CANADIAN INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT

HAMILTON BRANCH

M1B - MANAGERIAL COMMUNICATIONS

COURSE OUTLINE

TEXT:		Effective Business Communications
		7th Edition
		Murphy, Hildebrandt, & Thomas
		McGraw-Hill, Toronto (1997)
		ISBN: 0-07-044398X

INSTRUCTOR: Lois Wright

COURSE OBJECTIVES & DESCRIPTION

Good communication skills are essential for success in business. This course will help you gain those skills. Students will learn how to prepare and use written and oral communications effectively and efficiently. Because precision, clarity and accuracy are essential to business communication, this course will emphasize grammar and punctuation, as well as style, content and strategy.

At the end of this course, students should be able to do the following:

- Develop and write clear, grammatically correct and coherent letters, memos and reports, that meet professional standards

- Edit their own and others writing

- Match the appropriate strategy to a given communication situation

- Deliver impromptu and prepared oral presentations

- Use communication theory to analyze communication situations

_________________ TOPICAL OUTLINE ___________________

The following timetable is for reference only.
Actual course calendar will be distributed at the first class.

Class #	Topic Material	TEXT REFERENCE
1.	Introduction - The WHO, WHAT, WHEN, WHERE & WHY of effective communication.	Chapter 1
2.	The mechanics of smoother sailing with the Seven C's	Chapter 2
3.	Global Shrinking: The Nineties Communication Revolution. Culture/Ethics/Technology	Chapters 3,4 & 7 (Ref. Appendix B on Legalities)
4.	Both beauty and Brains count!! Strategic planning and esthetics (including visual aids)	Chapters 6 & 7 Appendix A
5.	Direct and indirect approaches. First the Good News, then the Bad News	Chapters 8 & 9
6.	The art of "Friendly Persuasion" with "Style"	Appendix B Chapters 10 & 15
7.	Putting punch in your presentations Making the most of meeting time	Chapters 14 & 17
8.	Interviewing and Job Application	Chapters 16, 18 & 19
9.	In-class oral presentations * (50% of students in the class Group A)
10.	In-class oral presentations *(50% of students in the class Group B)
11.	Short reports	Chapter 11
12.	Proposals	Chapter 13
13.	Potpourri of case studies	T.B.A.
14.	Final Exam

* For peer review purposes, each student will be randomly assigned another student whose presentation he/she will critique. The critique will then form part of the reviewers mark. To ensure that no one presents and evaluates on the same date, students from Group A will select someone from Group B and vice versa.

CLASS FORMAT

Students will spend some class time writing. In-class writing assignments could include group work, pair work, peer review and editing and case studies. Weekly homework assignments will include letters and memos that demonstrate the student's knowledge of the direct, indirect and persuasive strategies, short reports in memo format, and instructions or procedures.

EVALUATION

Student's written and oral work will comprise 70% of their grade.
The final examination will determine the remaining 30%.

Mechanics of Communication 10%
Regular grammar and punctuation assignments and quizzes

Business Correspondence 20%
Letters and memos
Instructions/procedures

Reports 10%
One short report or one proposal

Oral Communications 20%
Oral presentation
Listening skills exhibited throughout term
Contribution to class discussion
Critique of another's presentation

Mid-term Examination 10%

The instructor will provide specific details of assignments and dates on which they will be given, written or due.

Students should proof read all their assignments carefully. Professional, mailable quality is the standard. The work should be error free in content, organization and presentation. The instructor may deem an assignment unacceptable and give it a grade of 0 if it demonstrates careless proof reading for spelling, grammar or punctuation.

GRADES

Final Grade	Grade Mark
I	75% - 100%
II	66% - 74%
III	60% - 65%
Failure	59% or lower
DNW	Did Not Write

At the end of this course, students should be able to do the following:
	- Develop and write clear, grammatically correct and coherent letters, memos and reports, that meet professional standards
	- Edit their own and others writing
	- Match the appropriate strategy to a given communication situation
	- Deliver impromptu and prepared oral presentations
	- Use communication theory to analyze communication situations