End of the Semester

Well, I hate to see this course come to an end. I have experienced a lot of joy and satisfaction in teaching each and everyone of you. You have been so enthusiastic about learning. The effort in content and creativity put forward in all assignments has been impressive. I found that each class instruction would fly by! It was so satisfying to be part of a class discussion that was active, fun, intelligent and interesting in every single class. Thanks for making it a great class to teach each week. Please stay in touch. I want to hear about your future successes as I expect lots of them from this class. Enjoy your Holidays! Wishes for a Happy and Healthy New Year!

Blog Post (HW#6) Self Performance

This is the last official blog post of the semester. Briefly, share your experience in this class. What ways have you become proficient in your communication skills? What are the gains that you have experienced from taking this class. What things do you still need to work on? How will you use the information from this course in the future?

New Media

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Critique #2 - Persusasive Speech

I am so pleased with the strong effort in research and application made in these speeches! The strategies used in persuasive speaking were highlighted over and over again in your application. Well done! Post your critiques here. Be sure to share specific illustrations of the effectiveness of the argument by discussing the details and content used to create an argument. Additionally, share any advice to help each other become stronger speakers in the area or both content and delivery.

What's your EQ?

What is your EQ? This post follows up our class discussion on Emotional Inelligence Please review this article entitled "Teaching Emotional Intelligence In The Business School Curriculum" by Frank Bellizzi, Quinnipiac University. Then, check out this self test. Please create a post that makes application to your own emotional intelligence based on this reading, the results of your self test and any other experiences or readings on this subject.. The blog post should share your top two "personal" EQ improvements. What needs to be improved to develop your emotional intelligence? Share with us your personal strategies and/or plans to put them into action. Why might developing a high EQ be important to your long time success? Post due by Wed., Dec. 3.

Today's Class

Class

Speech #2 - Persuasion Critiques

The Speech Critique should focus on the strength of the argument. Be sure to include in your critique comments the depth and degree of evidence used? Did the speech move you to agreement and/or action? Be sure to include examples of the evidence that worked to persuade you. Did you remain unchanged after hearing the argument? Where did the speaker lack especially with the evidence if you remained unchanged?

Building A Virtual Portofolio

The job search has moved into Web 2.0 technology. Utilizing a virtual portfolio allows a prospective employer to gain a better "feel" of you that is limited by a 8x11 piece of paper (resume). Using google docs allows you to upload your resume and other documents to showcase your talents. Incorporating youtube and other video sharing sites personalizes your application. Check out this clip on video resumes.
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Check out this tutorial on google docs and How To Build a Video Resume
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Networking

We discussed in class the importance of developing career networks. Networks are important for identify, developing contacts for information, advice and moral support as you pursue your goals. Kelly Pederson, a Career Services Specialist states that 75-80% of jobs are found through networks. Most people have 250 contacts in their networks. And, a referral generates 80% more results than a cold call. We discussed in class that an important part of the networking process is developing a 30 sec to one minute commercial of yourself. The commercial should contain your background information, current/prior roles and responsbilities, education and knowledge, strengths, areas of interest and goals. Please post two parts in this blog post. First, post your ideas for places that you can reach out to develop these network contacts (Religious affliations, friends, prior work situations, etc.) Second part of the post, should begin to explore your ideas for your commercial. Bring to class a hard copy of your commercial script.

Speech Critiques- Speech #1

We got off to a wonderful start this morning. The speeches made some thoughtful and practiced application to our class discussions on speech preparation. All the presenters from this morning should be proud of their efforts. Today's critiquers should post their speech critiques here. (Be sure to only use first names!) Share in your critique some of the strengths and improvements from today's speech presentations. It would be helpful if you included actual suggestions on how to make improvements. Thanks for a great class this morning!

Are Blogs the "real story"?

Our first chapter and class discussion reviewed the process of communication. There are many variables that intertwine to form an effective message. Communication is more than just a presenter! One variable that is often understudied is the channel Many times we combine or lose its importance when we equate it with the content. Becoming effective speakers means we need to address the needs of our audience in their reception of the message too. Understanding not just the message that needs to be addressed but the means used to share it to achieve effectiveness is an important decision too, as evident in our text's discussion of the many channels available in a business environment. We may have the luxury of many options in a business setting in sending a message but which one is really the most effective when it comes to time and money and clarity? Becoming effective presenters means adapting our message to our audience with all the variables too, including our choice of the channels. To follow up our discussion, let's explore how we make our decisions in the 2008 Presidential Campaign. A new and fascinating channel that we are seeing in this election is web 2.0 and blogging. Check out this YouTube clip for a basic understanding of how utilizing this channel is creating new meanings for us. The assignment this week is to explore how technology shapes the messages that you form and adhere to in this election. Check out these links. The first is a recent article on Monday, August, 25, 2008 Asbury Park Press, entitled, Bloggers alter the equations for coverage". the second link is an article and clip from the NBC Nightly News entitled "Blogs grow in numbers, power and influence"Then, check out a blog (find something that is nonpartisan, if you can) on the recent democratic conference or campaign or the current republican conference/campaign at Fox news and ABCNews or you will find more links to blogs in these articles. Do blogs give us the real story? Are the televised conferences and reports read in the newspapers and magazines giving you balance information? When a candidate speaks what channel(s) are they using to adapt to their audience? Share in this blog your thoughts after exploring these sites. What are your thoughts about blogs and web 2.0? Please include in your post comments the following details whether you found new or different information on the candidate and issues. Do blogs open up a new channel to create a different or new perspective on the campaign for you? And, the link to the blog post that you are using as the source of your opinion.

Creating An Impression First Assignment Spring 2011

The goal of this assignment is to help you acquire in class this semester the skills needed to produce an effective speech presentation. Find a clip of a presenter (celebrity, athlete, politician, etc.) on Youtube or some other video outlet available to you on the Internet, and evaluate why you feel he or she makes an impact on you through his/her speech. We will be using an assignment feedback form in class when we present our speeches to evaluate your peer's presentations, but for right now share your present understanding of what is effective and ineffective in your chosen subject's delivery and message. This presenter can be making a speech, giving an interview or in a film as a character who makes an impact on you. The clip should not be more than two minutes (it is just a small part of the whole presentation). Place the url address of the link in the blog for me and your peers to look at as they review your posting. Additionally, be prepared to share why you chose this person in our class meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 3rd. (so, you must post by our next class meeting. No late posting after this date will receive homework points.) As stated, you can use Youtube, news site (CNN.com, msnbc.msn.com) live.com/video, TED Talks site or some other video sharing location on the web.

WELCOME!

Welcome to Communication 240: Business and Government. I am looking forward to a creative and productive semester. I look forward to getting to know each of you and watching you evolve as effective communicators. I am excited to be here at TCNJ. I enjoy teaching this class because I teach from a practical perspective. It is so satisfying to help so many of you get prepared for your professional careers. We will be examining communication from a number of different directions all in the context of real life in both business and government settings. A few of the many paths that we will explore include investigating how messages are created from the perspective of the sender to how they are received from the perspective of the receiver. The channels used, the effective of culture in the formation of a message and the networks used. We will understand how to effectively communicate in business and examine how messages travel in a business environment whether you the management or subordinate. Additionally, we will focus on the presentational skills needed to give a talk, train an employee or ace a job interview, just to name a few. We will address the message shared in government and politics by using the 2008 Presidential campaign to examine the message and learn that making important decisions is more than the charisma but, analyzing the message. We will observe and apply technology and explore how it creates and changes in the message in new and fascinating ways. And, lastly, we will focus on networking and interviewing that occurs in professional settings. Blogging on our class blog will be an important method of capturing our thoughts. We will be using this blog to communicate in many ways in the class, so it is an important class requirement that you visit this blog a few times during the week to keep abreast of assignments and other important class information.

We will be using blogs as a means of recording our learning and studies. Every student is required to blog. You can begin by posting your blogs on our class blog post or as the semester evolves, create your own blog. Whatever the case, it is important that you remember that this is an extension of our academic classroom. You must use appropriate grammar, spelling and ideas in all your posts. Also, trying to rush through an assignment or making a weak effort in posting will be evident for all persons to see. Also, be sure to adhere to copyright issues in all posting. Only your originals work(s) whether words or pictures may be used. Please check out the Com 240 links throughout the semester for helpful places needed while in this course. You should feel free to email me at the address on the syllabus at any time for help, questions, concerns, or possible class absences.