BCMU 301 Office
Hours: T/Th, 12:30-1:30
Lecturer: Jack Whelan Balmer
CafŽ or by appointment
e-mail: jwhelan@u.washington.edu Phone:
522-7724
Website: http://faculty.washington.edu/jwhelan/index.html
SYLLABUS
Spring 2006
READINGS
COURSE OBJECTIVES
1. To
provide opportunity to develop practical, real-world skills
2. To
develop professional writing and oral communication skills
3. To
encourage a methodical, conscious approach in solving communication problems
4. To
provide opportunities to develop group communication skills
5. To
teach communications tools necessary for finding a job
CLASS PARTICIPATION
Since an important dimension to this class is using
and practicing with the tools you will be taught, I will be calling on each of
you randomly to give you the opportunity to think on your feet--or in your
seat, as the case may be. In order
to participate effectively, you will have to integrate the information
presented to you in the lectures, the packet, and the text as we go along. You will not do well in this class if
you wait until the midterm to learn this material.
GRADING
There will be two individual assignments and one
group assignment that will be graded acceptable or unacceptable. Drafts for your accounting class
assignments will be due on the days indicated. They will graded credit/non-credit. An unacceptable assignment must be
redone or lose 50 points off a base grade of 500 points. Failure to submit an ungraded
assignment will result in a loss of 75 points. There is a cover letter/resume assignment which is optional.
Positive grades will be given to the third
letter/memo assignment (75 points), the midterm (150 points), the individual
written report (125 points), and the group oral report (150 points). My evaluation of your effort, class
participation, and improvement could possibly bounce your final grade up or
down a point or two.
Calculating Your Grade: At the end of the quarter, when you know all your scores, add them up and divide by 5 to render a number on a 100 point scale. That number translates into your grade according to the following table:
Grade
Scale
97 4.0
95.5 3.9
94 3.8
92.5 3.7
91 3.6
89.5 3.5
88 3.4
86.5 3.3
85 3.2
83.5 3.1
82 3.0
80.5 2.9
79 2.8
77.5 2.7
76 2.6
74.5 2.5
73 2.4
71.5 2.3
70 2.2
Class |
Date |
Topic |
Chapter |
Assignment due |
1 3/29
Introduction/Problem
Solving PTO
1 This class will focus on the course objectives and
the approach that I take toward teaching practical communications skills
appropriate for the workplace.
WeÕll also introduce the four problem solving steps appropriate for
any problem solving challenge, adapted here for CMU challenges |
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2 3/31
Analysis PTO
2, 6 This class will begin with an exercise that will
introduce the three phases of the Analysis process: defining the problem,
defining the goals, and defining the audience. Then continue with a detailed discussion of each element. |
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3 4/3 Strategy
PTO 3, 4 In this class we continue development of the
problem solving process by exploring basic elements that compose the Strategy
step: Composition and
Organization. Composition is
about generating the raw material of your message; Organization is how you
structure it. |
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4 4/5 Execution
GRG, sect. 12; PTO
5 If the strategy stage is about the raw meat and the
skeleton of your message, Execution is about dressing it up so it can go out
in public. WeÕll focus on
effective paragraphs and formats, vigorous sentence style, and working
quickly and efficiently. |
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5 4/10 Evaluation,
Workshop PTO
7, 8, 9 Assgmnt
#1 This stage is about straightening the tie,
polishing the shoes, and making sure everything is perfect. WeÕll finish up our discussion of PTO
and common usage mistakes and workover the assignments you hand in to see
what you missed. |
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6 4/12 Informational
Messages GRG,
sect. 13 Every message type weÕve looked at so far has been
ÒinformationalÓ using the direct approach. Today weÕll summarize what we know about using the direct
approach and introduce the second informational strategy which uses the
indirect approach otherwise known as the bad news message. |
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7 4/17 Review
Assignment, GRG,
588-90 Assgmnt #2 Request
Messages, Sales
#1 Redos due We shift in this class from informational to
request messages. WeÕll spend a
little time talking about the direct request and move to Sales letters and
the problem/solution strategy. |
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8 4/19 Persuasive
Requests GRG,
591-93 Workshop
Accounting Assgmt In this class we build upon what we learned from
junk mail letter strategy to a broader category of persuasive messages in
which your goal is to motivate a resistant audience to action. WeÕll extend
this discussion to a consideration of the major group project, a persuasive
challenge par excellence. Your
job will be to persuade investors to give you the capital youÕll need to
begin a new business. |
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9 4/24 Business
Plans GRG,
594-96 Assignment #3 Business
Plan Video #2
Redos due Group
Meeting WeÕll go into more detail about the strategies and
objectives of a business plan.
WeÕll talk about various investor types and how you have to shape your
presentation to meet the investment objectives of each. WeÕll watch and critique the oral
presentation of a group presentation from a previous class. |
10 4/26 Report
Strategies/Work Plans GRG,
sect. 14, 16 Making
sense of numbers/VAs WeÕll talk about Option #1 today, which is the
possibility of writing a formal analytical report. WeÕll talk about the elements of a formal report how to
develop an useful planning tool for group projects known as the work plan.
And weÕll also talk about how to put together an effective chart by outline
four criteria you should use to evaluate the effectiveness of any chart you
create. |
11 5/1 Press
Kits/Discuss Option 2 Work
Plan due WeÕll discuss the second option which is to put
together the elements that go into a press kit with a special emphasis on
strategies for developing an effective press release. |
12 5/3 Mid-Term Test will have two parts. Part I, worth 75 points will be short answer questions
testing your knowledge and skills regarding material presented in class so
far. Part II will be a 75-point
writing exercise similar to the homework assignments youÕve done. You will have the full two hours to
complete the test. |
13 5/8 Oral
Presentations I, Content
Group Meeting Time WeÕll talk in this class about the question and
answer strategy for developing content for an oral presentation. Goal is to find a way to give
audience answers to its question by stimulating it with insights rather than
boring them by information dumping. WeÕll also be talking about the use
PowerPoint and other visual aid possibilities. There are so many ways to go wrong here. You need to learn what they are and
avoid them |
14 5/10 Oral
Presentations II, Delivery
This class will focus on delivery skills and
rehearsal strategies. WeÕll
watch a video of a student group and critique the delivery of its
presentation, and then outline what goals you should be setting for yourself
to achieve as a group when you get in front of the class. |
15 5/15 Finding
a Job/Resumes, Info interview Option ½ due WeÕll be looking at how to get ready for the job
search and the things you need to know and how to find them before you sit
down to write your resume or improve the one that you have. WeÕll talk about different
organizational strategies and about focusing on achievements rather than
duties. |
ItÕs all you now. This will be your opportunity to show me that youÕve
learned what persuasion really means so that by the end of your presentation
IÕll be salivating to invest with your new startup. |
17 5/22 Oral
Reports
Groups |
18 5/24
Oral
Reports Groups
|
19 5/31
Oral
Reports Groups |