MBAF 501: Week 1

Business Communication Skills

Spring 2023
Contents
• Introduction to course
• Basics of Business
• Communication Skills
• A Knowledge & Skills-Focused Course
• Getting Organized:
• 2nd class every week
• Office hours: Time & Link in syllabus
• Communicating with Instructor
• Course designation: MBAF-501
• Section number: 09,19, 21,26,
• Your Performance:
• Team, Individual, Weekly Submissions, Class
Participation*, Weekly Presentations

• * OCD
Contents
• Managing the Week:
• 5 (Not 6 or 4) Teams: A, B, C, D, E
• No (0) changes possible
• Managers or the Week (MoW)
• MoW’s responsibilities:
• Weekly submissions
• Discipline:
• 5 min. early: Don’t be a late comer, -marks
• Can miss class only 2
• No late submissions: Evidence
• I’m strict
• Study syllabus, Rubric, weekly videos
• In-Team activities: OCD
• Pay attention to the formats
• Submissions at wrong Turnitin link: Delay or ignored
• Your responsibility to remember assignments:
• Example: Week 3, Ownership types
Format for ALL Submissions
• Your Teams: A, B, C, D, E if it is a teams-effort
• Full Name/s: Of the individual or all Team members
• All student numbers
• All names: Present vs. Absent every week
• If performances were not approx. equal, specify:
• John: 100%
• Jane: 30%
• Jack: Absent
• Jill: 0%
• Your Class Designation & Section No.: MBAF-501-09
• The no. of the week: Week 1, 2, …
• Name of the Assignment: “Bad news to Boss”
How we work
You build companies
Work together: Your teamwork is essential
How you deal with differences
Weekly, you apply new topics to your firm in the exercise
Teams/firms will upload the results on Moodle/
Weekly presentations:
Presentation is essential:
Personal presentation
Vertical slide management
Horizontal slide management
Your responsibility to learn previous material
Don’t ask me
Task Grade Comments
Weekly assignments & 20% Every week a number of Teams will give presentations on either
presentations topic of the last week or a topic assigned to them

Proposals: 1 Executive 20% Just the ES based on a real case which we will discuss in class
Summary (Team)

Class Participation: In-class 15% Every week there is an exercise of assignment: Some are
discussions & Weekly directly graded, some indirectly.
assignments (No grade
assigned)

The Actual Proposal 25% VERY important:

(Individual) • ES
• All headings
• Structure
• Language
• Ending
Pitch Presentation (Team) 20% Team will present in class
Let’s Start
Introduction
Watch later: Launch of iPhone
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MnrJzXM7a6o
10 min. version

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQKMoT-6XSg
Over an hour version
Presentation Skills & Slide Management
Impact your audience

Inform
Entertain
Impress

Make sure slides add value to your presentation

You are the main attraction

Slides must support, not distract
Avoid “unnecessary” material that seem “cool”
I: Personal Presentation
Basics of Communications
Body Language:
Eye contact, facial expression, & hand gestures

Tone of Voice:
Up & down, supports message, inviting vs. rejective,
shows engagement & interest in the subject

Words:
Easy to understand, not arrogant, aggressive or
dominant, half-full vs. half-empty (You still have 20
minutes vs. Only 20 minutes left)
NEVER read from a text
Body Language: 55%

Eye contact:

Smile: More smile associated with higher IQ: Van Edwards survey

Show your hands: “The more hand gestures, the higher the
speaker's charisma rating.” TED Talks. Van Edwards

Use your fingers when you count”

Be natural: Yourself
Tone of Voice: 38%
NEVER read from a text: 0%
Exceptions: Quote, poem, passage, … or
Recordings

Clear pronunciation: Slow down when difficult word

Natural when you speak: Better to say “uh” than to read

Dramatic when you read a quote

Tone of Voice
Words & Statements: 7%

Know your audience

Focus on the full half of the glass

“Your company’s weakness is …”
“Where your company can still improve …”

Sensitive to social, ethnic, cultural, & gender matters

II: Slide Management
Keep It Simple
Attention span is the amount of concentrated time
a person can spend on a task without becoming
distracted. Most educators and psychologists
Too detailed !
agree that the ability to focus and
sustain attention on a task is crucial for the
achievement of one's goals.

19
Keep It Simple
Attention span:
concentrated time you spend on a task
should be without distraction
crucial for achievement of one's goals

Much Simpler

20
Falling Leaves Observed
Delhi Mumbai Goa
January 11,532,234 14,123,654 3,034,564
February 1,078,456 12,345,567 16,128,234
March 17,234,778 6,567,123 16,034,786
April 16,098,897 10,870,954 7,940,096
May 8,036,897 10,345,394 14,856,456
June Too detailed !
16,184,345 678,095 4,123,656
July 8,890,345 15,347,934 18,885,786
August 8,674,234 18,107,110 17,230,095
September 4,032,045 18,923,239 9,950,498
October 2,608,096 9,945,890 5,596,096
November 5,864,034 478,023 6,678,125
December 12,234,123 9,532,111 3,045,654

21
Falling Leaves in Millions
In 106 Delhi Mumbai Goa
January 11 14 3
February 1 12 16
March 17 6 16
April 16 10 7
May 8 10 14
June
July
Much Simpler
16
8
0
15
4
18
August 8 18 17
September 4 18 9
October 2 9 5
November 5 0 6
December 12 9 3

22
Falling Leaves in Millions
In 106 Delhi Mumbai Goa
January 11
February 1
March 17
April 16
May 8
June 16
July 8
August 8
September 4
October 2
November 5
December 12
23
Falling Leaves in Millions
In 106 Delhi Mumbai Goa
January 11 14
February 1 12
March 17 6
April 16 10
May 8 10
June 16 0
July 8 15
August 8 18
September 4 18
October 2 9
November 5 0
December 12 9
24
Falling Leaves in Millions
In 106 Delhi Mumbai Goa
January 11 14 3
February 1 12 16
March 17 6 16
April 16 10 7
May 8 10 14
June 16 0 4
July 8 15 18
August 8 18 17
September 4 18 9
October 2 9 5
November 5 0 6
December 12 9 3
25
Falling Leaves
50
Goa
45
Mumbai
40
Delhi
35
30
25
20 Too detailed !
15
10
5
0
January February March April May June July August September October November December

26
Falling Leaves

Much Simpler

27
Keep It Simple (Picture)

Art work may distract your audience

▪ Artistry does not substitute for content

28
Make It Clear
❑ ALL CAPITAL LETTERS ARE DIFFICULT TO
READ

❑ ALL CAPITAL LETTERS ARE DIFFICULT TO READ

❑ Capital letters are difficult to read

❑ Upper & lower case letters are easier

29
Types of Instructional Tools

Discovery
Learning
Individual Social
Mode of Instruction

Constructive Constructive
Tools Tools
Guided
Inquiry Too many in Tools
Informational one go!
Individual Social
Instructive Communicative
Tools Tools
Direct
Instruction
Individual Pair Group
30
Complexity of Interactions
Types of Instructional Tools

Discovery
Learning
Individual Social
Mode of Instruction

Constructive Constructive
Tools Tools
Guided
Inquiry Progressive
Informational Tools &

thus
Individual
Instructive
focused Social
Communicative
Tools Tools
Direct
Instruction
Individual Pair Group
31
Complexity of Interactions
 Also learn to add value

What is goal?

The object of a person's ambition or effort; an aim or desired result.

Goals are outcome statements that define what an organization is trying to accomplish, both
programmatically and organizationally. Goals are usually a collection of related programs, a
reflection of major actions of the organization, and provide rallying points for managers.
What is a goal?
The object of a person's ambition or effort
An aim or desired result
Outcome statements
Define what an org. tries to accomplish
Programmatically & organizationally
Some tips for PPT management
Brief:
6X6
Don’t copy-paste a text
Use bullets:
Read, Explain, Conclude
Wise use of images: Forget about symbolism

Remember: You’re the attraction, NOT slides

Progressive
 Obstacles
Discuss:
What kind of obstacles do we have?

Role of habits

Pain and pleasure mechanism

In-class Exercise
In your groups

Prepare a 3 min. presentation

One person presents: Pick your presenter
Topic: What are the 3 conditions of an effective MBA
program? Why?
Watch for next week:
Caroline Ditlev & Simon Sinek
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mTAa2Bm0EZM

8:09 Min

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wTidplpkqZE
2:04 Min
For the second class
In your teams (only 5 teams), choose:
Your company’s
• Name
• Industry
• Service/products
• 3 Core competencies
• 3 Core Values
• Upload on Moodle/Weekly assignment 1
• MoWs will lead: Please email me the list of all teams
• MoWs will upload list of attendance every week in your
assignment
• Everyone will upload the exact same PDF of PPT
• Remember the format of assignments
For the second class
This is how MoWs work every week:

• Use Zoom, MS-Team, etc.

• You must come prepared on the topic: Questions & tasks
• Make sure you have questions for all teams
• Ask a question or give a task, determine a time, BO-rooms
Teams 1 to 5 present in week 3:
Types of Ownership: for week 3
Skripak: Chapter 5, What are they? Advantages & Disadvantages?

• Sole proprietorship Team A

• General Partnership Team B
• Limited partnership Team C
• Incorporation Team D
• Limited Liability Company Team E
• Cooperatives Team E
Check this out as well
https://www.ontario.ca/page/business/star
t/decide-ownership-structure