Comm 1710 Syllabus, Winter, 2015

Comm 1710
Business Communication I
(previously Comm 1702 Business Communications II)

Section 7: M/W 8:35-10:00 a.m.

Section 1: M/W 5:35-6:55 p.m.
Section 2: M/W 7:05-8:25 p.m.
Winter, 2015

Instructor:
Office:
E-mail
Office hours:

Jill Manderson, Ph.D.

#5086, Rowe Building
[email protected]
M/W 3:30-5:00 p.m.

Pre-Requisites for Course

There are no pre-requisites for this course.
Learning Objectives
By the end of this course, students should be competent to:
1. Deliver a focused, dynamic elevator pitch
2. Adapt a speech to specific audience
3. Create a targeted rsum and cover letter
4. Conduct an interview (as interview-er and interview-ee)
5. Chair a business meeting (including production of an agenda & minutes)
6. Listen and observe for individual and cultural communciation factors
7. Present an engaging, well-organized report in a group
8. Support research with well-designed visuals
9. Understand effects of non-verbal communication (i.e. body language)
10. Analyze the communication process of a group task
Course Description
This class introduces first-year students to communication used in the workplace, including the effects of
their voice, body language, and word choice. The course covers strategies in finding employment (cover
letters, resumes, interview skills), maintaining professionalism, practicing skills in formal and informal
presentation, listening, working in teams, conducting meetings, and competing in case studies. Students
will have the opportunity to practice their skills and evaluate the skills of others.
Approach Taken
This workshop-style class will involve a combination of lecture, discussion, team-work, and experiential learning
activities.
Learning Materials
Thill, J.V., Bove, C.L., & Rogin P. (2015). Excellence in Business Communication (5th Canadian edition).
Toronto: Pearson.
American Psychological Association. (2010). Publication Manual of the American Psychological
Association, 6th edition. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
Presenters Podium. (PresentersPodium.com)
Passing Grades
All students registered for this course are required to pass the average of all individual supervised work (i.e.
quizzes, presentations) to pass the course. In order to pass the course you require 50% on supervised individual
work and 50% overall.

Evaluation
Assignment
Two-minute talk (individual presentation)
+ written component

(%)
10

Due Date
Jan. 26 & 28
Feb. 2 & 4

25

Feb. 23 & 24
Mar. 4 & 9

10

Mar. 11, 16, 18, 23

Jan. 19 Workshop
Feb. 9: Submit CL & R
Mar. 6: Submit Revisions
Mar. 25 & 30
Apr. 1 & 6

Case Study
Group presentation (15)
Group process critique (10)
Elevator Pitch
Individual presentation
Rationale paper
*Cover Letter & Rsum workshop class attendance (1)
Approval of rsum by MCS (2)
Approval of cover letter by MCS (2)
Interview Skills
--Youre Hired! Interview competition attendance (1)
--Performance as the interviewee (responses and thank you letter) (10)
--Performance as the interviewer (evaluation of candidates) (4)
Participation, Impromptu Talks, In-class Critiques
Quizzes
Presenters Podium

10
10
7.5

Grammar

7.5

15

Ongoing
unannounced
Weeks of Jan.19, Feb. 23, &
Mar. 16
Complete all components by
April 3

100%
* The Cover Letter and Rsum assignment is facilitated by the Management Career Services (MCS) team.
Representatives from MCS will deliver the course content for the Cover Letter and Resume in COMM 1710.
They will also review submitted documents, and will provide feedback and advice for improvement of
documents. Both the cover letter and rsum must meet high standards for students to receive access to the coop job postings through the myCareer system and have a job approved as eligible for co-op academic credit.
Drop dates:
Last day to add/drop classes- January 16, 2015
Last day to drop without a W- February 3, 2015
Last day to drop with a W- March 13, 2015
Ground Rules
The Bachelor of Commerce program is a professional program, and professional behaviour is expected. In
keeping with professional standards, you should, for example, arrive on time and listen actively when others are
speaking.
Lecture slides will not be posted on BBLearn. Please do not use phones during class. Laptops can be used for
notetaking, but should not otherwise be opened.
Instructor contact
All email contact should be through a Dal email account. I will not respond to messages from any other account.
Late assignments and quizzes
Late assignments will be penalized 10% per day. Assignments more than five days late will not be accepted.
Missed quizzes may be made up within a week, during office hours, with appropriate medical documentation. As
stated in the university calendar, doctors' notes must be provided promptly after a missed assignment's due
date (i.e., within a week). Extensions may be granted in the case of exceptional and verifiable circumstances.
Medical reasons for a late assignment must be documented by a doctors note.

Safe Assign
All assignments written outside of class must be submitted on the due date by the start of class in hard copy as
well as electronically through Safe Assign. Back-up copies (electronic and paper) should be kept of every
assignment. Any requests for grade review will require presentation of the graded paper.
Class Participation
Regular class attendance is expected in this course. Should you miss a class, you are responsible for catching up
on any missed announcements, including changes to assignment instructions or deadlines. No additional
assignments will be designed for students who miss in-class exercises, assignments, or quizes without a
documented medical reason for the absence. If you miss a graded in-class exercise, assignment, or quiz because of
a documented medical condition, it is your responsibility to arrange with your instructor to make up the work
promptly (i.e. within a week).

Other
Certificates of illness:
Medical notes must be submitted to the Undergraduate Advising Office, 2nd floor, Room 2086 of the
Kenneth C. Rowe Management Building. Please note that it is a university regulation (16.8 of the
Undergraduate Calendar) that medical notes will not normally be accepted after a lapse of more than
one week from the examination or assignment completion date.
Students requiring accommodations:
Students may request accommodation as a result of barriers experienced related to disability, religious
obligation, or any characteristic protected under Canadian human rights legislation.
Students who require academic accommodation for either classroom participation or the writing of tests
and exams should make their request to the Advising and Access Services Center (AASC) prior to or at
the outset of the regular academic year. Please visit www.dal.ca/access for more information and to
obtain the Request for Accommodation form.
A note taker may be required as part of a students accommodation. There is an honorarium of
$75/course/term (with some exceptions). If you are interested, please contact AASC at 494-2836 for
more information or send an email to [email protected]
Please note that your classroom may contain specialized accessible furniture and equipment. It is important
that these items remain in the classroom, untouched, so that students who require their usage will be able to
fully participate in the class.
Academic Integrity
In general:
The commitment of the Faculty of Management is to graduate future leaders of business, government and
civil society who manage with integrity and get things done. This is non-negotiable in our community and
it starts with your first class at Dalhousie University. So when you submit any work for evaluation in this
course or any other, please ensure that you are familiar with your obligations under the Faculty of
Managements Academic Integrity Policies and that you understand where to go for help and advice in
living up to our standards. You should be familiar with the Faculty of Management Professor and Student
Contract on Academic Integrity, and it is your responsibility to ask questions if there is anything you do not
understand.
Dalhousie offers many ways to learn about academic writing and presentations so that all members of the
University community may acknowledge the intellectual property of others. Knowing how to find,
evaluate, select, synthesize and cite information for use in assignments is called being information

literate. Information literacy is taught by Dalhousie University Librarians in classes and through
Dalhousie Libraries online Citing & Writing tutorials.
Do not plagiarize any materials for this course. For further guidance on what constitutes plagiarism, how to
avoid it, and proper methods for attributing sources, please consult the University Secretariats Academic
Integrity page.
Please note that Dalhousie now subscribes to SafeAssign.com, a computer based service that checks for
originality in submitted papers. Any paper submitted by a student at Dalhousie University may be checked
for originality to confirm that the student has not plagiarized from other sources. Plagiarism is considered a
very serious academic offence that may lead to loss of credit, suspension or expulsion from the University,
or even the revocation of a degree. It is essential that there be correct attribution of authorities from which
facts and opinions have been derived. At Dalhousie, there are University Regulations which deal with
plagiarism and, prior to submitting any paper in a course; students should read the Policy on Intellectual
Dishonesty contained in the Calendar.
Furthermore, the Universitys Senate has affirmed the right of any instructor to require that student
assignments be submitted in both written and computer readable format, e.g.: a text file or as an email
attachment, and to submit any paper to a check such as that performed by the SafeAssign anti-plagiarism
software. As a student in this class, you are to keep an electronic copy of any paper you submit, and the
course instructor may require you to submit that electronic copy on demand. Use of third-party originality
checking software does not preclude instructor use of alternate means to identify lapses in originality and
attribution. The result of such assessment may be used as evidence in any disciplinary action taken by the
Senate.
Finally:
If you suspect cheating by colleagues or lapses in standards by a professor, you may use the confidential
email: [email protected] which is read only by the Assistant Academic Integrity Officer.
Faculty of Management clarification on plagiarism versus collaboration:
There are many forms of plagiarism, for instance, copying on exams and assignments. There is a
clear line between group work on assignments when explicitly authorised by the professor and
copying solutions from others. It is permissible to work on assignments with your friends but only
when the professor gives you permission in the specific context of the assignment. University rules
clearly stipulate that all assignments should be undertaken individually unless specifically
authorised.
Specific examples of plagiarism include, but are not limited to, the following:
Copying a computer file from another student, and using it as a template for your own
solution
Copying text written by another student
Submitting the work of someone else, including that of a tutor as your own
An example of acceptable collaboration includes the following:
When authorised by the professor, discussing the issues and underlying factors of a case with
fellow students, and then each of the students writing up their submissions individually,
from start to finish.
Statement On The Use Of Scented Products
Dalhousie University and the organizations which represent students, faculty and other employees support
the efforts of the Dalhousie University Environmental Health and Safety Committee to create a scent-free
University. In consideration of the difficulties that exposure to these products cause sensitive individuals, the
University encourages faculty, staff, students and visitors to avoid the use of scented personal care products.

Grade Scale and Definitions

Grade

Grade
Point Value

Definition

A+
A
A-

4.30
4.00
3.70

90-100
85-89
80-84

Excellent

Considerable evidence of original thinking; demonstrated

outstanding capacity to analyze and synthesize; outstanding
grasp of subject matter; evidence of extensive knowledge base.

B+
B
B-

3.30
3.00
2.70

77-79
73-76
70-72

Good

Evidence of grasp of subject matter, some evidence of critical

capacity and analytical ability; reasonable understanding of
relevant issues; evidence of familiarity with the literature.

C+
C
C-

2.30
2.00
1.70

65-69
60-64
55-59

Satisfactory

Evidence of some understanding of the subject matter; ability to

develop solutions to simple problems; benefitting from his/her
university experience.

1.00

50-54

Marginal
Pass

Evidence of minimally acceptable familiarity with subject matter,

critical and analytical skills (except in programs where a minimum
grade of "C" or "C+" is required).

0.00

0-49

Inadequate

Insufficient evidence of understanding of the subject matter;

weakness in critical and analytical skills; limited or irrelevant use
of the literature.

INC

0.00

Incomplete

Neutral
and no
credit
obtained

Withdrew
after
deadline

ILL

Neutral
and no
credit
obtained

Compassion
ate reasons,
illness

Neutral

Pass

TR

Neutral

Transfer
credit on
admission

Pending
(PND)

Neutral

Grade not
reported

Course Schedule
wk

3
PP#1

4
5
6

7
PP#2

10
PP#3

11

12

13

In Class

Mon, J5

Introductions

Thill, J., Bovee, C., Cross, A. (2015). Excellence in Business

Communication, Fifth Canadian Edition. Upper Saddle River, NJ:
Pearson Education.
Introduction, Course Outline Presenters Podium, Rubrics, Expectations

Wed, J7

Impromptu

Thill Ch. 1: Effective and Ethical Communication

Mon, J12

Impromptu

Thill Ch. 1: Effective and Ethical Communication

Wed, J14

Impromptu

Mon, J19

Thill Ch. 2: Communicating in Teams and Mastering Listening and

Nonverbal Communication
MCS Cover Letter & Rsum workshop

Wed, J21

Impromptu

Mon, J26
Wed, J28
Mon, F2
Wed, F4
Mon, F9

Teams 1, 2, 3
Teams 4, 5, 6
Teams 7, 8, 9
Teams 10, 11, 12
Lecture & Practice

Wed, F11

Lecture & Practice

F15-21
Mon, F23

Break
Teams 1, 2, 3

Wed, F25

Teams 4, 5, 6

Thill Ch. 14: Designing and Delivering Oral & Online Presentations
10 pm Wed submit PP #1; 10 pm Fri to evaluate PP#1
2-Min Talks
2-Min Talks
2-Min Talks
2-Min Talks
Thill Ch. 2: Communicating in Teams and Mastering Listening and
Nonverbal Communication
Thill Ch. 3: Communicating Interculturally
Group case study preparation
Winter Study Break
Group Case Study Presentations

Mon, M2

Group Case Study Presentations

10 pm Wed submit PP #2; 10 pm Fri to evaluate PP#2
MCS Co-op WorkTerm Orientation I ( mandatory for co-op)

Wed, M4

Teams 7, 8, 9

Group Case Study Presentations

Mon, M9

Teams 10, 11, 12

Group Case Study Presentations

Wed, M11

Elevator Pitches

Ch. 16: Applying and Interviewing for Employment

Networking/ Elevator pitches

Mon, M16

Elevator Pitches

Wed, M18

Elevator Pitches

10 pm Wed submit PP #3; 10 pm Fri to evaluate PP#3

Mon, M23

Elevator Pitches

Ch. 16: Applying and Interviewing for Employment

Wed, M25

Interview Skills

Dress Rehearsal

Mon, M30

Interview Skills

Dress Rehearsal

Wed, A1

Interview Skills

Mon, A6

Interview Skills

Dress Rehearsal
Grammar components completed by 11:59 pm, April 3
Dress Rehearsal

Wed, A8

Catch up and Review