Course Overview and Business

Communication Trends

(giphy.com, 2017)
COMM 205 Iman El Meniawy
Business Communication Week 1/ Fall 2017
Objectives
Review course outline

Why COMM 205? Understand importance of

course in professional and academic careers

Discuss success factors

Understand business trends

Discuss how the digital era impacts

communications

Form work groups

Get to know your team

 Course Overview
Resources

Business Communication: Process and

Product with Style Guide

PPTs available on Moodle

Course outline

Faculty: Iman El Meniawy

By email and/or see office hours
Faculty Contact Info
Iman El Meniawy

Email :iman.elmeniawy@Concordia.ca
Office :MB 13.285
Office Tel. : 514-848-2424-2962
Office hours :Monday 2:45 4:00 pm
Thursday 2:45 4:30 pm
Friday 11:45 am 12:45 pm
or by appointment
 Concordia Learning Resources
Student Success Centre

Business Research Portal

Students Services

Counselling & Psychological Services

Access Centre for Students with Disabilities

Career Management Services

Course Outline
Learning Outcomes
Analyze a communication problem
Determine effective methods of audience analysis
Analyze and compare commonly used business
communication media
Design a communication response, product, or solution.
COMM 205 Grade Distribution
Short informational memo report 10%

Formal written report 15%

Class participation 10%

External communications analysis presentation 25%

Final examination 40%

Total Individual Marks 75%

Total Group Work Mark 25%
Own your Success!

Come to class prepared read assigned readings

Attend class
Practice active listening
Participate in class
Submit carefully revised, original work on time
Manage your time
Follow policies for group success
Understand and practice academic honesty
Read and keep informed
What does Communication refer to?
(Meriam Webster, 2017)

the act or process of using words, sounds, signs, or

behaviors to express or exchange information or to
express your ideas, thoughts, feelings, etc., to
someone else.
Connecting and Communicating: Not
the Same Thing
Why COMM 205?
Importance of Communication skills
Critical for employability and career advancement

Essential for current workforce trends

Crucial in the digital age

Role of Communication in Employability and
Career Advancement (The Conference Board of Canada, 2017)
Knowledge Economy (Tsaparis, 2014)

In 2014 market capital of Apple (knowledge based)

was $509 Billion compared to $434 Billion for Exxon
(resource based)

In knowledge economies, innovation and knowledge

creation fuel economic growth.

In the Knowledge economy, qualified workers are

more educated and earn wages almost 50% higher
than average. (Tsaparis, 2014, Para11)
Role of Communication in Employability and
Career Advancement in knowledge Economies

Knowledge and Information economies depend on producing

knowledge and disseminating it

Knowledge workers get paid for their education and ability to

learn. (Guffey, Lowey, Rhodes, & Rogin, 2016, p.5)

Information workers produce an consume information in the

workplace. (Guffey et al., 2016, p.5)

Communication skills are vital for knowledge and Information

economies
Current Workforce Trends

Global competition
Flattened hierarchies
Increased ethical expectations
Team work emphasis
Workforce diversity
Virtual and open space offices
Highly digitalized environment
Social media and changing communication technologies
24/7/365 Connectivity
Workforce Transformation in a Digital Age
Workforce Communication in a Digital Age

(Common World Inc., 2017)

(Multimedia Resource Center Newsletter, 2017)

(Worldsciences.com, 2017)

(Datamation, 2017)

(Marketingland.com, 2017)

(Guffey et al., 2016, p.11)

Group Time
Get to Know Your Team
Truth or Lie
Write two lies and one truth about yourself on a piece of
paper
Share your truth and lies with your team members
Each team member should try to distinguish the truth from
the lie
Each team shares with the class a truth and a lie about two
of its team members
 Next Class Sneak Peak

Read Chapters 1, 2, and 3 in Business Communication

Process and Product
Topics
Understand the communication process
Identify barriers to communication
Discuss communication channels and types
Explain effective listening techniques
Define successful teams and the team formation process
Discuss intercultural communication