Public Speaking and Business Communication Skills Order Instructions: Assignment: Designing and Developing an e-Learning Course – Part 3
This is a continuation of assignment PART 2
Preparation:

Click here to access the CourseSites Tutorial Series.
Go to the Course sites Website and go through the tutorials. You will use this Website to create your course. https://www.coursesites.com/webapps/Bb-sites-course-creation-BBLEARN/pages/getstarted.html
Write a five to six (5-6) page paper in which you:
Part A Course Content – Described
List the three to five (5)  learning outcomes for Weeks 4-6 of instruction.
Design a weekly schedule for Weeks 4-6 of instruction that includes: (a) Topic(s) and (b) learning outcomes that are aligned with the topics.
Include in the weekly schedule (a) two (2) discussion questions for each of the three (3) weeks and (b) required activities.
List two (2) assignments: (a) an essay test with three (3) questions and (b) a writing assignment.
Discuss at least two (2) challenges and two (2) benefits with the process of designing and developing this mini online course.
Part B Blackboard Shell – Developed
Build content areas for Weeks 4-6 of instruction in the course shell. (Note: Each content area must include at least one item that has 3-4 completed power points slides pertaining to the content and knowledge domain of your mini-course. Use the steps listed Week 4-Part A to complete this task.)
List three to five (3-5)  learning outcomes for the last three (3) weeks of instruction. (Use the steps listed from Week 4-Part A to complete this task.)
Build in the weekly schedule for Weeks 4-6 of instruction that includes: (a) Topic(s) and (b) learning outcomes that are aligned with these topics. Use the steps listed from Week 4-Part A to complete this task.
Create a new forum and name it Weeks 4-6 Discussion Forum.
Provide (a) two (2) discussion questions based on the information presented for Weeks 4-6 and (b) required activities in the weekly schedule. (Post the two (2) discussion questions by creating a new thread for each question.)
Develop three (3) essay questions by creating an assignment in the Assessments link (Left Course Menu) based on the content from Weeks 4-6. Use the steps listed from Week 4-Part A to complete this task.
Develop the Gradebook, ensuring that all the assignments, discussions, and quizzes are included with the appropriate points and possible weight. (Control Panel>Grade Center>Full Grade Center.)

Public Speaking and Business Communication Skills Essay Formatting Requirements

Your written assignment must follow these formatting requirements:
Be typed, double-spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides; citations and references must follow APA. Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student’s name, the professor’s name, the course title, and the date. The cover page and the reference page are not included in the required assignment page length.
The specific course learning outcomes associated with this assignment are:
Design an online learning experience.

Public Speaking and Business Communication Skills Sample Answer

Designing and Developing an e-Learning Course: Public Speaking and Business Communication Skills _ PSC201

Learning Outcomes

In week four to six of this course, students will learn:

• According to Gilbert (2015), the elements and foundational competencies that make up total communication
• Advanced communication skills in public speaking and business presentation
• Nonverbal communication and the power of body language
• How to listen better to public speakers
• The importance of asking insightful questions in public meetings
• Communication and public speaking for business meetings
• Public speaking and communication skills for cross-cultural audiences
• Impromptu public speaking
• Public speaking and communication for interview situations
• Strategies for communicating complex messages more clearly, confidently and effectively
• Assessing the expectations of the audience and engage with them effectively
• Overcoming nervousness and confidence for speaking in public
• Discover how to use voice to convey a confident and engaging communication style
• Identifying similar and divergent cultural characteristics in the audience

Public Speaking and Business Communication Skills Weekly Schedule

Week Four: In the fourth week, students will learn advanced skills and competencies for audience engagement and making impactful formal presentations

Topic 7: Non-verbal Communication and Body Language

The learning objectives for this module are:

• The Importance of body language in public communication
• Some truths and myths about body language in communicating effectively
• Demonstrating appropriate body language that engages the audience
• Using body language and eye contact to establish a personal connection with the audience

Topic 8: Total Communication and Audience Engagement

The learning objectives for this module are according to (Baccarani & Bonfanti, 2015).

• Using language that engages and influences the audience
• Push versus pull techniques for engaging and influencing audiences
• Combining voice and tone, and non-verbal communication for engaging audiences
• Using voice effectively through tonal diction, intonation, rhythm, and pacing
• Vocal skills of elocution and accent softening
• Dynamic language for improving overall communication skills
• How to transition from one topic to the next

Public Speaking and Business Communication Skills Discussion questions

1. Explain some truths about the use of body language in communicating effectively and compare them with some common myths concerning their use in public speaking.
2. Explain the basic underlying principles that should guide the use of voice and tone in public communication.

Required Activities:

Write a three-page report in which you discuss the various strategies and underlying principles that you would apply in using body language and tone variation to keep an audience engaged.

Week Five: In the fifth week, students will learn the best practices and patterns for speaking and leading formal business negotiation and meetings for conflict resolution

Topic 9: Business Meetings

The specific learning objectives for this module are:

• Delivering formal speeches professionally while incorporating style, passion, and impact
• How to structure business presentations and meetings effectively
• How to help team members in contributing positively to meetings
• Using questioning to improve audience engagement
• Using language that engages others while being specific to the message of the meeting
• Presentation and audience management skills for increasing content retention by the audience.
• Making dynamic and engaging presentations so the audience will never forget
• Key communication skills needed for successful team leadership
• Managing communication in a meeting once it is in progress
• Bring the meeting to a successful conclusion that conveys the final message

Topic 10: Conflict Meetings

According to Bachner (2014), the specific learning objectives of this module are:

• Focusing on behavior as opposed to the personality of the speaker and audiences
• Emotional intelligence for understanding the mood of audiences
• How to influence and direct the emotional state of the audience
• Reading and anticipating the emotions and behavior of audiences.
• Interpersonal skills for managing conflict situations at meetings and public venues
• Communication skills to manage conflicts better and calming volatile situations.
• Communicating assertively in conflict resolution.
• Effective cross-cultural communication in the modern globalized workplace (Bachner, 2014).

Discussion questions:

1. Write two paragraphs discussing how you can use a planning checklist for guiding the agenda at business meetings, and which communication style is most appropriate for business meetings.
2. What emphatic communication skills would be most relevant in preventing conflict in a meeting in which the audience takes opposing sides?

Public Speaking and Business Communication Skills Required Activities

Conflict is an inevitable component in dealing with people, but it does not have to be a bad thing. Write a three-page report explaining how conflict can be turned into an opportunity for increasing the value of communication (Baccarani & Bonfanti, 2015). What communication techniques would be applicable for preventing, managing and controlling conflict to change the situation for the better and strengthen relationships?

Week Six: In this week, students will learn competencies and skills that are specific to public communication in responding to queries by the audience.

Topic 11: Impromptu Speaking

• Strategies for building confidence and combating anxiety in impromptu public speeches and meetings
• Understanding the importance of rapport and sharpening one’s rapport with audiences
• Establishing rapport and engaging audiences
• How to build proper rapport using simple voice and body language techniques
• Using eye contact, pacing and leading to enhance rapport with audiences

Topic 12: Interviews

The specific learning objectives for this module are:

• Techniques for managing nerves and exuding confidence at interviews
• Importance of listening actively in interviews and meetings
• Skills for handling media interviews
• Non-verbal communication and body language awareness for interviews
• Communication techniques for conducting interviews
• How to use body language for building rapport with interviewers
• Preparation techniques for performing in interviews
• Delivering convincing answers to interview questions

Discussion Questions:

1. Discuss techniques that can be applied by speakers to establish rapport with large audiences.
2. Discuss communication strategies that can enable an interviewee to establish rapport with interviewers

Required Activities:

What key points should a speaker take note of when faced with impromptu media interview situations?

Public Speaking and Business Communication Skills Assignments

• Essay Test Assignment:
  1. Describe the rules that govern written language in public communication
  2. Describe the planning process and essential elements of a business meeting in teamwork settings
  3. Examine possible techniques for overcoming common obstacles in conflict resolution meetings

(b) Writing Assignment:

In a scenario where you have been posted for an international assignment, describe the most important aspects of ensuring effective communication with strongly accented audiences. Define and discuss effective strategies for facilitating effective intercultural communication while living and working abroad

Challenges and Benefits Encountered in Designing the Course

A major challenge of using an online approach to teaching is that the instructor cannot guarantee all students the opportunity for receiving personalized instruction and tutoring. The instructor cannot ensure that the number of students that register for the online course will be small and easy to teach in a one-on-one communication basis with each student (Bachner, 2014). The registration process for the online course cannot guarantee that the instructor will be working with the same number of students in each course semester. The instructor can also not guarantee that all students that register for the class would keep up regular attendance. Other challenges of online teaching relate to the specific course content being taught (Rattenborg, Simonds & Hunt, 2010). In teaching public speaking and business communication through an online course, the instructor will have limited access to opportunities for face-to-face communication with the students. The teacher cannot directly assess the development of speaking and communication skills through oral tests (Guffey & Loewy, 2010). The online platform for learning, however, offers the option for students to upload videos of themselves taking oral tests at speaking and communication. The benefit of the online approach to teaching is that the method offers flexibility in the range of learning materials and instruction methods. The teacher can use various electronic media such as video conferencing and multi-media content, blog posts and classroom forum areas to serve learning materials and course content to students (Gilbert, 2015). Online learning provides an enriching experience for students to learn using technology and provides an efficient method for the instructor to reach all students at their own convenience without requiring to meet students in a traditional classroom environment (Baccarani & Bonfanti, 2015).

Public Speaking and Business Communication Skills References

Baccarani, Claudio & Bonfanti, Angelo (2015). “Effective public speaking – a conceptual framework in the corporate-communication field”, Corporate Communications, 20(3),  375-390. Accessed from http://search.proquest.com/openview/774d9f722a013978aba5f56758d72030/1.pdf?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=25916

Bachner, Jennifer (2014). “Chapter 2: Challenges and Solutions when Designing and Teaching Online Courses”, In Orleans, Myron (Eds.) Cases on Critical and Qualitative Perspectives in Online Higher Education. Hershey, PA: Information Science Reference, IGI. Accessed from http://advanced.jhu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Challenges-and-Solutions-when-Designing-and-Teaching-Online-Courses.pdf

Gilbert, Brittany (2015). “Online Learning Revealing the Benefits and Challenges”, Education Masters – Fisher Digital Publications, paper no. 303. Accessed from http://fisherpub.sjfc.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1304&context=education_ETD_masters

Guffey, Mary E. & Loewy, Dana (2010). Business Communication – Process and Product. South-Western Cengage Learning.

Rattenborg, A. N., Simonds, C. J., & Hunt, S. K. (2010). Public speaking: Prepare, present, participate (1^st  ed.). Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.