letters, e-mail, and oral presentations.
Course Materials
Barry Eckhouse, Competitive Communication: A Rhetoric for Modern Business, Oxford University
Press, 1999
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Tentative Course Schedule
Unit I. Editing
Unit Objectives. At the end of this unit, you will be able to
— recognize problem areas, such as verbosity, abstractions, hidden subjects and
predicates, and grammatical errors, in your own and others’ writing
— professionally edit copy and give reasons for editing changes
— construct sentences that are clear, correct, and concise
— understand that the receiver determines the meaning of our message
Week 1
M
8/27
W
8/29
F
8/31
Week 2
W
9/5
F
9/7
Week 3
M
9/10
W
9/12
F
9/14
Introduction to course and course
requirements; Class introductions; Begin editing
Diagnostic pre-test—see below—due 8/28 noon
Editing: conciseness
Read Eckhouse, Ch. 8
Editing: conciseness
Editing: conciseness; begin word choice
Read Eckhouse, Ch. 9
Editing: word order
Read Eckhouse, Ch. 10
Editing: word order continued
Editing: punctuation
Read Eckhouse, Ch. 11
Watch “Punctuation Demystified” on iTunes: Go to iTunes Store on line,
and search “Saint Mary’s College MBA Podcasts.” Click on that title, and
the names of a couple hundred podcasts will appear. Click to arrange
them by “Release Date” and scroll down to 10/27/07—the only one
released on that date. Be patient while it loads. Enjoy.
For an interactive review of grammar and punctuation, see
http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/quiz_list.htm
And for the young-at-heart, return to Schoolhouse Rock:
http://www.schoolhouserock.tv/Conjunction.html
Editing: grammar
Read Eckhouse, Ch. 12
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Week 4
M
9/17
W
9/19
Editing: review
Editing Exam
Unit II. Introduction to Oral Presentation
Unit Objectives. At the end of this unit, you will be able to
—
—
—
—
—
F
recognize “generic” organizational patterns for speaking and writing
begin to construct “non-generic” organizational patterns of your own
analyze an audience and select an appropriate organization
deliver a coherent presentation with five minutes preparation
manage nonverbal communication in a professional presentation
9/21
Week 5
M
9/24
W
9/26
F
9/28
Impromptu speaking; Organization: direction, retention, attention
Read Eckhouse, Ch. 2—This chapter is about informative writing, but
pay attention to organizational principles—we will use them for our
impromptu speeches.
Impromptu speeches
Impromptu speeches
Introduction to informative writing
Meet in Wildenrat Theater in the library (second floor)
***Note to Committee: Librarian Sharon Radcliff teaches students about research resources for
business students, discusses how to evaluate sources, and give students’ hands-on experience
doing so. Next class period, we look at proper citing of evidence, and the following class period,
students turn in a “beautifully written and organized”(a phrase I use continually) assignment
based on this instruction.
Unit III. Informative Writing
Unit Objectives. At the end of this unit, you will be able to
— recognize differences between writing for college and writing in business
— respond to specific and general solicitations for information
— write and edit a clear, correct, and concise informative memo with attention to
receiver’s needs
— include transitions to aid receiver’s comprehension
— inform a receiver, not persuade
— edit, evaluate, and offer constructive advice on a peer’s memo
Week 6
M
10/1
Connection between writing and impromptu speaking
Begin competition and informative writing
4
W
F
10/3
10/5
Week 7
M
10/8
Review Eckhouse Chapter 2
Read “Answering the Critics of Plain Language” by Joseph Kimble.
http://www.plainlanguagenetwork.org/kimble/critics.htm
Skim the examples.
Audience analysis; solicitations; organization; transitions
Rough draft workshop in class—Informative writing assignment 1
Final draft of writing assignment 1 due in an e-mail to me by 3:00 p.m.
Please see the submission directions on page 7 of this document.
Unit IV. Argument and Persuasive Writing
Unit Objectives. At the end of this unit, you will be able to
— plan and outline an argument, recognizing claim, rebuttal, assumption
— evaluate and critically assess the arguments in case studies
— identify (and avoid) fallacies of reasoning
— construct a reasoned argument from your plan
— recognize, develop, and dispatch opposing points of view
— write and edit an inductively organized persuasive memo, persuading receiver to your
point of view while meeting receiver’s needs
M
10/8 cont.
Begin persuasion/argument
Read Eckhouse, Ch. 3
In-class exercises on writing persuasively
*Note to Committee: these exercises—some turned in, some read aloud in class—continue
honing students’ editing, organizational, and audience analysis skills from Weeks 1 through 5.
We do these, often setting them up during the few minutes before class begins, so that almost
every day, the students have at least a small paragraph to analyze and rewrite.
Week 7
W 10/10
F
10/12
Read The Argument Clinic until the sketch becomes too annoying to
continue. You will find it at this website
http://www.jumpstation.ca/recroom/comedy/python/argument.html
or Google “Monty Python Argument Clinic”
Then watch it at this website:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQFKtI6gn9Y
Watch the first 2.5 minutes (more if you can stand it)
Go to this website http://www.caveofmagic.com/ and try the card trick.
Try to figure it out before class.
Differences between Persuasion and Argument: ethos, logos, pathos
Argument: audience analysis; begin Syllogisms
5
For an explanation of rhetoric, and the modes of persuasion (ethos,
logos, and pathos) go to the master: Aristotle’s Rhetoric:
http://www.public.iastate.edu/~honeyl/Rhetoric/oneindex.html
Week 8
M
10/15
W
F
10/17
10/19
Week 9
M
10/22
W
10/24
F
10/26
Week 10
M
10/29
W
10/31
F
11/2
Syllogisms continued
Bring a syllogism of your own.
Mid-semester break
From syllogism to idea plan, Read Eckhouse, Ch 4
Idea plan, cont’d.
From idea plan to proofline
Opposition
From proofline to paper, Read Eckhouse, Ch 5 + pp. 254-259
From proofline to paper, cont’d.
Handout: case assignment
**Note to Committee: During Week 11, students have individual appointments with the
instructor to review proofline (from which they write their argument papers), intro paragraph,
and paper outline; they also are encouraged to turn in electronically as many prooflines and
drafts as they want, between now and November 12 (I don’t accept drafts too close to the due
date because students should be in the editing phase by November 12 th, but I do accept lastminute editing questions), and each time they send something, they receive mp3 files of the
instructor’s voice comments on their work.
Week 11
M
11/5
W
11/7
F
11/9
Fallacies of reasoning; ethics, Read Eckhouse, Ch 6
Fallacies cont’d. . .
The Fallacies Game!
Week 12
M
11/12
Questions about argument assignment? Review editing
Unit IV. Professional Persuasive Presentation
Unit Objectives. At the end of this unit, you will be able to
— construct a well-organized persuasive presentation for a specific audience
— engage an audience in a professional Q&A session
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— demonstrate respect for an audience and maintain control of your oral presentation
with appropriate verbal and nonverbal communication.
W
11/14
F
11/16
Argument assignment due by 6:00 p.m.: proofline form, letter to
client, cover letter to me.
Begin persuasive oral presentation; Use and abuse of visuals;
Difference between written and oral presentations; audience analysis;
organization; delivery
For some interesting reading on PowerPoint:
http://www.edwardtufte.com/tufte/tenquestions
http://techrepublic.com.com/5100-10877_11-5875608.html#
Managing your question-and-answer session
Week 13
M
11/19
W/F 11/21-23
Managing your question-and-answer session
Happy Thanksgiving!
Week 14
M
11/26
W
11/28
F
11/30
Practice Q&A
Six Persuasive Presentations
Six Persuasive Presentations
Week 15
M
12/3
W
12/5
F
12/7
Finals Week
M
12/10
Tues 12/11
Six Persuasive Presentations
Seven Persuasive Presentations
Review for final exam—bring your questions, as I will not prepare a
review session. Instead, I will happily answer as many questions as you
want to ask.
11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. Final Exam
Post Test Due Noon—This is part of your final exam
Note to Committee about the post-test: students are stunned to receive their pre-tests
(approximately two-page paper that they turn in before editing instruction begins) because
they are so badly written. As part of the final exam, students rewrite the pre-test and turn in
a well-formed, well-argued, and beautifully written paper.
Course Requirements
Diagnostic exams. To assess the progress of this class, I’ll ask you take a pre-test due on
Tuesday, August 28th and a post-test due on Tuesday, December 11th. You will receive an e-mail
with the assignment attached, and you’ll return your submission the same way. Although these
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tests weigh relatively lightly on your grade (50 pts), passing this course depends on your
completion of both tests on the days assigned.
Assignments. Pay careful attention to due dates. Some assignments are due electronically on
days other than our meeting days. Other assignments are due in hard copy at the beginning of
class on the day for which they are assigned. Late papers will lose one-third of a letter grade for
every calendar day they are late. Because anyone can be the victim of extenuating
circumstances, you may request a moderate extension prior to the date the assignment is due.
However, if your paper does not come in with the others, I can’t guarantee that you’ll get it
back within the usual one-week turnaround. No adjustments can be made to the oral
presentation schedule once it is set. Your oral presentation must be delivered in class as
scheduled. However, if you become ill or if an emergency occurs the morning you are
scheduled to speak, please leave a voice mail message for me before class (x8015).
For some of your assignments in this course, you will choose a position, company, and industry
in which to “work.” For example, you might be a sales agent (position) for Better Homes
(company) in the real estate industry. You might want to visit the reference room of the library
and look at the Job Hunter’s Sourcebook (Ref. 331.128 J575), Professional Ethics and Insignia
(Ref. 061 St52), or Directory of Northern California Associations (Ref. 061 F462a), among others.
Each of these books contains an extensive list of professions and professional associations. This
is a good opportunity to learn about an industry or company with which you might want to
interview later. Also, every profession has at least one professional journal. They are listed in
the above reference books. Start reading yours now.
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Writing assignments should be word-processed and laser printed. Although most of what we
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write professionally is single-spaced, please double space everything that you turn in. For final
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papers, use twelve-point type, double space, use one-inch margins all around, number your
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pages after page one in the upper right corner, and use widow/orphan protection. For
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assignments turned in electronically, please number your lines. In Word® programs earlier than
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2007, go to “File,” click “Page Setup,” then “Layout,” then “Select All” in the Apply-to Box, then
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“Line Numbers,” check “Add Line Numbering,” and click “Okay.” In Word 2007 and newer, click
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“Page Layout,” then in “Page Setup,” click on “Line Numbers.” Or in Word or on a Mac, simply
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follow the instructions in “help.”
Electronic Submissions. Your diagnostic test and your informative writing assignment (and
possibly more) will be submitted by e-mail attachment. Either of my e-mail addresses will work,
so no need to send to more than one address.
In the subject line of your e-mail to me, please put your name and “inform wr assgn,” so mine
would look like this. Subject: Rebecca Carroll, Inform Wr Assgn
And be sure to use e-mail etiquette in the body of your e-mail—content will be assigned. When
I receive your submission, you’ll get a quick “got it” e-mail back from me.
Occasional Writing/Editing Exercises (a/k/a Quizzies!). To continue to improve our writing and
editing skills, occasionally in class you will complete short writing/editing/ speaking
assignments. These might be a brief memo or an e-mail message to me, as your direct report,
or an editing task, or an impromptu talk. These will be graded on a plus/check/minus basis: plus
means “wow”; check means “competent”; and minus means “below average.” While not a
percentage of your grade, these marks do add up and can affect your final grade, especially if
your grade is borderline.
Our Library. Reference/Information assistance is available at the Reference Desk, by phone
(925) 631-4624, text message or IM. Check the Library’s “Ask Us” link for details:
http://library.stmarys-ca.edu/ask-us/ Extended assistance by appointment is also available.
Contact the subject librarian for your major or any of the Reference librarians for an
appointment. Or, if you'd prefer, you can provide the contact link information for your Subject
Librarian, which can be found at this link:
http://library.stmarysca.edu/about/staff/selectors.html
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Office hours. Please use my office hours. Are you having difficulty in a particular part of the
course? in developing your ideas? in organizing your ideas? in analyzing your audience?
Whatever might be important to you about this course is important to me. However, I will not
simply edit your paper for you, and discussing an assignment with me does not guarantee an A.
I’m also available for appointments most days of the week; just ask, and be sure to keep the
appointment. If you make an appointment and can’t keep it, please leave a message at x8015.
Attendance. Your classmates and I value your attendance and participation. Please come to
class on time and prepared. The attendance policy for this course is as follows: you may miss
three classes with no penalty (except missing that day’s material, which you must get from a
classmate); the fourth absence will lower your final grade by one-third of a letter, the fifth by
two-thirds, and so on. If you have to miss a class, please leave a message for me at x8015 or email me at rcarroll@stmarys-ca.edu.
Professionalism. This course is a great opportunity to demonstrate your professionalism.
Consider me your direct report. Consider our class meetings business meetings and act
accordingly by
 showing respect to others
 arriving on time and being attentive and ready for class
 not eating
 staying in the room for the entire class period
 never touching your cell phone, except to turn it off
 generally behaving like working professionals who wish to keep their jobs.
Grading. Your final grade for the course will be determined as follows:
Automatic failure: Any use of personal technology during class. If I see your cell phone, you will
receive a failing grade. I mean it. I’ve done it. Yes, I have.
Pre- and post-tests
Editing exam
Informative writing
Persuasive presentation
Argument paper
Final Exam
Total
50 pts
100 pts.
100 pts.
100 pts.
100 pts.
150 pts.
600 pts.
Letter grades will be determined according to the total number of points you earn during the
semester, according to the following scale.
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A=
B=
C=
D=
E=
90 - 100%
80 - 89%
70 - 79%
60 - 69%
0 - 59%
=
=
=
=
=
540 - 600 pts.
480 - 539 pts.
420 - 479 pts.
360 - 419 pts.
0 - 359 pts.
Your writing assignments will have published standards, and oral presentations will have
professional standards. If you meet these standards, you will pass the assignment with a grade
in the A to C range. If your work is below the standards, you will be graded accordingly. The
Saint Mary’s College Catalog states that a grade of C is “satisfactory.” The schedule includes inclass rough draft workshops for some written assignments and in-class practice sessions for oral
presentations; you must be prepared for and participate in the rough draft workshops and
practice presentations to receive credit for an assignment. You must complete every
assignment, and you must pass both the writing and speaking portions of the course.
Center for Writing Across the Curriculum. Students of all levels and disciplines are welcome to
drop in or make appointments for one-on-one sessions with CWAC Writing Advisers. You may
request weekly or biweekly sessions with the same peer student Adviser—this can be quite
useful if you need help with clarity of your thoughts and expression, organization, citations,
grammar, and mechanics.
This is a free service.
The Center, in Dante 202, is open 5:00-8:00 p.m. Sunday, and 2:00-8:00 p.m. Monday through
Thursday. The phone number is 925-631-4684.
Please note. If you have a disability or any concern that interferes with your performance in
this class, please discuss it with me if you want to so that we can arrange for your full
participation in the course. Saint Mary’s official ADA statement follows:
Student Disability Services extends reasonable and appropriate accommodations that take into
account the context of the course and its essential elements for individuals with qualifying
disabilities. Students with disabilities are encouraged to contact the Student Disability Services
Office at (925) 631-4358 to set up a confidential appointment to discuss accommodation
guidelines and available services. Additional information regarding the services available may
be found at the following address on the Saint Mary’s website: http://www.stmarys-ca.edu/sds
Work hard and take heart. Most people pass this course, and most find it an enjoyable and
challenging experience. Good luck.