Business Communications
Course Description
Business Communications is a course designed to develop students’ effective oral and electronic business communications skills. This course develops skills in multiple methods of communications, including social media, as well as electronic publishing, design, layout, composition, and video conferencing. Upon completion of this course, proficient students will be able to demonstrate successful styles and methods for professional business communications using the proper tools to deliver effective publications and presentations.
Communication Components
1. Demonstrate compliance with the school’s ethics policy regarding copyrighted materials, plagiarism, authenticity, proper citations, privacy, and proper use of technology resources.
2. Identify, analyze, and critique the basic components of communications, such as the message, the sender, the receiver, the mode, the noise, and the response. This includes conducting responsible research when necessary, developing effective arguments, composing meaningful and coherent messages appropriate to the intended audience, and polishing one’s delivery skills to deliver an effective and credible message, followed by listening.
3. Differentiate between verbal and nonverbal communications when interacting with peers, subordinates, superiors, and customers. List specific techniques for effective communications and evaluate how different cultures and generations attach different meanings to various gestures, intonations, and other communications techniques.
4. Practice and implement proven communication techniques to foster positive interpersonal relationships in the business atmosphere, such as
Digital Citizenship
5. Create a rubric for evaluating and selecting the best electronic communication tool for a given task or situation. Using scenarios from business and industry, identify appropriate tools for various situations and defend selections through a persuasive narrative, based on the application of the rubric.
6. Research and analyze various aspects of good digital citizenship. In groups, discuss the effects of technology on day-to-day and business communications. Select one topic (such as hacking of a customer database, social media, etc.) for further exploration and develop an electronic presentation employing to demonstrate the implications of the topic on society, as well as business and industry.
7. Compile significant points regarding courtesy and propriety in a digital business world (“netiquette”) and prepare a presentation or web page that includes the topics of
Business Writing
8. Evaluate, create, and revise business correspondence, short contracts and reports, electronic forms, and small legal documents for a business in standard English using the following:
10. Locate a website used by a business to sell a product or service. Evaluate the website’s design, content, text, images, layout, and color. Discern the site’s effectiveness and ease of navigation, including the use of hyperlinks. Using persuasive writing, produce a critique addressing the pros and cons of the site, and offer recommended revisions.
Desktop Publishing
11. Create, adjust, and publish business document projects to typographic standards:
a. Using word processing or desktop-publishing software
b. Planning layouts based on estimation and calculations to achieve accepted balance
of text, art, photos, and white space
c. Applying consistent style standards, including fonts, margins, layout, color scheme,
and image and text formats
d. Inserting and formatting merged graphic elements, such as charts, photos and
artwork, and text embellishments
e. Incorporating editing and revision markings to incorporate desired changes by the
author/editor
12. Configure and send typographic output for designing camera ready documents on destination printer, color model (RGB, CMYK, etc.), preprint color requirement, and process color separations.
13. Manipulate, enhance and produce digital photographs, graphics, or other art elements utilizing photographic and / or graphic editing software.
Oral Communications
14. Draft and edit two speeches: (1) to persuade, and (2) to inform. Incorporate planning and preparation to deliver speeches that adhere to the following expectations:
15. Critique the purpose of various speaking assignments to identify the design and goal, such as to inform, educate, convince, persuade, or lead to action.
16. Plan, prepare, and conduct a short business meeting, including following-up after the meeting. Write an agenda, develop and produce necessary materials, facilitate the meeting effectively, and prepare a follow-up email thanking the attendees for their participation and summarizing key takeaways and action items.
17. Promote, organize, and practice creative problem-solving using the brainstorming approach, incorporating common techniques such as predefined time limits, short breaks, goals, visual aids, and record-keeping.
Virtual Meetings
18. Plan, organize, schedule, and deliver a webinar to one or more distant parties using computer conferencing tools (e.g., telephone or voice over IP, online conferencing system).
19. Plan, organize, schedule, and conduct a web videoconference or simulation with one or more distant parties using computer conferencing tools (e.g., webcams, high-speed Internet, computer)
Career Activities
20. Prepare an electronic portfolio
21. Conduct a job search of positions in one or more career areas of interest using tools such as https://www.jobs4tn.gov and other online employment resources; complete a job application; participate in mock interviews with partner businesses and/or through participation in a student organization event.
22. Address the appropriate use of and ethics related to social media in personal and professional situations and its impact on career search processes, as well as its impact on the professional reputation of a person.
Standards Alignment Notes
*References to other standards include:
P21: Partnership for 21st Century Skills Framework for 21st Century Learning
Note: While not all standards are specifically aligned, teachers will find the framework helpful for setting expectations for student behavior in their classroom and practicing specific career readiness skills.
Business Communications is a course designed to develop students’ effective oral and electronic business communications skills. This course develops skills in multiple methods of communications, including social media, as well as electronic publishing, design, layout, composition, and video conferencing. Upon completion of this course, proficient students will be able to demonstrate successful styles and methods for professional business communications using the proper tools to deliver effective publications and presentations.
Communication Components
1. Demonstrate compliance with the school’s ethics policy regarding copyrighted materials, plagiarism, authenticity, proper citations, privacy, and proper use of technology resources.
2. Identify, analyze, and critique the basic components of communications, such as the message, the sender, the receiver, the mode, the noise, and the response. This includes conducting responsible research when necessary, developing effective arguments, composing meaningful and coherent messages appropriate to the intended audience, and polishing one’s delivery skills to deliver an effective and credible message, followed by listening.
3. Differentiate between verbal and nonverbal communications when interacting with peers, subordinates, superiors, and customers. List specific techniques for effective communications and evaluate how different cultures and generations attach different meanings to various gestures, intonations, and other communications techniques.
4. Practice and implement proven communication techniques to foster positive interpersonal relationships in the business atmosphere, such as
- Establishing and maintaining positive relationships with coworkers and customers (e.g., being fair, helpful, tactful, gracious, and appreciative).
- Recognize manifestations of tension, and employ recommended strategies to resolve the situation in the most favorable ways (e.g., collaborating, compromising, accommodating).
- Practice various interactions and conflict resolution strategies by participating in role-play exercises and structured controversies, allowing students to model positive/supportive behaviors that respect varying perspectives and viewpoints of others and yield consensus decision-making.
Digital Citizenship
5. Create a rubric for evaluating and selecting the best electronic communication tool for a given task or situation. Using scenarios from business and industry, identify appropriate tools for various situations and defend selections through a persuasive narrative, based on the application of the rubric.
6. Research and analyze various aspects of good digital citizenship. In groups, discuss the effects of technology on day-to-day and business communications. Select one topic (such as hacking of a customer database, social media, etc.) for further exploration and develop an electronic presentation employing to demonstrate the implications of the topic on society, as well as business and industry.
7. Compile significant points regarding courtesy and propriety in a digital business world (“netiquette”) and prepare a presentation or web page that includes the topics of
- Message priority (urgent, normal, or low)
- Consent to share (property rights)
- Confidential or sensitive information (privacy)
- Message formatting (fonts, color, case, informal abbreviations, emoticons)
Business Writing
8. Evaluate, create, and revise business correspondence, short contracts and reports, electronic forms, and small legal documents for a business in standard English using the following:
- Employing word processing and simple spreadsheet programs
- Using proper grammar essentials, including parts of speech, vocabulary,
punctuation, sentence structure - Applying accepted business styles, including fonts, margins, layout, color, formats for
dates, times, currencies, proper names - Using acceptable business language, vocabulary, acronyms
- Writing for social media
- Writing for the internet
10. Locate a website used by a business to sell a product or service. Evaluate the website’s design, content, text, images, layout, and color. Discern the site’s effectiveness and ease of navigation, including the use of hyperlinks. Using persuasive writing, produce a critique addressing the pros and cons of the site, and offer recommended revisions.
Desktop Publishing
11. Create, adjust, and publish business document projects to typographic standards:
a. Using word processing or desktop-publishing software
b. Planning layouts based on estimation and calculations to achieve accepted balance
of text, art, photos, and white space
c. Applying consistent style standards, including fonts, margins, layout, color scheme,
and image and text formats
d. Inserting and formatting merged graphic elements, such as charts, photos and
artwork, and text embellishments
e. Incorporating editing and revision markings to incorporate desired changes by the
author/editor
12. Configure and send typographic output for designing camera ready documents on destination printer, color model (RGB, CMYK, etc.), preprint color requirement, and process color separations.
13. Manipulate, enhance and produce digital photographs, graphics, or other art elements utilizing photographic and / or graphic editing software.
Oral Communications
14. Draft and edit two speeches: (1) to persuade, and (2) to inform. Incorporate planning and preparation to deliver speeches that adhere to the following expectations:
- Appropriate for various audiences and purposes
- Delivered with enthusiasm and appropriate body language
- Structured to guide the listener to the desired objective or response
- Includes facts and research, in addition to original claim(s) and counterclaim(s)
supported by evidence - Revised based on peer feedback
15. Critique the purpose of various speaking assignments to identify the design and goal, such as to inform, educate, convince, persuade, or lead to action.
16. Plan, prepare, and conduct a short business meeting, including following-up after the meeting. Write an agenda, develop and produce necessary materials, facilitate the meeting effectively, and prepare a follow-up email thanking the attendees for their participation and summarizing key takeaways and action items.
17. Promote, organize, and practice creative problem-solving using the brainstorming approach, incorporating common techniques such as predefined time limits, short breaks, goals, visual aids, and record-keeping.
Virtual Meetings
18. Plan, organize, schedule, and deliver a webinar to one or more distant parties using computer conferencing tools (e.g., telephone or voice over IP, online conferencing system).
- Prepare an invitation, agenda, and overall script for the webinar, outlining the planned verbiage and business-related flow of information. Include guidelines, minutes and follow-up.
- Single-handedly or as a team, conduct the webinar or simulated webinar according to the agenda.
- Leverage the video, audio, and meeting enhancement tools available through the selected webinar software, such as highlighting, chat, polling, and question features to maximize audience interaction.
- Save, and edit, if needed, a short audio/video recording of the webinar for later publication.
19. Plan, organize, schedule, and conduct a web videoconference or simulation with one or more distant parties using computer conferencing tools (e.g., webcams, high-speed Internet, computer)
- Prepare an overall agenda for the web conference, outlining the planned exchanges of information, positioning and appearance of people, and switching between video sources (e.g., webcams, document cams, and other imagery).
- Follow the agenda to complete the web-meeting exchange, either single-handedly or as part of a team.
- Use effective communication and engagement strategies (such as effective meetings facilitation) to encourage active participation by all parties connected to the meeting.
- Save, and edit if needed, a short audio/video recording of the web meeting for later publication.
Career Activities
20. Prepare an electronic portfolio
- Including work products demonstrating career preparation skills, using an
assortment of media (text, photos, video, hyper-linked pages). - Including a professionally formatted résumé and other supporting documents such
as cover letter and application. - Packaged on a suitable media (e.g., CD, DVD, memory stick, web site).
21. Conduct a job search of positions in one or more career areas of interest using tools such as https://www.jobs4tn.gov and other online employment resources; complete a job application; participate in mock interviews with partner businesses and/or through participation in a student organization event.
22. Address the appropriate use of and ethics related to social media in personal and professional situations and its impact on career search processes, as well as its impact on the professional reputation of a person.
Standards Alignment Notes
*References to other standards include:
P21: Partnership for 21st Century Skills Framework for 21st Century Learning
Note: While not all standards are specifically aligned, teachers will find the framework helpful for setting expectations for student behavior in their classroom and practicing specific career readiness skills.