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Communicating for Results: A Guide for Business and the Professions (Cheryl Hamilton)
Unit 4: Polishing Oral and Written Communication in the Workplace
(Chapters 11 14)
Week 3 M Chapter 11, Informative Presentations: Plan, Research, Organize, and Deliver
Film, Speaking to One or One Thousand
Assigned: Final Self-Description Questionnaire, due Thursday of Week 4
Due: Rough draft of informative presentation
TH Informative Presentations
Week 4 M Chapter 13, Persuasive Presentations: Individual or Team
Due: Audience Analysis Questionnaire
T Exam III (Chapters 11 14)
W Persuasive Presentations
TH Persuasive Presentations
Due: Final Self-Description Questionnaire
In the mid-1980s to early 1990s, various national and state commission reports reflected on a
need for higher education to implement areas of curriculum that would teach and motivate
students regarding the importance of participating with, and giving to, their communities. The
following Carnegie Report (College: The Undergraduate Experience in America, Carnegie
Foundation Report, 1986) observation is typical of the recommendations:
concludes:
Research studies show that service and diversity experiences have positive effects both
ivic commitments and on their overall cognitive development.
Because the corporate world has also come to place an emphasis on serving the community, the
business and professional communication course is a logical one to use the vehicle of service
the assignment are followed by an overview of a sample short-term project, student comments,
examples of service learning projects, and a list of links to helpful service learning websites.
In defining this assignment, ask yourself what you want to accomplish. Look at your university,
college, or college district syllabus for this course and determine what learning outcomes could
be met by using a service learning assignment. Part of step 1 in the basic problem-solving
cultivating the following:
Service to the community
Service with learning objectives
Service followed by reflection and analysis
Service with an impact on both the student and the people served.
done. An abundance of websites relate to service learning, including actual syllabi with
examples of service learning projects and assignments. (The sample projects listed in this
section can jump-start the process.)
3.
Communicating for Results: A Guide for Business and the Professions (Cheryl Hamilton)
working on how you will present it to students. At this point, you have the opportunity to put
into practice the persuasive speaking techniques in the Hamilton textbook. As with any
persuasive speech to a possibly unsympathetic audience, you will want to carefully structure the
rationale you use to introduce the assignment orally. First, tapping into a need and using
emotional appeals to address how your ideas can help meet that need enables you to establish the
relevance of the assignment. Second, anticipate student questions (e.g., why do I have to
volunteer my time; why is it necessary to do something for the community; how will this benefit
me; how much extra time is this going to involve). Bring these arguments into the open, and
Part of the written instructions should include information regarding the learning part of the
service learning assignment. What do you want the students to analyze about their experience,
and how do you want them to undertake the analysis? Will you want students to report their
learning experiences in written format, orally, or in a portfolio?
Carefully plan the grading part of the assignment.
efforts and their analyses of the project? Will you use a rubric or an evaluation form? If the
assignment is a group assignment, are group members responsible for a portion of the
assessment? How many points or what percent of the total grade is the assignment worth?
What is the penalty for those who fail to follow instructions? If you clearly communicate how
you will evaluate the assignment, students are less confused, and results are better.
Because the current trend in academia is to close the loop from planning to execution to
assessment to replanning, the final step in designing a service learning assignment is to analyze
the results and plan how to improve them in the future. This important step should not be
overlooked.
Remember the following instructor priorities:
Have a Plan B, Plan C, and so on in place ahead of time; expect the unexpected
Be prepared with suggestions on how your students can get started
Communicate clearly your penalty for students who do not follow through on work
Communicating for Results: A Guide for Business and the Professions (Cheryl Hamilton)
Be willing to think outside of the box and take on new challenges
Be flexible.
This assignment incorporates the following key components of the service learning concept:
Practical application of theoretical course material
Reflective thinking that stimulates critical thinking, both summarizing and analyzing the
experience
Opportunity to contribute to the community and experience personal growth.
The assignment is introduced to students following the group dynamics and leadership unit.
Explain that this assignment is their laboratory for textbook theory because when they carry out
this group project, they have opportunities to apply personally (and observe from others) all of
the theoretical concepts that they have studied up to that point (e.g., listening, perception,
nonverbal communication, word denotation and connotation, self-disclosure, bridging of
cultures, group roles, group leadership, and group stages of development). For example, you
might grade this assignment as follows:
Formal project proposal 10 pts.
Project onsite participation 25 pts.
Symposium reports of projects 25 pts.
Peer evaluation of project 20 pts.
Written summary and analysis 20 pts.
Total 100 pts.
The project has three phases. In the first phase, the student groups must plan their community
service project. Because this is a short-term project, a minimum of 3 to 6 hours of service are
required of each student. Each group must decide what they want to do and where they want to
do it and then make arrangements with a contact person from the organization. The students
must then compose a formal group presentation, using PowerPoint as a visual aid and
introducing the organization to the class, explaining their community service activity, and noting
when they will do it. They also must turn in a hard copy of the PowerPoint slides in a binder.
Students must contact the organization and include the name of the contact person on one of the
slides.
The second phase of the project focuses on the actual community service activity. One of the
group members is designated as photographer to document student involvement during the event.
send
it to the instructor. This evaluation is required for students to receive credit for the activity.
In the third phase of the project, the group report takes the form of a symposium. These reports
give students not only the opportunity to plan a group presentation but also one last opportunity
to apply techniques for giving an extemporaneous speech. On the day of the presentation, each
student must turn in a packet that notes total community service hours for the student, a personal
Communicating for Results: A Guide for Business and the Professions (Cheryl Hamilton)
summary of the project, and the peer grading sheet. To justify the peer grading, part of the
summary should include a i.e., who was present, what was
accomplished, who did what). Other possible summary topics include analyzing areas such as
(based on the various
leadership styles discussed in Chapter 10), dysfunctional roles played by group members and the
capability or inability to handle them, group cohesiveness, groupthink, interaction
patterns, what worked and what did not work, and most important concepts learned from the
assignment (e.g., community service, presentations, group dynamics, leadership, listening).
The student comments in this section are excerpted from the analysis section of service learning
assignment summaries. The assignment was based on student learning outcomes related to
group dynamics, leadership, and presentation skills. In addition to achieving results in cognitive
domain learning outcomes, the student comments illustrate that affective domain learning also
occurred.
Working with this group was a great experience.
am glad that we all became friends. During my community service hours at
Springtown Elementary, I realized that there is no doubt in my mind that working as a
first grade teacher is what I want to make my career. I enjoyed every moment.
Marcela, Springtown Elementary School
The most important thing I learned during this project was how to better communicate
with peers. I was also made more aware of how other people perceive me because of
their background and how they were raised. It made me want to be a better leader than
I have been in the past, and hopefully I accomplished this.
Mary, Legacy Wildlife Conservation
I will always see the smiles on their faces and the joy in their eyes when they saw us
coming in with the crayons and the coloring books.
contribution to society or not, but I can say that I came away with something. I will
never take what I have for granted any more. Whether it is my home or family or food
on the table. Thank you for this wonderful opportunity to grow.
Kristen, Presbyterian Night Shelter
The most important thing I learned is that you can make a difference in the lives of
those you are helping and in your own life. By taking a small amount of time out of
your busy schedule, you experience and see a whole new world. At first I was afraid to
hold the babies, because they looked so tiny and looked so fragile. The first minute I
just fell in love with them, and with time, I felt more comfortable. I am certain that I
will return because it was an emotional experience for me.
Maria, John Peter Smith Neonatal ICU
Communicating for Results: A Guide for Business and the Professions (Cheryl Hamilton)
In all honesty, I was a bit disenchanted with the whole idea of participating in a class
project on my personal time, but when we were finished, I felt that we had really made
a difference in the lives of people that only needed a little of my time and a lot of my
heart. I am thankful that I was given the opportunity, and I truly feel that it has
changed my concept of community service.
Heather, Salvation Army
This project reinforced the fact that getting involved with your community is important
and giving your time to a good cause is the best gift ever.
Elisa, Fort Worth Zoo
The experience was not only a success but a great learning experience as well. It gave
a chance to work with kids as well as see what it is like to work in a hospital. It also
gave me a great experience with working in a group and working together to come up
with a plan and then take action.
work in a group, but if you really try, and stick with it, it can also be incredibly
would actually be working with us, but they were. You could tell how appreciative
they were, because you were working as hard as they we
even be yours. I had a lot of fun on this assignment, and I think that you should make
all of your speech classes continue to do this community service project.
Lauren, Habitat For Humanity
Once we finished the outreach, I knew I had changed. I had worried that I would not be
able to relate to the kids. But while I was there, I realized that these kids were just
needing love from us. I wanted to give all I could to make them happier. I plan on
going back there and taking my church home group. It was a great experience and one
forget.
Dan, A Place for Grace Group Foster Home
Our group concentrated on interpersonal communication and decided to make weekly
visits to Bishop Davies Retirement Community. I was very nervous about going to
old people. I enjoyed visiting with the Colonel and hearing his stories about being in
the army. He was interesting, and I plan to visit him after the project is over.
Chad, Bishop Davies Retirement Community
, and before you know
it, you are not just a team, but also friends. The most important thing I learned was not
Communicating for Results: A Guide for Business and the Professions (Cheryl Hamilton)
to take for granted the things you have, because tragedy can hit anyone at any time.
Michelle, Katrina Store
Mentoring at a local elementary school can be tied into any speech class and can accommodate a
variety of goals. Students have studied different aspects of interpersonal communication and
then shared some of the basic concepts with students at an elementary school such as conflict
resolution (with some students concentrating on bullying), how to get up in front of a group of
language.
-term volunteers. In some cases
students actually get to help with parties for the children, thus being with them; often, however,
groups are assigned tasks that do not involve direct interaction with patients such as preparing
for the parties, helping to arrange the clothes closet and toy closet, and helping with activities the
hospital hosts for parents and previous patients.
One group decided to rock babies at the local Neonatal Intensive Care Unit of the county
hospital. This group had to fill out paperwork and have background checks and two TB tests
given and read prior to going to the hospital for their actual project, but their presentation
reflected that it was worth the preparatory time and effort.
Students explained at a low-income school the programs available at the college, the cost, the
opportunity for everyone to go to a community college and also helped the young students
understand the importance of developing good study skills at a very early age. (This could be
presented at the middle school level as an informative panel or symposium and at the high school
level as a recruitment presentation.)
Hurricane Katrina relief was accomplished through a fundraiser and on campus donations of
money, canned goods, and personal items. Other groups worked in the Katrina Relief Store
sorting and sizing clothes and working with the people who came to the store for goods.
Several groups have gone to a local orphanage. One group prepared and presented an Easter
party for the children with crafts and activities and gift bags. Another group went weekly to
tutor the children during their evening study hall. A different group conducted the all-day spring
. Other orphanages and group foster homes have
welcomed groups who can give one on one attention to children.
During a presidential election, speech classes registered people to vote on campus. They
developed a logo, designed t-shirts (which they wore during registration campaigns), and set up
and manned registration booths on campus. One person from each group took a 1-hour course to
be eligible to register voters.
Before National Adoption Day, in November, students collected stuffed bears and books to take
to the courthouse to be presented to children that were adopted.
Students have helped organize and participated in the Walk-A-Thon for canned food in
Communicating for Results: A Guide for Business and the Professions (Cheryl Hamilton)
November at a local mall. They helped register participants, passed out t-shirts and kept logs of
time walked. Other groups have helped with a variety of nonprofit walks/races such as the Susan
G. Komen Race for the Cure for breast cancer and the local AIDS walk.
Your local area probably has a number of food distribution facilities. Students have helped at the
Fort Worth Food Bank, Community Enrichment Center, Life Unlimited Ministries, and
Northside Interchurch Agency. Students have also participated in feeding homeless people at the
local shelters.
Some students enjoy working with the elderly in retirement homes or nursing home facilities.
Playing Bingo, planning and presenting holiday theme parties, and lending a listening ear can be
rewarding projects.
Fort Worth Brush-a-thon was undertaken as a class project. The city of Fort Worth provides the
supplies for painting and selects the recipients for volunteer groups in this program. In addition
to painting the house and trim, the students cleaned out a shed, repaired a gate and a fence, and
did some landscaping for their project.
Campus Compact is, according to its
college and university presidents - representing some 5 million students - dedicated to promoting
community service, civic engagement, and service-
organization trains those in academia, partners with them in state and national endeavors, and
gives awards for grants and funding and awards for outstanding work. They require a
membership for their services, but they list extensive benefits for community colleges, students,
Presidents and Community Service Directors, faculty, and community partners.
http://www.compact.org/
To browse more than 300 sample syllabi of courses that integrate service learning projects for
your discipli Syllabi Resources page.
The Community-Campus Partnership for Health is a nonprofit organization that promotes health
through partnerships between communities and higher educational institutions. This
organization is working to promote health through service learning, community-based
participatory research, broad-based coalitions, and other partnership strategies relating to health
professional disciplines. This site is packed with useful information for making the transition to
a service learning based course.
http://www.ccph.info/
The California State University System has prioritized community engagement and provides a
number of very helpful pages linked from their Center for Community Engagement page.
http://www.calstate.edu/cce/
The Corporation for National and Community Service is a federal agency dedicated to promoting
community service.
https://www.nationalservice.gov/
Communicating for Results: A Guide for Business and the Professions (Cheryl Hamilton)
If your interests lead you outside of the United States, then do not miss out on the International
Partnership for Service Learning and Leadership. Students are required to attend class at the
local university and then give 15-20 hours at a school, orphanage, health clinic, or other agency
serving the community.
http://www.ipsl.org/
The American Association of Community Colleges has a section with a variety of links on
Service Learning. A valuable article published by Gail Robinson,
Broadening Horizons through Service Learning, 2003-2006, focuses on the Horizons project.
This project featured model programs, national data collection and dissemination, and an
information clearinghouse. In addition, Horizons provided professional development
opportunities and technical assistance through regional workshops on service learning and civic
responsibility, chief academic officer summits, mentoring, presentations, publications, a website,
and a consultant referral service. The AACC has published many useful articles on the topic of
service learning; use the search function on this site to locate additional articles of interest.
http://www.aacc.nche.edu/Resources/aaccprograms/horizons/Pages/links.aspx
With the adoption of Communicating for Results, 11th Edition, you have valuable supporting
and assessing the content material for your business and professional communication course.
MindTap. This useful site offers a variety of rich learning assets designed to enhance the
student experience. MindTap provides a full online customizable learning experience with
interactive ebook, web activities, outlining and research tutorials, interactive videos. self-
assessments and chapter quizzing.
Outline Builder. This interactive web-based tool coaches students through the process of
speech organization and outlining. By completing interactive sessions, students can prepare and
save their outlines including a plan for visual aids and a works cited section formatted
according to the principles presented in the text. Text prompts reinforce students interactive
practice.
YouSeeU. This is an online video upload and grading program that improves the learning
comprehension of public speaking students. This unique resource empowers instructors with
new assessment capability applicable for traditional, online, and hybrid courses. YouSeeU offers
both synchronous and asynchronous video recording and conferencing capabilities, along with
flexibility for graded or ungraded peer review.
Speech Video Library (SVL). This inline speech archive contains videos of hundreds of
speeches and dozens of interpersonal scenarios (often used as the basis for chapter-based
refresher quizzes, warm-up and wrap-up questions, and more advanced multiple choice and short
answer questions) as well as an outline of the speech, usually a transcript of the speech, and
Communicating for Results: A Guide for Business and the Professions (Cheryl Hamilton)
questions specific to the speech.
Communicating for Results: A Guide for Business and the Professions (Cheryl Hamilton)
With the availability of the Internet, teachers now have a plethora of resources available within
moments of typing in an address. The problem for most teachers, especially Internet novices, is
various Internet sites pertinent to the topics covered in that chapter and instructions for activities
to go along with the suggested links. In addition to sites related to individual assignments, we
also want you to be aware of some of the general sources that can open many doors of discovery.
The following list is but the tip of the iceberg, but will at least give you some direction in
beginning your surfing.
Communication Resources Online site has links to
computer-assisted instruction, grants, professional organizations, syllabi, articles, tests, and
tutorials. The Communication Teacher
presented at this site. Articles about teaching strategies, classroom presentation, interactive
student assignments, and the like are easily accessed here as well.
www.natcom.org
Teaching Tips from the Honolulu Community College. This page offers resources for teaching
communication classes.
http://www.honolulu.hawaii.edu/facdev/
http://www.goehner.com/piracy.htm
Monitoring the quality of Internet class webpages is key to achieving desired student learning.
The Quality on the Line: Benchmarks for Success in Internet-based Distance Education is a
report is a national study prepared by the Institute for Higher Education Policy in conjunction
with Blackboard and the National Education Association. This report identifies 24 benchmarks
shown by research to be essential for successful Internet based learning.
http://www.ihep.org/assets/files/publications/m-r/QualityOnTheLine.pdf
Quality Matters is another web site dedicated to helping Internet courses maintain quality for
successful learning. This program is based on the research literature and national standards; it
incorporates an interactive web-based rubric with annotations and includes training and a process
for conducting team course reviews.
http://www.qualitymatters.org
Communicating for Results: A Guide for Business and the Professions (Cheryl Hamilton)
NetLingo is an award-winning dictionary of Internet terms. It contains thousands of words and
definitions that describe the online world of business, technology, and communication. They can
educate and entertain you about the lingo used in the online world:
http://www.netlingo.com/
The National Communication Association (NCA) has been on the cutting edge of assessment for
a number of years. The NCA website has a wealth of information including pages on criteria for
assessment, suggestions for techniques and methods, a conceptual framework for assessing
.
http://www.natcom.org/Secondary.aspx?id=119
For an educational tutorial on writing student learning outcomes for the purpose of assessment,
check out the one created by the Center for University Teaching, Learning, Assessment at
University of West Florida.
http://www.uwf.edu/cutla/writingslo.cfm
Learning D webpage presents a good discussion of
http://www.nwlink.com/~donclark/hrd/bloom.html
The must-have database for faculty and students engaged in communication studies research is
the Communication and Mass Media Complete database that is commercially produced by
EBSCO. This is the merged product of CommSearch (formerly produced by NCA) and Mass
Media Articles Index (formerly produced by Pennsylvania University). Check with your library
to see if they provide this premier database.
Learning how to evaluate the credibility of webpages is extremely important, especially given
the worrying trend of fake-news websites. Communicating for Results, 11th ed. addresses this
topic in Chapter 11. There are also any number of websites that present guidelines for preparing
students to do their web researching knowledgeably.
.
http://www.widener.edu/about/campus_resources/wolfgram_library/evaluate/default.aspx
Many college and university libraries also have excellent webpages with links to student and
faculty resources, subject guides, and search engines. In Chapter 11 of Communicating for
Results, 11th ed. the text covers a thorough explanation of the different types of search engines.
Recommended standard search engines include:
http://www.yahoo.com
http://google.com
200 college and university online Writing Centers.
http://writingcenters.org/index.php
Bruce Leland of Western Illinois University addresses the problem of plagiarism on this
webpage. He provides links to other plagiarism articles and also lists suggestions for decreasing
