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Communication 4334 – Public & Professional Communication

Scott Herndon – Instructor


Scott.herndon@utdallas.edu
Office: Jo 3.201
Office Hours: T&R 12-2:00, W 12-2:00, by appointment

Course Introduction & Goals:

In this class we will focus on the basic written and oral skills necessary to succeed in a
professional environment. We will discuss theories and conventions in professional
presentations, interviewing, resume writing, group collaboration and proposal/report
writing.

My expectation is that students will come to class prepared to practice and apply material
from the reading and class. This is not a lecture course, students will be asked to think for
themselves, facilitate discussions and actively participate in classroom activities.

Course policies:

1. All work must be your own. Instances of plagiarism or cheating of any kind will
be turned over to the office of the Dean of Students and student will receive a
grade of failing for the course.

2. All work must be complete and turned in on time. This class moves at a very
quick pace that requires students to keep up with assignments and readings. Late
work will not be accepted!

3. Be respectful to others at all times. Sexist, racist, heterosexist language or conduct


will not be tolerated in class.

4. Grading is based on a 10% scale with 100-90% being an A, 89-80% being a B


and so on.
Assignments & Point Breakdown:

Informative Presentation (Individual, 5-7 minutes, 100 points): Presentation on an


issue, concept, theory or application in the area of Professional Communication. This
assignment includes a complete speaking outline and topic selection memo.

Persuasive Presentation (Individual, 6-8 minutes, 100 points): Persuasive presentation


attempting to convince audience members to volunteer, invest or otherwise support the
activities of a charity, business or NGO.

Ethics Presentations (50 points): Short, in class, presentations dealing with specific
ethical dilemmas.

Progress Report I & II (Group, 3-5 minutes, 25 points each): Quick, in class updates on
group projects.

Group Code of Ethics (50 points): Groups will construct a team code of ethics to be
used in class.

Various Memo Assignments (25 points each): Throughout the class students will be
asked to write memo to express idea or make topic selections, etc.

Mock Interview (Individual, 8-10 minutes/student, 100 points): Students will be


interviewed by a panel of peers in class.

Resume Template and Final Draft (150 points): Student written resumes and cover
letter. Assignment will ask students to first construct a template, then tailor the to a
specific job posting.

Final Group Presentation: (Group, 12-15 minutes, 250 points): Presentation proposing
group projects.

Team Review (50 points): Evaluation of yourself and your teammates.


Course Schedule:

Tuesday, May 31: Course Introduction (1)

Course Overview, Goals, Procedures, etc


Introduction to Major Assignments
Writing Memo’s with the MADE Format
Informative Presentation Assigned

Due Today: Students Information Memo (In Class)

Thursday, June 2: Communicating at Work (2)

The Rhetorical Situation & Making Decisions


Applying the Communication Model
Ethical Communication in the Workplace

Readings for Today:


Ober, Chapter One
Ethics Articles (WebCT)

Activities:
Communication Model in The West Wing
Ethics Scenarios

Due Today:
Informative Topic Memo
Ethics Scenarios (In Class)
Tuesday, June 7: Team Communication & Collaboration (3)

Group Project Assigned & Groups Formed In Class


Gant Charts
Small Group Collaboration
Meeting Agendas and Minutes
Effective Listening Habits
Telephone Skills

Readings for Today:


Ober, Chapter 2
Writing Group Code of Ethics (WebCT)
Collaboration that Works

Due Today:
Group Code’s of Ethics & Gant Charts (In Class)

Activities:
Serial Communication
Telephone Skills in Practice (9-10 people only)

Thursday, June 9: Professional Presentations (4)

Developing Professional Research Skills


Strategies for Preparing and Organizing the Presentation
Visual Aids
Audience Analysis
The Toulmin Model

Read:
Ober, Chapters 13 & 14

Due:
Group Audience Analysis Memo (In Class)

Activities:
Impromptu Speeches
Walkthrough Good & Bad Visual Aids
Presenting Evidence in a Presentation

Tuesday, June 14: Informative Presentation Day (5)

Assign Persuasive Presentation


Thursday, June 16 – Professional Writing (6)

Report & Proposal Writing


Lifecycle of a Report
Introduce Report Template
Email Communication

Read:
Ober, Chapters, 4-6, 7, 10-12

Due:
Persuasive Topic Memo
Progress Report I (In Class)

Activities:
Editing Drills
Understanding Your Email Personality
Proofing Skills

Tuesday, June 21 – Persuasive Presentations Day (7)

Thursday, June 23 – Interviewing (8)

50 Questions That Will Get You a Job


Preparing for an Interview
Follow Up
Assign In Class Interviews

Read:
Ober, Chapter 15 (pp. 551-570)
Interviewing Articles

Activities:

Tuesday, June 28 – In Class Interviews (9)

Assign Follow up Letter & Debriefing Memo

Due:
Interview Questions & Answers
Come prepared to be interviewed
Thursday, June 30 – Resumes and CVs and Cover Letters (10)

Assign Resume Template & Monster.com


Assign Merit Reviews

Read:
Ober, Chapter 15 (pp. 530-545)
Resume Articles

Due:
Interview Follow Up Letter
Interview Debriefing Memo
Progress Report II

Tuesday, July 5 – Catch-up Day (11)

Due:
Resume Template

Thursday, July 7 – Group Work / Conference Day (12)

Due:
Resume Revision and Cover Letter

Tuesday, July 12 – Groups Presentations (13)

Groups 1-3

Thursday, July 14 – Group Presentations (14)

Groups 4 & 5

Due:
Final Draft of Report
Merit Reviews

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