Business Communication Skills course home page
Dear student,
you are warmly welcome to Business Communication Skills course workspace for Group K01 (2020).
Please note that due to the corona pandemic, this course will most likely be held in its entirety in the virtual environment, using Zoom as our meeting place. In case the physical meeting restrictions will be removed during the course, we will start meeting in Otaniemi.
This is a highly interactive course with several assignments and deadlines. Please study the course program and schedule carefully. You can find it below on this page and also under Materials/Program and Schedules as a pdf.
You will find all the needed information and materials as well as the assignment submission boxes through the drop-down menu on the left-hand side of the workspace.
Group K01: Time and location
Date (weekday)
Time
Location
1
04.05.2020 (Mon)
16:30-19:30
Zoom (unless otherwise informed)
2
11.05.2020 (Mon)
16:30-19:30
Zoom (unless otherwise informed)
3
18.05.2020 (Mon)
16:30-19:30
Zoom (unless otherwise informed)
4
25.05.2020 (Mon)
16:30-19:30
Zoom (unless otherwise informed)
5
01.06.2020 (Mon)
16:30-19:30
Zoom (unless otherwise informed)
6
08.06.2020 (Mon)
16:30-19:30
Zoom (unless otherwise informed)
Course Standards & Requirements
Deadlines: To pass the course, all the required assignments must be completed by the given deadlines.
Grading criteria: All assignments are assessed using rubrics (grading criteria) on a scale of 0-5. Final grade criteria: A total of 4.5 and above is a 5; 3.5-4.49 range is a 4; 2.5-3.49 range is a 3.
Team assignments: Only one group member needs to submit your team's assignment.
Extra assignments not possible: Students are not able to redo assignments or do any extra assignments to improve grades.
Class participation: Attendance is mandatory on this highly practical and experiential course. However, one absence during the course is possible if a student has a valid reason (to be communicated before the class!). This will result in a 20% reduction of the class participation grade. More than one absence will result in NOT passing the course.
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Summary of Course Assignments and Deadlines
Task
Type of work
%
Deadline
A1
Written email request
Team
10
May 11/May 18
A2
a. Persuasive presentation outline (15)
b. Persuasive presentation in class
Individual
15
May 18
A3
In-class test
(quiz 10%, written task 20%)
Individual
30
May 25
A4
Team presentation
Team
15
May 11/Jun 1/Jun 8
A5
Evaluation of two presentation (A2+A4) performances
Individual
20
Jun 14
Preparedness for class; contribution to group activities
Individual
10
Detailed Course Program
SESSION 1 (MAY 4)
Content:
- Introductions
- Course overview
- Communication strategy
- Instructions for A1: written request
- Practicing communication strategy analysis with A1 context (case analysis, presentations, discussion)
- Instructions for A4 (10-minute team presentation)
Preparation for SESSION 2 (MAY 11):
- Read inputs 1-3
- Communicating strategically
- Persuasive techniques
- Reader-focused business writing
- Prepare: A1 version 1 (submit to MyCourses for peer review by May 11, 15:00)
- Decide: your A4 topic and preliminary title (submit to MyCourses by May 11, 21:00)
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SESSION 2 (MAY 11)
Due today:- A1 version 1 (submit to MyCourses for peer review by May 11, 15:00)
- A4 topic and preliminary title (submit to MyCourses by May 11, 21:00)
Content:
- Effective business writing
- Understanding modes of persuasion (Ethos + Pathos + Logos)
- Peer feedback on A1
- Instructions for A2 (individual persuasive presentation):
- A2a: presentation outline
- A2b: actual 5-7-minute presentation
- A5: reflection paper
Preparation for SESSION 3 (MAY 18):
- Finalize A1: written request (submit to MyCourses by May 18, 21:00)
- Prepare A2a: Individual, 5-min presentation outline (submit to MyCourses by May 18, 9:00)
- Prepare A2b: Individual, 5-min presentation
- Read Input 4: Impactful presentations
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SESSION 3 (MAY 18)
Due today:- A1: final (submit to MyCourses by May 18, 21:00)
- A2a: outline (submit to MyCourses by May 18, 09:00)
- A2b: presentation (in class)
Content:
- Presentation structure, openings and closings
- A2b: presentations in small groups
Preparation for SESSION 4 (MAY 25):
- Start writing A5: presentation performance evaluation (Part 1: individual presentation A2)
- Prepare for in-class test
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SESSION 4 (MAY 25)
Content:- A3: timed test on the readings on computer: quiz 10% + written part 20%
Preparation for SESSION 5 (JUN 1):
- Prepare A4: presentation visuals (submit to MyCourses by Jun 1, 9:00)
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SESSION 5 (JUN 1)
Due today:- A4: presentation visuals (submit to MyCourses by Jun 1, 9:00)
- A4: presentation visuals peer review (do in MyCourses btw Jun 1, 10:30 and Jun 2, 09:00)
Content:
- Designing effective visuals
- Nonverbal communication
- Consultation and peer feedback on A4: team presentation visuals
- Exercises
Preparation for SESSION 6 (JUN 8)
- Finalize A4: team presentation (submit slides and video to MyCourses by Jun 8, 12:00)
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SESSION 6 (JUN 8)
Due today:
- A4: final presentation visuals and video (submit to MyCourses by Jun 8, 12:00)
Content:
- A4: team presentations
- Feedback
Preparation for JUN 14 deadline:
- A5: presentation performance evaluation on A2 and A4 (submit to MyCourses by Jun 14, 23:00)
…AND THEN YOU’RE DONE 😊