15.279 | Fall 2012 | Undergraduate

Management Communication for Undergraduates

Syllabus

Course Meeting Times

Lectures: 2 sessions / week, 1.5 hours / session

Description

Management Communication is intended to help you think strategically about communication and aid you in improving your writing, presentation, and interpersonal communication skills as a future manager. We will look at a set of “best practices” or guidelines that have been derived from both research and experience, give you the opportunity to put those guidelines into practice, and provide you with feedback on your work to help you strengthen your abilities. More often than not, we will be using a workshop format that will rely heavily on discussion and in-class exercises.

Objectives

Good communication is one of the keys to a successful career no matter what field you choose, and many different skills contribute to a professional’s capacity to communicate well. By the time you complete this course, you should be able to:

  • Formulate an effective communication strategy for any message, in any medium, and in any situation
  • Write clearly, concisely, and convincingly
  • Create impressive presentations that are delivered with confidence and poise
  • Give and receive feedback that will improve yours and others’ communication
  • Listen for understanding
  • Work effectively with others in small groups or teams
  • Identify and negotiate the difference in communication between yourself and people who are not from your culture

Improving communication is a continuous process of learning, doing, critiquing, evaluating, and doing again. It is a process that we hope will continue for you even after you complete this course.

Expectations

Because so much of the class will be “hands-on” and because feedback (ours, the TAs, and the feedback you give each other) is so important to improving writing and speaking, our expectations about our work together this semester are:

  • You are committed to improving your professional effectiveness as a communicator.
  • You are willing to share your opinions and ideas on topics presented in class.
  • You will provide each other with clear, honest, concrete, and sensitive feedback on work that is done.
  • Any concept that is unclear or confusing will be challenged and examined.
  • There are no stupid questions or comments.

Grading

ACTIVITIES PERCENTAGES
Baseline Self-Evaluation Memo 5%
Presentation with Q&A 10%
Problem Sets 1–5 10%
Meeting Maker Case Memo 10%
Cover Letter 5%
Interactive Presentation 10%
Team Report 20%
Team Report Presentation 15%
Final Self-Evaluation Memo 5%
In-Class Exercises and Class Participation 10%

Course Info

As Taught In
Fall 2012
Learning Resource Types
Lecture Notes
Presentation Assignments
Written Assignments
Instructor Insights