Class Notes for Business Communication Today, 14th Edition
Class Notes for Business Communication Today, 14th Edition simplifies complex topics with easy-to-understand notes.
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CONTENTS
Preface and Acknowledgments ................................................................................................................. iii
Customer Service ...................................................................................................................................... iv
Changes and Improvements in the 14th Edition ....................................................................................... 1
Online Communities and Resources for Business Communication Instructors ....................................... 6
An Unsurpassed Instructional Resource Package ..................................................................................... 9
General Teaching Guides .......................................................................................................................... 12
Course Planning Guide ....................................................................................................................... 13
Introducing the Course to Students .............................................................................................. 14
Conducting the Class ................................................................................................................... 15
Grading and Evaluating Students................................................................................................. 17
Cooperative Learning Guide for Groups and Small Teams ............................................................... 19
Working with Cooperative Learning Groups............................................................................... 19
Working in Dyads ........................................................................................................................ 20
Working with the Jigsaw Process ................................................................................................ 20
Collaborative Writing Guide .............................................................................................................. 22
Preparing Students for Collaborative Writing ............................................................................. 22
Assigning Short-Term Projects .................................................................................................... 24
Undertaking a Long-Term Project ............................................................................................... 26
Evaluating Collaborative Projects................................................................................................ 31
Service Learning Guide 1: Use Service Learning to Add Real-World Writing
Experience to Your Course .......................................................................................................... 35
What Is Service Learning? .................................................................................................... 35
Example Project: Grant Research and Writing Assistance ................................................... 35
How to Incorporate Service Learning Into Your Course ...................................................... 36
Service Learning Guide 2: Real Clients, Real Management, Real Failure:
The Risks and Rewards of Service Learning................................................................................... 37
Diagnostic Tests of English Skills ...................................................................................................... 40
Answers ....................................................................................................................................... 40
English Skills Test A ................................................................................................................... 41
English Skills Test B.................................................................................................................... 44
More Practice in Grammar, Mechanics, and Usage ........................................................................... 47
Chapter Guides (non-sequential, chapter-specific paging)
Part 1: Understanding the Foundations of Business Communication
Chapter 1: Professional Communication in a Digital, Social, Mobile World
Chapter 2: Collaboration, Interpersonal Communication, and Business Etiquette
Chapter 3: Communication Challenges in a Diverse, Global Marketplace
Part 2: Applying the Three-Step Writing Process
Chapter 4: Planning Business Messages
Chapter 5: Writing Business Messages
Chapter 6: Completing Business Messages
Part 3: Digital, Social, and Visual Media
Chapter 7: Digital Media
Chapter 8: Social Media
Preface and Acknowledgments ................................................................................................................. iii
Customer Service ...................................................................................................................................... iv
Changes and Improvements in the 14th Edition ....................................................................................... 1
Online Communities and Resources for Business Communication Instructors ....................................... 6
An Unsurpassed Instructional Resource Package ..................................................................................... 9
General Teaching Guides .......................................................................................................................... 12
Course Planning Guide ....................................................................................................................... 13
Introducing the Course to Students .............................................................................................. 14
Conducting the Class ................................................................................................................... 15
Grading and Evaluating Students................................................................................................. 17
Cooperative Learning Guide for Groups and Small Teams ............................................................... 19
Working with Cooperative Learning Groups............................................................................... 19
Working in Dyads ........................................................................................................................ 20
Working with the Jigsaw Process ................................................................................................ 20
Collaborative Writing Guide .............................................................................................................. 22
Preparing Students for Collaborative Writing ............................................................................. 22
Assigning Short-Term Projects .................................................................................................... 24
Undertaking a Long-Term Project ............................................................................................... 26
Evaluating Collaborative Projects................................................................................................ 31
Service Learning Guide 1: Use Service Learning to Add Real-World Writing
Experience to Your Course .......................................................................................................... 35
What Is Service Learning? .................................................................................................... 35
Example Project: Grant Research and Writing Assistance ................................................... 35
How to Incorporate Service Learning Into Your Course ...................................................... 36
Service Learning Guide 2: Real Clients, Real Management, Real Failure:
The Risks and Rewards of Service Learning................................................................................... 37
Diagnostic Tests of English Skills ...................................................................................................... 40
Answers ....................................................................................................................................... 40
English Skills Test A ................................................................................................................... 41
English Skills Test B.................................................................................................................... 44
More Practice in Grammar, Mechanics, and Usage ........................................................................... 47
Chapter Guides (non-sequential, chapter-specific paging)
Part 1: Understanding the Foundations of Business Communication
Chapter 1: Professional Communication in a Digital, Social, Mobile World
Chapter 2: Collaboration, Interpersonal Communication, and Business Etiquette
Chapter 3: Communication Challenges in a Diverse, Global Marketplace
Part 2: Applying the Three-Step Writing Process
Chapter 4: Planning Business Messages
Chapter 5: Writing Business Messages
Chapter 6: Completing Business Messages
Part 3: Digital, Social, and Visual Media
Chapter 7: Digital Media
Chapter 8: Social Media
CONTENTS
Preface and Acknowledgments ................................................................................................................. iii
Customer Service ...................................................................................................................................... iv
Changes and Improvements in the 14th Edition ....................................................................................... 1
Online Communities and Resources for Business Communication Instructors ....................................... 6
An Unsurpassed Instructional Resource Package ..................................................................................... 9
General Teaching Guides .......................................................................................................................... 12
Course Planning Guide ....................................................................................................................... 13
Introducing the Course to Students .............................................................................................. 14
Conducting the Class ................................................................................................................... 15
Grading and Evaluating Students................................................................................................. 17
Cooperative Learning Guide for Groups and Small Teams ............................................................... 19
Working with Cooperative Learning Groups............................................................................... 19
Working in Dyads ........................................................................................................................ 20
Working with the Jigsaw Process ................................................................................................ 20
Collaborative Writing Guide .............................................................................................................. 22
Preparing Students for Collaborative Writing ............................................................................. 22
Assigning Short-Term Projects .................................................................................................... 24
Undertaking a Long-Term Project ............................................................................................... 26
Evaluating Collaborative Projects................................................................................................ 31
Service Learning Guide 1: Use Service Learning to Add Real-World Writing
Experience to Your Course .......................................................................................................... 35
What Is Service Learning? .................................................................................................... 35
Example Project: Grant Research and Writing Assistance ................................................... 35
How to Incorporate Service Learning Into Your Course ...................................................... 36
Service Learning Guide 2: Real Clients, Real Management, Real Failure:
The Risks and Rewards of Service Learning................................................................................... 37
Diagnostic Tests of English Skills ...................................................................................................... 40
Answers ....................................................................................................................................... 40
English Skills Test A ................................................................................................................... 41
English Skills Test B.................................................................................................................... 44
More Practice in Grammar, Mechanics, and Usage ........................................................................... 47
Chapter Guides (non-sequential, chapter-specific paging)
Part 1: Understanding the Foundations of Business Communication
Chapter 1: Professional Communication in a Digital, Social, Mobile World
Chapter 2: Collaboration, Interpersonal Communication, and Business Etiquette
Chapter 3: Communication Challenges in a Diverse, Global Marketplace
Part 2: Applying the Three-Step Writing Process
Chapter 4: Planning Business Messages
Chapter 5: Writing Business Messages
Chapter 6: Completing Business Messages
Part 3: Digital, Social, and Visual Media
Chapter 7: Digital Media
Chapter 8: Social Media
Preface and Acknowledgments ................................................................................................................. iii
Customer Service ...................................................................................................................................... iv
Changes and Improvements in the 14th Edition ....................................................................................... 1
Online Communities and Resources for Business Communication Instructors ....................................... 6
An Unsurpassed Instructional Resource Package ..................................................................................... 9
General Teaching Guides .......................................................................................................................... 12
Course Planning Guide ....................................................................................................................... 13
Introducing the Course to Students .............................................................................................. 14
Conducting the Class ................................................................................................................... 15
Grading and Evaluating Students................................................................................................. 17
Cooperative Learning Guide for Groups and Small Teams ............................................................... 19
Working with Cooperative Learning Groups............................................................................... 19
Working in Dyads ........................................................................................................................ 20
Working with the Jigsaw Process ................................................................................................ 20
Collaborative Writing Guide .............................................................................................................. 22
Preparing Students for Collaborative Writing ............................................................................. 22
Assigning Short-Term Projects .................................................................................................... 24
Undertaking a Long-Term Project ............................................................................................... 26
Evaluating Collaborative Projects................................................................................................ 31
Service Learning Guide 1: Use Service Learning to Add Real-World Writing
Experience to Your Course .......................................................................................................... 35
What Is Service Learning? .................................................................................................... 35
Example Project: Grant Research and Writing Assistance ................................................... 35
How to Incorporate Service Learning Into Your Course ...................................................... 36
Service Learning Guide 2: Real Clients, Real Management, Real Failure:
The Risks and Rewards of Service Learning................................................................................... 37
Diagnostic Tests of English Skills ...................................................................................................... 40
Answers ....................................................................................................................................... 40
English Skills Test A ................................................................................................................... 41
English Skills Test B.................................................................................................................... 44
More Practice in Grammar, Mechanics, and Usage ........................................................................... 47
Chapter Guides (non-sequential, chapter-specific paging)
Part 1: Understanding the Foundations of Business Communication
Chapter 1: Professional Communication in a Digital, Social, Mobile World
Chapter 2: Collaboration, Interpersonal Communication, and Business Etiquette
Chapter 3: Communication Challenges in a Diverse, Global Marketplace
Part 2: Applying the Three-Step Writing Process
Chapter 4: Planning Business Messages
Chapter 5: Writing Business Messages
Chapter 6: Completing Business Messages
Part 3: Digital, Social, and Visual Media
Chapter 7: Digital Media
Chapter 8: Social Media
ii
Chapter 9: Visual Media
Part 4: Brief Messages
Chapter 10: Writing Routine and Positive Messages
Chapter 11: Writing Negative Messages
Chapter 12: Writing Persuasive Messages
Part 5: Reports and Proposals
Chapter 13: Finding, Evaluating, and Processing Information
Chapter 14: Planning Reports and Proposals
Chapter 15: Writing and Completing Reports and Proposals
Part 6: Developing and Delivering Business Presentations
Chapter 16: Developing Presentations in a Social Media Environment
Chapter 17: Enhancing Presentations with Slides and Other Visuals
Part 7: Writing Employment Messages and Interviewing for Jobs
Chapter 18: Building Careers and Writing Résumés
Chapter 19: Applying and Interviewing for Employment
Appendix A: Format and Layout of Business Documents
Appendix B: Documentation of Report Sources
Appendix C: Correction Symbols
Chapter 9: Visual Media
Part 4: Brief Messages
Chapter 10: Writing Routine and Positive Messages
Chapter 11: Writing Negative Messages
Chapter 12: Writing Persuasive Messages
Part 5: Reports and Proposals
Chapter 13: Finding, Evaluating, and Processing Information
Chapter 14: Planning Reports and Proposals
Chapter 15: Writing and Completing Reports and Proposals
Part 6: Developing and Delivering Business Presentations
Chapter 16: Developing Presentations in a Social Media Environment
Chapter 17: Enhancing Presentations with Slides and Other Visuals
Part 7: Writing Employment Messages and Interviewing for Jobs
Chapter 18: Building Careers and Writing Résumés
Chapter 19: Applying and Interviewing for Employment
Appendix A: Format and Layout of Business Documents
Appendix B: Documentation of Report Sources
Appendix C: Correction Symbols
iii
PREFACE
Successful business communicators spend years on the job before they learn to consistently prepare
effective messages. Obviously, you cannot give students that much practice in one school term. But the
more practice you can give them, the closer they will be to achieving success on the job.
To help you tailor a course to the needs of your students, we have designed a comprehensive package of
learning materials. We hope that you take advantage of the complete package. Together, the elements
provide a rich and varied learning experience.
This manual is divided into five parts:
• Changes and Improvements in the 14th Edition lists the major changes in this edition, followed
by specific changes within each chapter.
• Online Communities and Resources for Business Communication Instructors itemizes the
many online resources the authors have created for adopters of Business Communication Today.
We invite you to join one or more of the online communities and interact with your peers.
• An Unsurpassed Instructional Resource Package acquaints you with the elements available in
our comprehensive package of learning materials.
• The General Teaching Guides provide tools and advice for conducting a course in business
communication.
• The Chapter Guides provide information to supplement the chapters in the textbook, including
comprehensive lecture notes and suggested solutions to student questions and activities.
We wish to thank George Dovel for his efforts in the preparation of this manual.
PREFACE
Successful business communicators spend years on the job before they learn to consistently prepare
effective messages. Obviously, you cannot give students that much practice in one school term. But the
more practice you can give them, the closer they will be to achieving success on the job.
To help you tailor a course to the needs of your students, we have designed a comprehensive package of
learning materials. We hope that you take advantage of the complete package. Together, the elements
provide a rich and varied learning experience.
This manual is divided into five parts:
• Changes and Improvements in the 14th Edition lists the major changes in this edition, followed
by specific changes within each chapter.
• Online Communities and Resources for Business Communication Instructors itemizes the
many online resources the authors have created for adopters of Business Communication Today.
We invite you to join one or more of the online communities and interact with your peers.
• An Unsurpassed Instructional Resource Package acquaints you with the elements available in
our comprehensive package of learning materials.
• The General Teaching Guides provide tools and advice for conducting a course in business
communication.
• The Chapter Guides provide information to supplement the chapters in the textbook, including
comprehensive lecture notes and suggested solutions to student questions and activities.
We wish to thank George Dovel for his efforts in the preparation of this manual.
Loading page 4...
iv
CUSTOMER SERVICE
For customer service, please contact your local Prentice Hall representative,
call the Pearson Faculty and Field Services (1-800-526-0485),
or access the authors’ e-mail hotline at hotline@businesscommunicationblog.com.
CUSTOMER SERVICE
For customer service, please contact your local Prentice Hall representative,
call the Pearson Faculty and Field Services (1-800-526-0485),
or access the authors’ e-mail hotline at hotline@businesscommunicationblog.com.
Loading page 5...
Changes and Improvements in the Thirteenth Edition 1
CHANGES AND IMPROVEMENTS IN THE 14TH EDITION
Significant Content Additions and Upgrades
Here are the major changes in the 14th Edition of Business Communication Today. Please
see page 3 for a detailed, chapter-by-chapter list of changes.
• Twelve new chapter-opening vignettes with accompanying end-of-chapter individual and
team challenges:
o Kaiser Permanente’s strategic approach to communicating with its diverse stake-
holder groups (Chapter 3)
o Wolff Orlis’s use of storytelling in business communication, including using an
award-winning novelist as its chief storytelling officer (Chapter 4)
o Type Together’s contemporary typeface designs, emphasizing readability in business
documents and other messages (Chapter 6)
o Slack’s workplace messaging system, which is changing the way many organizations
communicate (Chapter 7)
o Jill Duffy’s advice for handling the daily deluge of routine messages more produc-
tively (Chapter 10)
o Strategyzer’s revolutionary alternative to the traditional annual report, now embraced
by thousands of entrepreneurs (Chapter 13)
o Warby Parker’s whimsical and audience-focused approach to annual reports (Chapter
14)
o WPP’s use of web interactivity to create one of the most readable annual reports ever
published (Chapter 15)
o Gina Barnett’s “whole-body” public speaking advice, which can help all business
professionals improve their onstage presence (Chapter 16)
o Nancy Duarte’s timeless advice for creating audience-friendly presentation slides
(Chapter 17)
o Burning Glass’s application of artificial intelligence to the critical job-search chal-
lenge of matching employer needs and employee skill sets (Chapter 18)
o VMWare’s enthusiastic embrace of social media to transform its approach to em-
ployee recruiting (Chapter 19)
• A new highlight box theme, The Future of Communication, giving students a glimpse
into some fascinating technologies that could reshape the practice of business communi-
cation in the coming years: the Internet of Things, real-time translation, haptic communi-
cation, telepathy, virtual and augmented reality, gestural computing, smart communica-
tion bots, emotion recognition, and holograms
CHANGES AND IMPROVEMENTS IN THE 14TH EDITION
Significant Content Additions and Upgrades
Here are the major changes in the 14th Edition of Business Communication Today. Please
see page 3 for a detailed, chapter-by-chapter list of changes.
• Twelve new chapter-opening vignettes with accompanying end-of-chapter individual and
team challenges:
o Kaiser Permanente’s strategic approach to communicating with its diverse stake-
holder groups (Chapter 3)
o Wolff Orlis’s use of storytelling in business communication, including using an
award-winning novelist as its chief storytelling officer (Chapter 4)
o Type Together’s contemporary typeface designs, emphasizing readability in business
documents and other messages (Chapter 6)
o Slack’s workplace messaging system, which is changing the way many organizations
communicate (Chapter 7)
o Jill Duffy’s advice for handling the daily deluge of routine messages more produc-
tively (Chapter 10)
o Strategyzer’s revolutionary alternative to the traditional annual report, now embraced
by thousands of entrepreneurs (Chapter 13)
o Warby Parker’s whimsical and audience-focused approach to annual reports (Chapter
14)
o WPP’s use of web interactivity to create one of the most readable annual reports ever
published (Chapter 15)
o Gina Barnett’s “whole-body” public speaking advice, which can help all business
professionals improve their onstage presence (Chapter 16)
o Nancy Duarte’s timeless advice for creating audience-friendly presentation slides
(Chapter 17)
o Burning Glass’s application of artificial intelligence to the critical job-search chal-
lenge of matching employer needs and employee skill sets (Chapter 18)
o VMWare’s enthusiastic embrace of social media to transform its approach to em-
ployee recruiting (Chapter 19)
• A new highlight box theme, The Future of Communication, giving students a glimpse
into some fascinating technologies that could reshape the practice of business communi-
cation in the coming years: the Internet of Things, real-time translation, haptic communi-
cation, telepathy, virtual and augmented reality, gestural computing, smart communica-
tion bots, emotion recognition, and holograms
Loading page 6...
Changes and Improvements in the Thirteenth Edition 2
• More than 70 new or redesigned business communication examples and figures. The 14th
Edition includes
o 78 annotated model documents
o 26 examples of mobile communication in business communication
o 25 examples of social media in business communication
• Revised annotations for all the before/after model document pairs, making it easier for
students to see the specific changes made to transform ineffective messages into effective
ones
• Updated coverage of the advantages and disadvantages of teams (Chapter 2), overcoming
resistance (Chapter 2), gender differences (Chapter 3), digital messaging (Chapter 7), the
business communication uses of social networks (Chapter 8), content curation (Chapter
8), and effective and ethical apologies (Chapter 11)
• 24 new communication cases
• More than three dozen new end-of-chapter questions and exercises
• More than 70 new or redesigned business communication examples and figures. The 14th
Edition includes
o 78 annotated model documents
o 26 examples of mobile communication in business communication
o 25 examples of social media in business communication
• Revised annotations for all the before/after model document pairs, making it easier for
students to see the specific changes made to transform ineffective messages into effective
ones
• Updated coverage of the advantages and disadvantages of teams (Chapter 2), overcoming
resistance (Chapter 2), gender differences (Chapter 3), digital messaging (Chapter 7), the
business communication uses of social networks (Chapter 8), content curation (Chapter
8), and effective and ethical apologies (Chapter 11)
• 24 new communication cases
• More than three dozen new end-of-chapter questions and exercises
Loading page 7...
Changes and Improvements in the Thirteenth Edition 3
Chapter by chapter changes and improvements
Feature
Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5
Chapter-opening
vignette
Retained: JetBlue’s in-
novative use of social
media to forge relation-
ships with passengers
and resolve customer
service issues
Retained: How the Mex-
ican materials manufac-
turer Cemex uses col-
laboration tools to help
its global workforce
communicate
New: Kaiser Perma-
nente’s strategic ap-
proach to communi-
cating with its diverse
stakeholder groups
New: Wolff Orlis’s use
of storytelling in busi-
ness communication, in-
cluding using an award-
winning novelist as its
chief storytelling officer
Retained: Blogger/au-
thor Natalie MacNeil’s
rise to global fame with
her web property “She
Takes On the World”
Chapter content
(subject areas that
were added, clarified,
expanded, stream-
lined, or updated for
this edition)
New highlight box:
The Future of
Communication: Haptic
Communication
Updated: Advantages
and Disadvantages of
Teams
Updated: Characteris-
tics of Effective Teams
Replaced: Overcoming
Resistance
New highlight box:
The Future of
Communication: Real-
Time Translation
Expanded: Gender Dif-
ferences
Expanded: Building
Reader Interest with
Storytelling Techniques
Annotated model
documents and
other exhibits
Updated: Fig 1.2
Effective Professional
Communication
New: Fig 1.3 Elements
of Professionalism
New: Fig 1.8 Mobile
Communication Tools
New: Fig 1.9 Wearable
Technology
New: Fig 1.10 Mobile
Communication:
Opportunities and
Challenges
Updated: Fig 1.11
Unethical
Communication
Updated: Fig 1.12
Unethical
Communication
Updated feature:
Powerful Tools for
Communicating
Effectively
New: Fig 2.2 Shared
Online Workspaces
New: Fig 2.3 Collabora-
tion on Mobile Devices
New: Fig 2.5 Capturing
Key Decisions and Dis-
coveries from a Meeting
New: Fig 2.6 Virtual
Meetings
New: Fig 2.8 Nonverbal
Signals
New: Fig 3.3 Mobile
Language Tools
Updated: Fig 3.5 Writing
for Multilingual Audi-
ences
New: Fig 4.4 Media and
Channel Choices:
Written + Digital
New: Fig 4.5 Mind
Mapping
Updated: Fig 4.8
Improving the Organiza-
tion of a Message
New: Fig 5.4 Making
Effective Word and
Phrase Choices
New: Fig 5.5 Topic
Sentences
End of chapter
exercises 3 new questions on
audience-centered com-
munication, overuse of
social media, and critical
thinking
2 new questions on
parliamentary procedure
and conflict resolution
2 new questions on
cultural competence and
cultural pluralism
4 new questions on the
disadvantages of printed
messages, readability
challenges on mobile
devices, wiki writing,
and when perceived
disadvantages of email
may in fact be beneficial
2 new questions on
reading comprehension
on small screens and
etiquette breakdowns in
digital media
Chapter by chapter changes and improvements
Feature
Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5
Chapter-opening
vignette
Retained: JetBlue’s in-
novative use of social
media to forge relation-
ships with passengers
and resolve customer
service issues
Retained: How the Mex-
ican materials manufac-
turer Cemex uses col-
laboration tools to help
its global workforce
communicate
New: Kaiser Perma-
nente’s strategic ap-
proach to communi-
cating with its diverse
stakeholder groups
New: Wolff Orlis’s use
of storytelling in busi-
ness communication, in-
cluding using an award-
winning novelist as its
chief storytelling officer
Retained: Blogger/au-
thor Natalie MacNeil’s
rise to global fame with
her web property “She
Takes On the World”
Chapter content
(subject areas that
were added, clarified,
expanded, stream-
lined, or updated for
this edition)
New highlight box:
The Future of
Communication: Haptic
Communication
Updated: Advantages
and Disadvantages of
Teams
Updated: Characteris-
tics of Effective Teams
Replaced: Overcoming
Resistance
New highlight box:
The Future of
Communication: Real-
Time Translation
Expanded: Gender Dif-
ferences
Expanded: Building
Reader Interest with
Storytelling Techniques
Annotated model
documents and
other exhibits
Updated: Fig 1.2
Effective Professional
Communication
New: Fig 1.3 Elements
of Professionalism
New: Fig 1.8 Mobile
Communication Tools
New: Fig 1.9 Wearable
Technology
New: Fig 1.10 Mobile
Communication:
Opportunities and
Challenges
Updated: Fig 1.11
Unethical
Communication
Updated: Fig 1.12
Unethical
Communication
Updated feature:
Powerful Tools for
Communicating
Effectively
New: Fig 2.2 Shared
Online Workspaces
New: Fig 2.3 Collabora-
tion on Mobile Devices
New: Fig 2.5 Capturing
Key Decisions and Dis-
coveries from a Meeting
New: Fig 2.6 Virtual
Meetings
New: Fig 2.8 Nonverbal
Signals
New: Fig 3.3 Mobile
Language Tools
Updated: Fig 3.5 Writing
for Multilingual Audi-
ences
New: Fig 4.4 Media and
Channel Choices:
Written + Digital
New: Fig 4.5 Mind
Mapping
Updated: Fig 4.8
Improving the Organiza-
tion of a Message
New: Fig 5.4 Making
Effective Word and
Phrase Choices
New: Fig 5.5 Topic
Sentences
End of chapter
exercises 3 new questions on
audience-centered com-
munication, overuse of
social media, and critical
thinking
2 new questions on
parliamentary procedure
and conflict resolution
2 new questions on
cultural competence and
cultural pluralism
4 new questions on the
disadvantages of printed
messages, readability
challenges on mobile
devices, wiki writing,
and when perceived
disadvantages of email
may in fact be beneficial
2 new questions on
reading comprehension
on small screens and
etiquette breakdowns in
digital media
Loading page 8...
Changes and Improvements in the Thirteenth Edition 4
Chapter by chapter changes and improvements (continued)
Feature
Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10
Chapter-opening
vignette
New: Type Together’s
contemporary typeface
designs, emphasizing
readability in business
documents and other
messages
New: Slack’s workplace
messaging system,
which is changing the
way many organiza-
tions communicate
Retained: Starbucks’
use of multiple social
media platforms to build
a sense of community
among its global cus-
tomer base
Retained: GoPro’s wildly
successful strategy of
using consumer-gener-
ated content and online
video to promote its line
of rugged cameras
New: Technology writer
Jill Duffy’s advice for
handling the daily del-
uge of routine mes-
sages more productively
Chapter content
(subject areas that
were added, clarified,
expanded, stream-
lined, or updated for
this edition)
New highlight box:
The Future of
Communication: Haptic
Communication
New highlight box:
The Future of
Communication:
Telepathic
Communication
Updated: Email
Updated: Messaging
(formerly Instant Mes-
saging and Text Mes-
saging)
New highlight box:
The Future of
Communication:
Augmented Reality and
Virtual Reality
Expanded: Business
Communication Uses of
Social Networks
Updated: Content
Curation Sites
New highlight box:
The Future of
Communication:
Gestural Computing
New highlight box:
The Future of
Communication:
Communication Bots
Annotated model
documents and
other exhibits
New: Fig 7.1 Composi-
tional Modes: Status
Updates and Announce-
ments
New: Fig 7.2
Augmented Reality
New: Fig 7.5 Reader-
Friendly Web Design
New: Fig 7.6 Writing for
the Web
New: Fig 7.7 Mobile
Podcasting
New: Fig 8.1
Community Building via
Social Media
New: Fig 8.3 Business
Applications of
Microblogging
Updated feature:
Business Communica-
tors Innovating with
Social Media
New: Table 12.2 Select-
ing the Best Visual
New: Fig 9.10 Data
Visualization
New: Fig 9.12
Geographic Information
Systems
New: Fig 9.14 Visual
Displays on Mobile
Devices
New: 9.17 Framing
Your Shots: Finding the
Right Balance
New: Fig 10.6 Announc-
ing Good News
New: Fig 10.7 Goodwill
Messages
End of chapter
exercises and cases 2 new questions on for-
matting messages for
mobile devices and the
use of sentence variety
to improve flow and
readability
3 new cases
1 new question on over-
use of email
3 new questions on
writing effective social
media headlines, social
networking, and viral
marketing
2 new questions on
selecting which points to
illustrate and creating
business video
4 new cases
1 new question on
good-news messages
Chapter by chapter changes and improvements (continued)
Feature
Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10
Chapter-opening
vignette
New: Type Together’s
contemporary typeface
designs, emphasizing
readability in business
documents and other
messages
New: Slack’s workplace
messaging system,
which is changing the
way many organiza-
tions communicate
Retained: Starbucks’
use of multiple social
media platforms to build
a sense of community
among its global cus-
tomer base
Retained: GoPro’s wildly
successful strategy of
using consumer-gener-
ated content and online
video to promote its line
of rugged cameras
New: Technology writer
Jill Duffy’s advice for
handling the daily del-
uge of routine mes-
sages more productively
Chapter content
(subject areas that
were added, clarified,
expanded, stream-
lined, or updated for
this edition)
New highlight box:
The Future of
Communication: Haptic
Communication
New highlight box:
The Future of
Communication:
Telepathic
Communication
Updated: Email
Updated: Messaging
(formerly Instant Mes-
saging and Text Mes-
saging)
New highlight box:
The Future of
Communication:
Augmented Reality and
Virtual Reality
Expanded: Business
Communication Uses of
Social Networks
Updated: Content
Curation Sites
New highlight box:
The Future of
Communication:
Gestural Computing
New highlight box:
The Future of
Communication:
Communication Bots
Annotated model
documents and
other exhibits
New: Fig 7.1 Composi-
tional Modes: Status
Updates and Announce-
ments
New: Fig 7.2
Augmented Reality
New: Fig 7.5 Reader-
Friendly Web Design
New: Fig 7.6 Writing for
the Web
New: Fig 7.7 Mobile
Podcasting
New: Fig 8.1
Community Building via
Social Media
New: Fig 8.3 Business
Applications of
Microblogging
Updated feature:
Business Communica-
tors Innovating with
Social Media
New: Table 12.2 Select-
ing the Best Visual
New: Fig 9.10 Data
Visualization
New: Fig 9.12
Geographic Information
Systems
New: Fig 9.14 Visual
Displays on Mobile
Devices
New: 9.17 Framing
Your Shots: Finding the
Right Balance
New: Fig 10.6 Announc-
ing Good News
New: Fig 10.7 Goodwill
Messages
End of chapter
exercises and cases 2 new questions on for-
matting messages for
mobile devices and the
use of sentence variety
to improve flow and
readability
3 new cases
1 new question on over-
use of email
3 new questions on
writing effective social
media headlines, social
networking, and viral
marketing
2 new questions on
selecting which points to
illustrate and creating
business video
4 new cases
1 new question on
good-news messages
Loading page 9...
Changes and Improvements in the Thirteenth Edition 5
Chapter by chapter changes and improvements (continued)
Feature
Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15
Chapter-opening
vignette
Retained: On a nega-
tive-news message sent
by the Hailo taxi-hailing
service to inform cus-
tomers of higher fares
Retained: On the com-
munication strategy
used by entre-preneur
Sarah Calhoun to
launch Red Ants Pants
New: Strategyzer’s
revolutionary alternative
to the traditional annual
report, now embraced
by thousands of entre-
preneurs
New: Warby Parker’s
whimsical and audi-
ence-focused approach
to annual reports
New: WPP’s use of web
interactivity to create
one of the most reada-
ble annual reports ever
published
Chapter content
(subject areas that
were added, clarified,
expanded, stream-
lined, or updated for
this edition)
Expanded: Providing
Reasons and Additional
Information (regarding
apologies)
New highlight box:
The Future of
Communication:
Emotion Recognition
Software
Annotated model
documents and
other exhibits
New: Fig 12.5 Persua-
sive Message Using the
AIDA Model
New: Fig 12.6 Promo-
tional Messages in
Social Media
New: Fig 14.3 Executive
Dashboards
New: Fig 14.8 Internal
Proposal
New: Fig 15.2 Executive
Summary
End of chapter
exercises and cases 4 new cases
1 new question on
employee whistle-
blowing
4 new cases
3 new questions on
promotional ethics and
balancing emotional and
logical appeals
2 new questions on
conducting research for
reports
1 new question on
responding to RFPs
4 new cases
1 new question on the
close in reports and
proposals
Feature
Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19
Chapter-opening
vignette
New: Gina Barnett’s
“whole-body” public
speaking advice, which
can help all business
professionals improve
their onstage presence
New: Nancy Duarte’s
timeless advice for cre-
ating audience-friendly
presentation slides
New: Burning Glass’s
application of artificial
intelligence to the critical
job-search challenge of
matching employer
needs and employee
skill sets
New: VMWare’s enthu-
siastic embrace of social
media to transform its
approach to employee
recruiting
Chapter content
(subject areas that
were added, clarified,
expanded, stream-
lined, or updated for
this edition)
Annotated model
documents and
other exhibits
New: Fig 18.2 Mobile
Job Search Tools
Updated: Fig 19.2
Unsolicited Application
Letter: Ineffective and
Effective
New: Fig 19.3 Comple-
menting Your Résumé
With an Application
Message
Updated: Fig 19.6
Follow-Up Message:
Ineffective and Effective
Updated: Fig 19.7
Request for a Time
Extension: Ineffective
and Effective
End of chapter
exercises and cases 2 new questions on
selecting a presentation
topic and impromptu
speaking
3 new cases
4 new questions on
designing visuals for
presentations and plan-
ning presentation pro-
jects
1 new question on
writing the “story of you”
1 new case
2 new questions on
blanking out during an
interview and applica-
tion letters
Chapter by chapter changes and improvements (continued)
Feature
Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15
Chapter-opening
vignette
Retained: On a nega-
tive-news message sent
by the Hailo taxi-hailing
service to inform cus-
tomers of higher fares
Retained: On the com-
munication strategy
used by entre-preneur
Sarah Calhoun to
launch Red Ants Pants
New: Strategyzer’s
revolutionary alternative
to the traditional annual
report, now embraced
by thousands of entre-
preneurs
New: Warby Parker’s
whimsical and audi-
ence-focused approach
to annual reports
New: WPP’s use of web
interactivity to create
one of the most reada-
ble annual reports ever
published
Chapter content
(subject areas that
were added, clarified,
expanded, stream-
lined, or updated for
this edition)
Expanded: Providing
Reasons and Additional
Information (regarding
apologies)
New highlight box:
The Future of
Communication:
Emotion Recognition
Software
Annotated model
documents and
other exhibits
New: Fig 12.5 Persua-
sive Message Using the
AIDA Model
New: Fig 12.6 Promo-
tional Messages in
Social Media
New: Fig 14.3 Executive
Dashboards
New: Fig 14.8 Internal
Proposal
New: Fig 15.2 Executive
Summary
End of chapter
exercises and cases 4 new cases
1 new question on
employee whistle-
blowing
4 new cases
3 new questions on
promotional ethics and
balancing emotional and
logical appeals
2 new questions on
conducting research for
reports
1 new question on
responding to RFPs
4 new cases
1 new question on the
close in reports and
proposals
Feature
Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19
Chapter-opening
vignette
New: Gina Barnett’s
“whole-body” public
speaking advice, which
can help all business
professionals improve
their onstage presence
New: Nancy Duarte’s
timeless advice for cre-
ating audience-friendly
presentation slides
New: Burning Glass’s
application of artificial
intelligence to the critical
job-search challenge of
matching employer
needs and employee
skill sets
New: VMWare’s enthu-
siastic embrace of social
media to transform its
approach to employee
recruiting
Chapter content
(subject areas that
were added, clarified,
expanded, stream-
lined, or updated for
this edition)
Annotated model
documents and
other exhibits
New: Fig 18.2 Mobile
Job Search Tools
Updated: Fig 19.2
Unsolicited Application
Letter: Ineffective and
Effective
New: Fig 19.3 Comple-
menting Your Résumé
With an Application
Message
Updated: Fig 19.6
Follow-Up Message:
Ineffective and Effective
Updated: Fig 19.7
Request for a Time
Extension: Ineffective
and Effective
End of chapter
exercises and cases 2 new questions on
selecting a presentation
topic and impromptu
speaking
3 new cases
4 new questions on
designing visuals for
presentations and plan-
ning presentation pro-
jects
1 new question on
writing the “story of you”
1 new case
2 new questions on
blanking out during an
interview and applica-
tion letters
Loading page 10...
Online Communities and Resources for Business Communication Instructors 6
Copyright © 2018 Bovée & Thill LLC
ONLINE COMMUNITIES AND RESOURCES FOR BUSINESS
COMMUNICATION INSTRUCTORS
As you grapple with large class sizes and heavy advising loads, we are constantly on the lookout for ways
we can help you spend less time preparing lectures and activities and more time teaching and working
one-on-one with your students. We invite you to explore the unmatched array of resources the Bovée &
Thill team offers for business communication instructors.
Media Curation Services
Bovée & Thill’s Online Magazines for Business Communication on Scoop.it collect useful and
interesting media items in a variety of subject areas:
• Business Communication 2.0: Social Media and Electronic Communication
• Teaching a Modern Business Communication Course
• Teaching Business Communication and Workplace Issues
• Teaching Business Communication and Interpersonal Communication
• Teaching Oral Communication in a Business Communication Course
• Teaching Business Communication and Employment
• Teaching Visual Communication
• How the Mobile Revolution Is Changing Business Communication
• Exclusive Teaching Resources for Business Communication Instructors
Videos and Presentations
The Bovée & Thill's YouTube Channel offers videos with advice on teaching the new elements of
business communication.
We also offer a variety of videos and PowerPoint presentations on SlideShare.
You'll find more than 500 infographics, videos, articles, podcasts, and PowerPoints on Pinterest.
Twitter
@BovéeThill_Blog (Bovée & Thill's Business Communication Blog)
@BusCommNews (Business Communication Headline News)
Additional Resources
Vital Bookmarks for Teaching a Business Communication Course
The Ultimate Guide to Resources for Business Communication Instructors
Bovée and Thill on Instagram
Bovée and Thill on Reddit
Copyright © 2018 Bovée & Thill LLC
ONLINE COMMUNITIES AND RESOURCES FOR BUSINESS
COMMUNICATION INSTRUCTORS
As you grapple with large class sizes and heavy advising loads, we are constantly on the lookout for ways
we can help you spend less time preparing lectures and activities and more time teaching and working
one-on-one with your students. We invite you to explore the unmatched array of resources the Bovée &
Thill team offers for business communication instructors.
Media Curation Services
Bovée & Thill’s Online Magazines for Business Communication on Scoop.it collect useful and
interesting media items in a variety of subject areas:
• Business Communication 2.0: Social Media and Electronic Communication
• Teaching a Modern Business Communication Course
• Teaching Business Communication and Workplace Issues
• Teaching Business Communication and Interpersonal Communication
• Teaching Oral Communication in a Business Communication Course
• Teaching Business Communication and Employment
• Teaching Visual Communication
• How the Mobile Revolution Is Changing Business Communication
• Exclusive Teaching Resources for Business Communication Instructors
Videos and Presentations
The Bovée & Thill's YouTube Channel offers videos with advice on teaching the new elements of
business communication.
We also offer a variety of videos and PowerPoint presentations on SlideShare.
You'll find more than 500 infographics, videos, articles, podcasts, and PowerPoints on Pinterest.
@BovéeThill_Blog (Bovée & Thill's Business Communication Blog)
@BusCommNews (Business Communication Headline News)
Additional Resources
Vital Bookmarks for Teaching a Business Communication Course
The Ultimate Guide to Resources for Business Communication Instructors
Bovée and Thill on Instagram
Bovée and Thill on Reddit
Loading page 11...
Online Communities and Resources for Business Communication Instructors 7
Copyright © 2018 Bovée & Thill LLC
Interactive Tests for Instructors
Can Your Business Communication Textbook Pass This Test of Essential Mobile Coverage?
Can Your Business Communication Textbook Pass This Google Test?
Can Your Business Communication Textbook Pass This Simple Technology Test?
Instructor Communities
Connect with academic and industry peers from around the world in these Bovée & Thill online
communities:
• Facebook: Teaching Business Communication. Share your opinions about issues
important to instructors of business communication, ask peers questions, and offer best
practices for instruction.
• Facebook: Bovée and Thill's Inner Circle for Business Communication. This
discussion forum is reserved for college and university instructors who are adopters of
textbooks by Courtland Bovée and/or John Thill.
• Facebook: Social Media and Electronic Communication Workshop. Learn about
electronic communication and social media quickly and easily. Members can receive one-
on-one mentoring, as requested, as well as opportunities for group chats and webinars.
• LinkedIn: Teaching Business Communication. This group is a discussion and
resource-sharing forum exploring all aspects of teaching business communication.
• LinkedIn: Bovée & Thill’s Inner Circle for Business Communication. This group is
also devoted exclusively to college and university instructors who are adopters of
textbooks by Courtland Bovée and/or John Thill.
• LinkedIn: Bovée & Thill’s Social Media and Electronic Communication Workshop.
This group provides access to a variety of presentations and videos on teaching new-
media skills.
Custom Web Search Tool
Web Search, developed by Bovée and Thill, preformats more than 325 types of searches using
the web’s most powerful search engines, making it easy to find teaching resources in specific
media formats, from PowerPoint presentations to podcasts to online videos.
Bovée & Thill Resources for Adopters Only
Teaching Business Communication Using Screencasts about Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn
Helping Students Adapt Their Writing Skills to Wiki Collaboration with the Bovée and Thill Wiki
(Registration is required for the sites listed below. Registering once on either site gives you full access to
both of these sites. To register, click "Register" in the upper right-hand side of the navigation bar on the
homepage of either site.)
Copyright © 2018 Bovée & Thill LLC
Interactive Tests for Instructors
Can Your Business Communication Textbook Pass This Test of Essential Mobile Coverage?
Can Your Business Communication Textbook Pass This Google Test?
Can Your Business Communication Textbook Pass This Simple Technology Test?
Instructor Communities
Connect with academic and industry peers from around the world in these Bovée & Thill online
communities:
• Facebook: Teaching Business Communication. Share your opinions about issues
important to instructors of business communication, ask peers questions, and offer best
practices for instruction.
• Facebook: Bovée and Thill's Inner Circle for Business Communication. This
discussion forum is reserved for college and university instructors who are adopters of
textbooks by Courtland Bovée and/or John Thill.
• Facebook: Social Media and Electronic Communication Workshop. Learn about
electronic communication and social media quickly and easily. Members can receive one-
on-one mentoring, as requested, as well as opportunities for group chats and webinars.
• LinkedIn: Teaching Business Communication. This group is a discussion and
resource-sharing forum exploring all aspects of teaching business communication.
• LinkedIn: Bovée & Thill’s Inner Circle for Business Communication. This group is
also devoted exclusively to college and university instructors who are adopters of
textbooks by Courtland Bovée and/or John Thill.
• LinkedIn: Bovée & Thill’s Social Media and Electronic Communication Workshop.
This group provides access to a variety of presentations and videos on teaching new-
media skills.
Custom Web Search Tool
Web Search, developed by Bovée and Thill, preformats more than 325 types of searches using
the web’s most powerful search engines, making it easy to find teaching resources in specific
media formats, from PowerPoint presentations to podcasts to online videos.
Bovée & Thill Resources for Adopters Only
Teaching Business Communication Using Screencasts about Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn
Helping Students Adapt Their Writing Skills to Wiki Collaboration with the Bovée and Thill Wiki
(Registration is required for the sites listed below. Registering once on either site gives you full access to
both of these sites. To register, click "Register" in the upper right-hand side of the navigation bar on the
homepage of either site.)
Loading page 12...
Online Communities and Resources for Business Communication Instructors 8
Copyright © 2018 Bovée & Thill LLC
Daily business communication news
Our daily news service, Business Communication Headline News, provides carefully selected
items of interest for instructors.
This service offers instructors a variety of important advantages:
• Keep current with the latest information and trends in the field
• Easily update your lecture notes with fresh material
• Create visuals for your classroom presentations
• Supplement your lectures with cutting-edge handouts
• Enhance your research projects with the newest data
• Compare best practices from other instructors
• Improve the quality and effectiveness of your teaching by reading about new teaching tips
and techniques
Content updating service
The unique Real-Time Updates content-updating service offers a wealth of material that we have
personally selected for instructors and students, sorted by media type and textbook chapter. Visit
http://real-timeupdates.com/bct14 to take advantage of this unique resource, including media
items available only to adopters of Business Communication Today.
Copyright © 2018 Bovée & Thill LLC
Daily business communication news
Our daily news service, Business Communication Headline News, provides carefully selected
items of interest for instructors.
This service offers instructors a variety of important advantages:
• Keep current with the latest information and trends in the field
• Easily update your lecture notes with fresh material
• Create visuals for your classroom presentations
• Supplement your lectures with cutting-edge handouts
• Enhance your research projects with the newest data
• Compare best practices from other instructors
• Improve the quality and effectiveness of your teaching by reading about new teaching tips
and techniques
Content updating service
The unique Real-Time Updates content-updating service offers a wealth of material that we have
personally selected for instructors and students, sorted by media type and textbook chapter. Visit
http://real-timeupdates.com/bct14 to take advantage of this unique resource, including media
items available only to adopters of Business Communication Today.
Loading page 13...
An Unsurpassed Instructional Resource Package 9
AN UNSURPASSED INSTRUCTIONAL RESOURCE PACKAGE
The instructional package accompanying this text is specially designed to simplify teaching and learning.
The supplementary package for the Fourteenth Edition of Business Communication Today has been
thoroughly revised. The following sections contain brief descriptions of the supplementary materials that
are available:
• Instructor’s Resource Manual
• Test Item File
• PowerPoint Presentations
• Authors’ Email Hotline for Faculty
• MyBCommLab
INSTRUCTOR’S RESOURCE MANUAL
This manual is a comprehensive instructor’s tool kit. Its many resources are divided into two sections:
general teaching guides and chapter guides.
General teaching guides
• Course Planning Guide
• Cooperative Learning Guide for Groups and Small Teams
• Collaborative Writing guide
• Service Learning Guide
• Diagnostic Tests of English Skills
Chapter guides
• Chapter outline
• Detailed lecture outlines
• Solutions to critical thinking questions in highlight boxes
• Answers to all end-of-chapter questions and assignments
• Solutions to short-message cases (Chapters 7, 8, 10, 11, and 12)
• Suggestions for completing report, presentation, and employment-message cases (Chapters 15, 17, 18,
and 19)
TEST ITEM FILE
The Test Item File, written by Susan Schanne, Eastern Michigan University, available for download,
contains more than 1,960 questions, carefully constructed to provide a fair, structured program of
evaluation. The questions for each chapter consist of a comprehensive set of multiple-choice, true/false,
fill-in, short answer, and essay questions. The Test Item File reinforces students’ understanding of key
terms and concepts and requires them to apply their critical-thinking and analytical skills. Each question
is followed by the correct answer, the learning objective it ties to, learning outcome, AACSB category,
question type (concept, application, critical thinking, or synthesis), and difficulty rating. It has been
thoroughly reviewed by an assessment expert. The Test Item File (ISBN 0133867676) is available for
download by visiting www.pearsonhighered.com/irc.
AN UNSURPASSED INSTRUCTIONAL RESOURCE PACKAGE
The instructional package accompanying this text is specially designed to simplify teaching and learning.
The supplementary package for the Fourteenth Edition of Business Communication Today has been
thoroughly revised. The following sections contain brief descriptions of the supplementary materials that
are available:
• Instructor’s Resource Manual
• Test Item File
• PowerPoint Presentations
• Authors’ Email Hotline for Faculty
• MyBCommLab
INSTRUCTOR’S RESOURCE MANUAL
This manual is a comprehensive instructor’s tool kit. Its many resources are divided into two sections:
general teaching guides and chapter guides.
General teaching guides
• Course Planning Guide
• Cooperative Learning Guide for Groups and Small Teams
• Collaborative Writing guide
• Service Learning Guide
• Diagnostic Tests of English Skills
Chapter guides
• Chapter outline
• Detailed lecture outlines
• Solutions to critical thinking questions in highlight boxes
• Answers to all end-of-chapter questions and assignments
• Solutions to short-message cases (Chapters 7, 8, 10, 11, and 12)
• Suggestions for completing report, presentation, and employment-message cases (Chapters 15, 17, 18,
and 19)
TEST ITEM FILE
The Test Item File, written by Susan Schanne, Eastern Michigan University, available for download,
contains more than 1,960 questions, carefully constructed to provide a fair, structured program of
evaluation. The questions for each chapter consist of a comprehensive set of multiple-choice, true/false,
fill-in, short answer, and essay questions. The Test Item File reinforces students’ understanding of key
terms and concepts and requires them to apply their critical-thinking and analytical skills. Each question
is followed by the correct answer, the learning objective it ties to, learning outcome, AACSB category,
question type (concept, application, critical thinking, or synthesis), and difficulty rating. It has been
thoroughly reviewed by an assessment expert. The Test Item File (ISBN 0133867676) is available for
download by visiting www.pearsonhighered.com/irc.
Loading page 14...
An Unsurpassed Instructional Resource Package 10
PRENTICE HALL’S COMPUTERIZED TEST MANAGER—TESTGEN
This text’s TestGen version (ISBN 0134388097) of the Test Item File is also available online at
www.pearsonhighered.com/irc. This user-friendly software allows you to generate error-free tests quickly
and easily by previewing questions individually on the screen and then selecting randomly by query or by
number. The Computerized Test Manager allows you to generate random tests with our extensive bank of
questions. You can also edit our questions/answers and even add some of your own. You can create an
exam, administer it traditionally or online, and analyze your success with a simple click of the mouse.
Enhancements now allow you to:
• Import test questions from word processors
• Import/export tests
• Correlate charts
• Select by query
• Select by review (redesigned)
• Select by criteria
• Archive database capability
• Analyze test bank items
• Export grades to Excel
• Weight grades
• Record grades in a new spreadsheet format and create a grade database
• Control online testing
POWERPOINT LECTURE PRESENTATION SLIDES
Enhance your classroom lectures with this well-developed PowerPoint presentation created by Danielle
Scane, Orange Coast College. Colorful text-specific electronic slides highlight and reinforce the important
concepts discussed in Business Communication Today. Free to adopters, these PowerPoint slides (ISBN
0134388119) are available for download from the Instructor’s Resource site at
www.pearsonhighered.com/irc.
AUTHORS’ EMAIL HOTLINE FOR FACULTY
Integrity, excellence, and responsiveness are our hallmarks. We are committed to providing you with
textbooks that are academically sound, creative, timely, and sensitive to your needs as well as to your
students’ needs. As an adopter of Business Communication Today, you are invited to use our Email
Hotline. We want to be sure you’re completely satisfied, so if you ever have a question or concern related
to the text or its supplements, please send an e-mail message to
hotline@boveeandthillbusinesscommunicationblog.com. You’ll receive a response as quickly as possible.
In addition, we’ve made it easy to provide feedback on chapter content or specific student exercises.
Simply visit http://blog.businesscommunicationnetwork.com/ and click on “Textbook Feedback E-
Mail Form.”
PRENTICE HALL’S COMPUTERIZED TEST MANAGER—TESTGEN
This text’s TestGen version (ISBN 0134388097) of the Test Item File is also available online at
www.pearsonhighered.com/irc. This user-friendly software allows you to generate error-free tests quickly
and easily by previewing questions individually on the screen and then selecting randomly by query or by
number. The Computerized Test Manager allows you to generate random tests with our extensive bank of
questions. You can also edit our questions/answers and even add some of your own. You can create an
exam, administer it traditionally or online, and analyze your success with a simple click of the mouse.
Enhancements now allow you to:
• Import test questions from word processors
• Import/export tests
• Correlate charts
• Select by query
• Select by review (redesigned)
• Select by criteria
• Archive database capability
• Analyze test bank items
• Export grades to Excel
• Weight grades
• Record grades in a new spreadsheet format and create a grade database
• Control online testing
POWERPOINT LECTURE PRESENTATION SLIDES
Enhance your classroom lectures with this well-developed PowerPoint presentation created by Danielle
Scane, Orange Coast College. Colorful text-specific electronic slides highlight and reinforce the important
concepts discussed in Business Communication Today. Free to adopters, these PowerPoint slides (ISBN
0134388119) are available for download from the Instructor’s Resource site at
www.pearsonhighered.com/irc.
AUTHORS’ EMAIL HOTLINE FOR FACULTY
Integrity, excellence, and responsiveness are our hallmarks. We are committed to providing you with
textbooks that are academically sound, creative, timely, and sensitive to your needs as well as to your
students’ needs. As an adopter of Business Communication Today, you are invited to use our Email
Hotline. We want to be sure you’re completely satisfied, so if you ever have a question or concern related
to the text or its supplements, please send an e-mail message to
hotline@boveeandthillbusinesscommunicationblog.com. You’ll receive a response as quickly as possible.
In addition, we’ve made it easy to provide feedback on chapter content or specific student exercises.
Simply visit http://blog.businesscommunicationnetwork.com/ and click on “Textbook Feedback E-
Mail Form.”
Loading page 15...
An Unsurpassed Instructional Resource Package 11
MYBCOMMLAB.COM
MyBCommLab is a series of text-specific, easily customizable online courses for Prentice Hall textbooks
in business communication. MyBCommLab gives you the tools you need to deliver all or a portion of
your course online, whether your students are in a course setting or working from home.
Students can also use online tools, such as flashcards, video exercises, mini-simulations, interactive
Document Makeovers, and a multimedia textbook, to independently improve their understanding and
performance. Instructors can use MyBCommLab’s homework and test managers to select and assign
online exercises correlated directly to the textbook, and also create and assign their own online exercises
and import TestGen® tests for added flexibility. MyBCommLab’s online gradebook is designed to
automatically track students’ homework and test results and give the instructor control over the
calculation of final grades. Instructors can also add offline (paper-and-pencil) grades to the gradebook.
To get started, visit http://www.pearsonmylabandmastering.com/northamerica/.
MYBCOMMLAB.COM
MyBCommLab is a series of text-specific, easily customizable online courses for Prentice Hall textbooks
in business communication. MyBCommLab gives you the tools you need to deliver all or a portion of
your course online, whether your students are in a course setting or working from home.
Students can also use online tools, such as flashcards, video exercises, mini-simulations, interactive
Document Makeovers, and a multimedia textbook, to independently improve their understanding and
performance. Instructors can use MyBCommLab’s homework and test managers to select and assign
online exercises correlated directly to the textbook, and also create and assign their own online exercises
and import TestGen® tests for added flexibility. MyBCommLab’s online gradebook is designed to
automatically track students’ homework and test results and give the instructor control over the
calculation of final grades. Instructors can also add offline (paper-and-pencil) grades to the gradebook.
To get started, visit http://www.pearsonmylabandmastering.com/northamerica/.
Loading page 16...
Course Planning Guide 12
GENERAL TEACHING GUIDES
In this section, you will find the following:
• Course Planning Guide
• Cooperative Learning Guide for Groups and Small Teams
• Collaborative Writing Guide
• Service Learning Guide
• Diagnostic Tests of English Skills
GENERAL TEACHING GUIDES
In this section, you will find the following:
• Course Planning Guide
• Cooperative Learning Guide for Groups and Small Teams
• Collaborative Writing Guide
• Service Learning Guide
• Diagnostic Tests of English Skills
Loading page 17...
Course Planning Guide 13
COURSE PLANNING GUIDE
Although Business Communication Today follows a traditional sequence of topics, it is structured so that you
can address them in the order that best suits your needs. For instance, if you want to begin by reviewing
basic writing skills and grammar, you can ask students to read Chapter 5, “Writing Business Messages,”
and then the “Handbook of Grammar, Mechanics, and Usage.” Conversely, if you want to begin with
employment-related communication, you can start with the Prologue, “Building a Career with Your
Communication Skills,” followed by Chapters 18 and 19.
The following list suggests a sequence and a schedule for covering the chapters in the textbook, with time
allocations based on the total number of class hours available.
Chapter/Section Number And Title
Hours Devoted To
Each Chapter/Section
30-Hour
Course
45-Hour
Course
60-Hour
Course
Prologue: Building a Career with Your Communication Skills 1 1 1
1 Professional Communication in a Digital, Social, Mobile World 1 1 1
2 Collaboration, Interpersonal Communication, and Business Etiquette 1 1 2
3 Communication Challenges in a Diverse, Global Marketplace 1 2 3
4 Planning Business Messages 2 3 4
5 Writing Business Messages 2 3 4
6 Completing Business Messages 2 3 4
Handbook of Grammar, Mechanics, and Usage 1 2 2
A Format and Layout of Business Documents 1 1 1
7 Digital Media 1 2 3
8 Social Media 1 2 3
9 Visual Media 1 1 2
10 Writing Routine and Positive Messages 2 2 3
11 Writing Negative Messages 2 2 3
12 Writing Persuasive Messages 2 2 3
13 Finding, Evaluating, and Processing Information 1 2 3
14 Planning Reports and Proposals 1 2 3
15 Writing and Completing Reports and Proposals 1 2 3
B Documentation of Report Sources 1 1 2
16 Developing Presentations in a Social Media Environment 1 3 3
17 Enhancing Presentations with Slides and Other Visuals 1 1 1
18 Building Careers and Writing Résumés 2 3 3
19 Applying and Interviewing for Employment 1 3 3
COURSE PLANNING GUIDE
Although Business Communication Today follows a traditional sequence of topics, it is structured so that you
can address them in the order that best suits your needs. For instance, if you want to begin by reviewing
basic writing skills and grammar, you can ask students to read Chapter 5, “Writing Business Messages,”
and then the “Handbook of Grammar, Mechanics, and Usage.” Conversely, if you want to begin with
employment-related communication, you can start with the Prologue, “Building a Career with Your
Communication Skills,” followed by Chapters 18 and 19.
The following list suggests a sequence and a schedule for covering the chapters in the textbook, with time
allocations based on the total number of class hours available.
Chapter/Section Number And Title
Hours Devoted To
Each Chapter/Section
30-Hour
Course
45-Hour
Course
60-Hour
Course
Prologue: Building a Career with Your Communication Skills 1 1 1
1 Professional Communication in a Digital, Social, Mobile World 1 1 1
2 Collaboration, Interpersonal Communication, and Business Etiquette 1 1 2
3 Communication Challenges in a Diverse, Global Marketplace 1 2 3
4 Planning Business Messages 2 3 4
5 Writing Business Messages 2 3 4
6 Completing Business Messages 2 3 4
Handbook of Grammar, Mechanics, and Usage 1 2 2
A Format and Layout of Business Documents 1 1 1
7 Digital Media 1 2 3
8 Social Media 1 2 3
9 Visual Media 1 1 2
10 Writing Routine and Positive Messages 2 2 3
11 Writing Negative Messages 2 2 3
12 Writing Persuasive Messages 2 2 3
13 Finding, Evaluating, and Processing Information 1 2 3
14 Planning Reports and Proposals 1 2 3
15 Writing and Completing Reports and Proposals 1 2 3
B Documentation of Report Sources 1 1 2
16 Developing Presentations in a Social Media Environment 1 3 3
17 Enhancing Presentations with Slides and Other Visuals 1 1 1
18 Building Careers and Writing Résumés 2 3 3
19 Applying and Interviewing for Employment 1 3 3
Loading page 18...
Course Planning Guide 14
INTRODUCING THE COURSE TO STUDENTS
Many schools now require instructors to distribute a course syllabus to students on the first day of class.
Even if one is not required, it’s a good idea to let students know what the course’s objectives are and what
students must do to reach them. In addition, you may want to provide information about the format of the
course (as suggested in the following sample outline).
COURSE SYLLABUS
COURSE NUMBER AND TITLE
SEMESTER, YEAR
I. Instructor’s name, office number, and office hours
II. Course credits and prerequisites
III. Class meetings (number per week, time, and place)
IV. Textbook: Business Communication Today, 14th edition, by Courtland L. Bovée and John V. Thill
(Pearson, 2018)
V. Catalog description of course
VI. Course content and direction
A. Major themes and scope
B. Educational goals
C. Instructional objectives
VII. Evaluation and grading (describe tests and assignments, role of class participation, availability of
extra-credit assignments, attendance policies, makeup policies)
VIII. Course withdrawal procedures
IX. Recommended study procedures
X. Assignment/test schedule
Early in the school term (perhaps in the first week), preview any major projects that students will be
required to undertake for the course, such as a résumé and application letter, a major report, or an oral
presentation. Then students can begin thinking about the types of jobs they want to apply for or a suitable
subject for their report or presentation.
In addition to providing information about the course, you might spend time on the first day gathering
information about your students. Ask them to hand in brief written answers to questions like these: What
is your major? How close are you to graduating? What career are you preparing for? If you have a job,
what field is it in? How long have you been in that field? What kinds of business communication do you
already engage in? What kinds of communication do you need to work on most? After studying the
responses, you can adjust the course to meet student needs. The writing samples will also give you an idea
of students’ strengths and weaknesses in expressing themselves.
INTRODUCING THE COURSE TO STUDENTS
Many schools now require instructors to distribute a course syllabus to students on the first day of class.
Even if one is not required, it’s a good idea to let students know what the course’s objectives are and what
students must do to reach them. In addition, you may want to provide information about the format of the
course (as suggested in the following sample outline).
COURSE SYLLABUS
COURSE NUMBER AND TITLE
SEMESTER, YEAR
I. Instructor’s name, office number, and office hours
II. Course credits and prerequisites
III. Class meetings (number per week, time, and place)
IV. Textbook: Business Communication Today, 14th edition, by Courtland L. Bovée and John V. Thill
(Pearson, 2018)
V. Catalog description of course
VI. Course content and direction
A. Major themes and scope
B. Educational goals
C. Instructional objectives
VII. Evaluation and grading (describe tests and assignments, role of class participation, availability of
extra-credit assignments, attendance policies, makeup policies)
VIII. Course withdrawal procedures
IX. Recommended study procedures
X. Assignment/test schedule
Early in the school term (perhaps in the first week), preview any major projects that students will be
required to undertake for the course, such as a résumé and application letter, a major report, or an oral
presentation. Then students can begin thinking about the types of jobs they want to apply for or a suitable
subject for their report or presentation.
In addition to providing information about the course, you might spend time on the first day gathering
information about your students. Ask them to hand in brief written answers to questions like these: What
is your major? How close are you to graduating? What career are you preparing for? If you have a job,
what field is it in? How long have you been in that field? What kinds of business communication do you
already engage in? What kinds of communication do you need to work on most? After studying the
responses, you can adjust the course to meet student needs. The writing samples will also give you an idea
of students’ strengths and weaknesses in expressing themselves.
Loading page 19...
Course Planning Guide 15
CONDUCTING THE CLASS
A variety of methods and media are useful for teaching business communication. However, those that
give students an opportunity to develop and practice their skills are most desirable.
Lectures and Discussions
Although some of the material in this course lends itself to informal lecture, an exchange of information
and ideas among students and instructor is more likely to bring home the main points—that
communication takes place in many settings for many purposes, that there is seldom a “right” answer in
business communication, and that business communication depends on judgment and analysis.
Discussion is especially valuable when students are faced with a communication project. Beforehand,
they need to understand the ramifications of the assignment. For example, students need to understand
that before they can write a direct request, they must formulate a main idea and analyze the audience and
purpose. The textbook abounds with examples of business messages, any of which you can use as a focus
of discussion. In addition, you may have collected some examples of your own. Ask students to react to
them, and help students understand the positive and negative points of any given example.
With inexperienced students in particular, part of your job is to give them insight into the realities of the
business world. Use stories from your own experience, and locate interesting stories about
communication from such business magazines as Fortune and Bloomberg Businessweek. And if you sign
up for our free service, Business Communication Headline News, you’ll be assured of fresh material to
discuss in class all year long You may even begin an assignment in class, asking students to analyze an
audience or a purpose, for example, while you write their suggestions on the board.
After assignments have been completed and returned to students, it may be profitable to discuss the
project in class. Textbook checklists provide a handy outline for such discussions.
Regardless of the assignment or topic, your goal is to make students feel as if they are already business
communicators. If they approach each assignment seriously and professionally, they will gain benefits
rivaled only by on-the-job experience.
Students who have done a particularly good job could be asked to read their documents to the others, or
their documents could be shown to the class with a projector. Ask students for critiques, but make sure
that negative evaluations are balanced with positive ones or with constructive suggestions for
improvement. Ultimately, it falls on you to point out the good features of individual documents and the
weaknesses common to all.
Student Conferences
Class discussion is good for helping students understand general principles and solve some specific
problems, but one-on-one conferences are indispensable in the development of effective business
communicators. In a conference, students are able to ask for clarification of assignments and approaches,
and you can help them over barriers and encourage them to do their best. Of course, when a student
approaches you with a specific question before or after class, you have similar opportunities. You might
also schedule periodic conferences during class time when students are working on individual assignments
or during your office hours.
CONDUCTING THE CLASS
A variety of methods and media are useful for teaching business communication. However, those that
give students an opportunity to develop and practice their skills are most desirable.
Lectures and Discussions
Although some of the material in this course lends itself to informal lecture, an exchange of information
and ideas among students and instructor is more likely to bring home the main points—that
communication takes place in many settings for many purposes, that there is seldom a “right” answer in
business communication, and that business communication depends on judgment and analysis.
Discussion is especially valuable when students are faced with a communication project. Beforehand,
they need to understand the ramifications of the assignment. For example, students need to understand
that before they can write a direct request, they must formulate a main idea and analyze the audience and
purpose. The textbook abounds with examples of business messages, any of which you can use as a focus
of discussion. In addition, you may have collected some examples of your own. Ask students to react to
them, and help students understand the positive and negative points of any given example.
With inexperienced students in particular, part of your job is to give them insight into the realities of the
business world. Use stories from your own experience, and locate interesting stories about
communication from such business magazines as Fortune and Bloomberg Businessweek. And if you sign
up for our free service, Business Communication Headline News, you’ll be assured of fresh material to
discuss in class all year long You may even begin an assignment in class, asking students to analyze an
audience or a purpose, for example, while you write their suggestions on the board.
After assignments have been completed and returned to students, it may be profitable to discuss the
project in class. Textbook checklists provide a handy outline for such discussions.
Regardless of the assignment or topic, your goal is to make students feel as if they are already business
communicators. If they approach each assignment seriously and professionally, they will gain benefits
rivaled only by on-the-job experience.
Students who have done a particularly good job could be asked to read their documents to the others, or
their documents could be shown to the class with a projector. Ask students for critiques, but make sure
that negative evaluations are balanced with positive ones or with constructive suggestions for
improvement. Ultimately, it falls on you to point out the good features of individual documents and the
weaknesses common to all.
Student Conferences
Class discussion is good for helping students understand general principles and solve some specific
problems, but one-on-one conferences are indispensable in the development of effective business
communicators. In a conference, students are able to ask for clarification of assignments and approaches,
and you can help them over barriers and encourage them to do their best. Of course, when a student
approaches you with a specific question before or after class, you have similar opportunities. You might
also schedule periodic conferences during class time when students are working on individual assignments
or during your office hours.
Loading page 20...
Course Planning Guide 16
Unless you want to spend a great deal of time going over each student’s document line by line, you are
better off selecting no more than three points for discussion. For best results, structure your remarks as a
“criticism sandwich”: one negative comment between two positive observations. Furthermore, phrase the
negative comment in terms of a suggestion for improvement—for example, you might say, “Your
message would be more persuasive if it began with some kind of attention-getter instead of the main
idea.” This sort of constructive aid is rare in the work setting, but it is the most effective way to develop
skills in business communication.
Tools and Resources
Most of the assignments in Business Communication Today can be completed using only basic word
processing and e-mail tools. However, an ideal learning experience would give students exposure to
instant messaging, blogging, wikis, website writing, and podcasting.
Our Business Communication Headlines News website,
http://bchn.businesscommunicationnetwork.com, is the most comprehensive site on the web for
business communication instructors, with everything from a multimedia library to a unique metasearch
engine we developed exclusively for business communication topics. All articles distributed with the
daily blog service are also archived on the website, making it easy to retrieve articles on any topic.
Another good way to prepare for teaching business communication is to scan such publications as
Business 2.0, Fast Company, Wired, Fortune, Bloomberg Businessweek, Forbes, The Wall Street Journal,
and Inc. From time to time, all have articles related to business communication; furthermore, they provide
valuable glimpses into the business world.
One of the single most valuable tools is a portfolio of business documents. By studying good examples,
students can learn communication techniques that work. Less successful examples give students an
opportunity to practice analyzing and revising business documents. You can get samples from the
textbook, this manual, the transparencies designed to accompany the textbook, and your own mailbox.
You might also check with friends in business, or write to businesses about the possibility of using
documents from their files.
Some students may benefit from the insights of a guest speaker. Someone who has had to communicate in
business knows how important a skill it is and can convey that conviction to skeptics in the class. Be
careful, however, to select guest speakers who have relevant experience, and ask them to focus their
remarks to suit your needs.
You can also find a variety of valuable resources through the Association for Business Communication,
www.businesscommunication.org.
Unless you want to spend a great deal of time going over each student’s document line by line, you are
better off selecting no more than three points for discussion. For best results, structure your remarks as a
“criticism sandwich”: one negative comment between two positive observations. Furthermore, phrase the
negative comment in terms of a suggestion for improvement—for example, you might say, “Your
message would be more persuasive if it began with some kind of attention-getter instead of the main
idea.” This sort of constructive aid is rare in the work setting, but it is the most effective way to develop
skills in business communication.
Tools and Resources
Most of the assignments in Business Communication Today can be completed using only basic word
processing and e-mail tools. However, an ideal learning experience would give students exposure to
instant messaging, blogging, wikis, website writing, and podcasting.
Our Business Communication Headlines News website,
http://bchn.businesscommunicationnetwork.com, is the most comprehensive site on the web for
business communication instructors, with everything from a multimedia library to a unique metasearch
engine we developed exclusively for business communication topics. All articles distributed with the
daily blog service are also archived on the website, making it easy to retrieve articles on any topic.
Another good way to prepare for teaching business communication is to scan such publications as
Business 2.0, Fast Company, Wired, Fortune, Bloomberg Businessweek, Forbes, The Wall Street Journal,
and Inc. From time to time, all have articles related to business communication; furthermore, they provide
valuable glimpses into the business world.
One of the single most valuable tools is a portfolio of business documents. By studying good examples,
students can learn communication techniques that work. Less successful examples give students an
opportunity to practice analyzing and revising business documents. You can get samples from the
textbook, this manual, the transparencies designed to accompany the textbook, and your own mailbox.
You might also check with friends in business, or write to businesses about the possibility of using
documents from their files.
Some students may benefit from the insights of a guest speaker. Someone who has had to communicate in
business knows how important a skill it is and can convey that conviction to skeptics in the class. Be
careful, however, to select guest speakers who have relevant experience, and ask them to focus their
remarks to suit your needs.
You can also find a variety of valuable resources through the Association for Business Communication,
www.businesscommunication.org.
Loading page 21...
Course Planning Guide 17
GRADING AND EVALUATING STUDENTS
The way an instructor grades is a personal matter, but you will generally find two schools of thought.
Some instructors, in effect, start students at 100 percent and then deduct points from this total for such
major sins as missing assignments or such minor missteps as forgetting commas. Students of these
instructors leave the course with a sense of discipline and an awareness of the need to take care of matters large
and small. Other instructors, in effect, start students at zero and award points for successful solutions to
communication problems, downplaying the mundane details. Students of these instructors leave with some
appreciation for the creativity that successful writers and speakers apply to their work. Students who have
the chance to take courses from both types of instructors are fortunate because both approaches contribute
to a balanced education.
Business Communication Today should meet the needs of both types of instructors and of those who fall
somewhere between the two extremes. For example, the writing cases require solutions that can be graded
on organization and format. But since they are open-ended enough to permit individual expression, they
can also be evaluated for a student’s control over a successful line of argument.
Designing an Evaluation Program
Prepared written and oral messages provide a basis for evaluating student performance. Here are a few
additional questions to consider when deciding on a program of evaluation:
• Will you weight all assignments the same, or will grades for some of the more complex projects carry
more weight in determining final grades?
• Will you ask students to hand in the outlines and drafts that are preliminary steps for some
assignments? If so, on what basis will they be graded?
• Will you begin any class meetings with a quiz—a time-honored device for encouraging attendance and
keeping students’ reading current? What effect will quizzes have on final grades?
• Will you lecture most of the time, expanding on points from the text, or will you emphasize class
discussion? If you opt for discussion, how will class participation affect grades?
• Will you have both a midterm and a final examination? If so, will grades for both have the same
effect on final grades for the course?
When answering these questions, you will probably develop a weighted system for evaluating students’
work overall. For example, you may decide that the elements will account for the following percentages
of the total grade:
Outlines and drafts (turned in on time) 10%
Short assignments 20%
Report assignment 20%
Presentation assignment 10%
Quizzes 10%
Class participation 10%
Midterm examination 10%
Final examination 10%
GRADING AND EVALUATING STUDENTS
The way an instructor grades is a personal matter, but you will generally find two schools of thought.
Some instructors, in effect, start students at 100 percent and then deduct points from this total for such
major sins as missing assignments or such minor missteps as forgetting commas. Students of these
instructors leave the course with a sense of discipline and an awareness of the need to take care of matters large
and small. Other instructors, in effect, start students at zero and award points for successful solutions to
communication problems, downplaying the mundane details. Students of these instructors leave with some
appreciation for the creativity that successful writers and speakers apply to their work. Students who have
the chance to take courses from both types of instructors are fortunate because both approaches contribute
to a balanced education.
Business Communication Today should meet the needs of both types of instructors and of those who fall
somewhere between the two extremes. For example, the writing cases require solutions that can be graded
on organization and format. But since they are open-ended enough to permit individual expression, they
can also be evaluated for a student’s control over a successful line of argument.
Designing an Evaluation Program
Prepared written and oral messages provide a basis for evaluating student performance. Here are a few
additional questions to consider when deciding on a program of evaluation:
• Will you weight all assignments the same, or will grades for some of the more complex projects carry
more weight in determining final grades?
• Will you ask students to hand in the outlines and drafts that are preliminary steps for some
assignments? If so, on what basis will they be graded?
• Will you begin any class meetings with a quiz—a time-honored device for encouraging attendance and
keeping students’ reading current? What effect will quizzes have on final grades?
• Will you lecture most of the time, expanding on points from the text, or will you emphasize class
discussion? If you opt for discussion, how will class participation affect grades?
• Will you have both a midterm and a final examination? If so, will grades for both have the same
effect on final grades for the course?
When answering these questions, you will probably develop a weighted system for evaluating students’
work overall. For example, you may decide that the elements will account for the following percentages
of the total grade:
Outlines and drafts (turned in on time) 10%
Short assignments 20%
Report assignment 20%
Presentation assignment 10%
Quizzes 10%
Class participation 10%
Midterm examination 10%
Final examination 10%
Loading page 22...
Course Planning Guide 18
Evaluating Written Assignments
The most important part of this course is the practice it gives in preparing business messages, but the
value of that practice is immeasurably enhanced by constructive feedback; so grade student documents
against professional standards while providing suggestions about how to attain those standards. The more
notes you write on each assignment, the better. Be sure to praise the good points in addition to criticizing
the bad ones. If necessary, edit or rewrite to show how a problem may be solved; suggest a conference to
discuss complicated problems.
In general, students’ documents should be evaluated on their effectiveness. In addition to the checklists in
the textbook, you might use these guidelines:
• Are the purpose and main idea of the document clear?
• Has the document been organized to be compatible with the purpose and audience?
• Is the “you” attitude—courtesy and consideration for the audience—consistently present?
• Has all the necessary information—and only the necessary information—been included?
• Are grammar, punctuation, mechanics, and vocabulary correct?
• Is the format attractive and appropriate?
• Was the document submitted on time, as expected in the business world?
These considerations form the basis of an evaluation system. An objective system begins with a list of the
most important points and qualities in any given assignment. You then give each item a weight (the total
of these weights being the maximum number of points for the assignment). As you read each document,
you award an appropriate number of points for each item. Then you total the points, convert them to a
letter grade (if desirable), and record them. A less objective plan is much the same, except that you
evaluate each document’s overall level of achievement without assigning a specific number of points to
each item. Although this second method is faster than the first, it is less likely to yield consistent results
when many documents are being graded.
Seriously consider giving students the opportunity to revise their original documents; in the process of
revision, they learn and practice techniques for solving writing problems. In addition, they get the chance
to transform a “failure” into a “success.” But if you adopt the policy of allowing revisions, you will have
to devise a mechanism for including them in your evaluations. One method is to check off in your
gradebook the documents that are of an acceptable quality. Unacceptable documents are handed back to
students for revision by a stated deadline, and as soon as a document becomes acceptable (you may
choose to allow as many attempts as required), the student receives a check mark for it. Another method
is to assign grades to documents but allow revision of any document that receives less than a C. In
fairness to students who do a good job the first time, you might deduct a few points for each rewrite.
Regardless of the system you choose, your goal is to gradually instill professional standards.
Evaluating Written Assignments
The most important part of this course is the practice it gives in preparing business messages, but the
value of that practice is immeasurably enhanced by constructive feedback; so grade student documents
against professional standards while providing suggestions about how to attain those standards. The more
notes you write on each assignment, the better. Be sure to praise the good points in addition to criticizing
the bad ones. If necessary, edit or rewrite to show how a problem may be solved; suggest a conference to
discuss complicated problems.
In general, students’ documents should be evaluated on their effectiveness. In addition to the checklists in
the textbook, you might use these guidelines:
• Are the purpose and main idea of the document clear?
• Has the document been organized to be compatible with the purpose and audience?
• Is the “you” attitude—courtesy and consideration for the audience—consistently present?
• Has all the necessary information—and only the necessary information—been included?
• Are grammar, punctuation, mechanics, and vocabulary correct?
• Is the format attractive and appropriate?
• Was the document submitted on time, as expected in the business world?
These considerations form the basis of an evaluation system. An objective system begins with a list of the
most important points and qualities in any given assignment. You then give each item a weight (the total
of these weights being the maximum number of points for the assignment). As you read each document,
you award an appropriate number of points for each item. Then you total the points, convert them to a
letter grade (if desirable), and record them. A less objective plan is much the same, except that you
evaluate each document’s overall level of achievement without assigning a specific number of points to
each item. Although this second method is faster than the first, it is less likely to yield consistent results
when many documents are being graded.
Seriously consider giving students the opportunity to revise their original documents; in the process of
revision, they learn and practice techniques for solving writing problems. In addition, they get the chance
to transform a “failure” into a “success.” But if you adopt the policy of allowing revisions, you will have
to devise a mechanism for including them in your evaluations. One method is to check off in your
gradebook the documents that are of an acceptable quality. Unacceptable documents are handed back to
students for revision by a stated deadline, and as soon as a document becomes acceptable (you may
choose to allow as many attempts as required), the student receives a check mark for it. Another method
is to assign grades to documents but allow revision of any document that receives less than a C. In
fairness to students who do a good job the first time, you might deduct a few points for each rewrite.
Regardless of the system you choose, your goal is to gradually instill professional standards.
Loading page 23...
Cooperative Learning Guide 19
COOPERATIVE LEARNING GUIDE FOR
GROUPS AND SMALL TEAMS
Recent research in education indicates that instruction is more effective when students work in
cooperative learning groups (small groups of three or four students) rather than in situations where
competition and individualistic learning are emphasized. Many of the assignments in Business
Communication Today are designed for small teams. These activities help students learn how to share
ideas and information with one another, appreciate the contributions of others, engage in constructive
criticism (and learn to accept the criticism of others), collaborate with others to solve problems, and share
responsibility for completing a task. By working in a cooperative learning group, or small team, students
become involved in a process similar to those taking place on the job as well as in the day-to-day
interactions that occur in life.
WORKING WITH COOPERATIVE LEARNING GROUPS
The cooperative learning group is based on the belief that all group members are capable of
understanding, learning, and performing the activities needed to complete a task. Typically, a cooperative
learning group is composed of three or four randomly selected students who work together to complete an
assigned task. The most effective groups are heterogeneous in background, skill level, physical capability,
and gender. Moreover, they have no assigned leader (leadership emerges naturally as group members
alternate performing leadership tasks when appropriate).
A variety of skills are necessary for cooperative learning groups to be successful. Students will be
familiar with most of these skills from other contexts. However, be sure to remind them of the
requirements they must fulfill for the group’s work to be useful. Not all students will use every skill all
the time. But by becoming aware of the appropriate skills and applying them when required, all students
can become equal partners in making the group successful.
Give students the following list of tips during your discussion of the process prior to beginning group
work:
• Use the names of your fellow group members.
• Encourage others in your group to talk and participate.
• Acknowledge the contributions of others and express your appreciation (“Ellen and Sam did the
research on marketing in Spain,” “Thanks, good idea,” etc.).
• Use eye contact when talking with your fellow group members.
• Share feelings with your group using I messages (“I feel that we’re not making progress,” “I like
working with this group,” “I feel like some members are not contributing equally”).
• Disagree in an agreeable way: try to say something positive before saying anything negative (“I see
your point about including that information, but I’m not sure it needs to be detailed”).
• Reduce tension among group members, perhaps by initiating a conversation or discussion when a
problem arises.
• Practice active listening: for example, allow group members to complete a thought before interrupting
with comments, and acknowledge that you have heard what another group member said (“I hear that
you think . . .”).
• Check others’ understanding of the work.
• Give information and opinions.
COOPERATIVE LEARNING GUIDE FOR
GROUPS AND SMALL TEAMS
Recent research in education indicates that instruction is more effective when students work in
cooperative learning groups (small groups of three or four students) rather than in situations where
competition and individualistic learning are emphasized. Many of the assignments in Business
Communication Today are designed for small teams. These activities help students learn how to share
ideas and information with one another, appreciate the contributions of others, engage in constructive
criticism (and learn to accept the criticism of others), collaborate with others to solve problems, and share
responsibility for completing a task. By working in a cooperative learning group, or small team, students
become involved in a process similar to those taking place on the job as well as in the day-to-day
interactions that occur in life.
WORKING WITH COOPERATIVE LEARNING GROUPS
The cooperative learning group is based on the belief that all group members are capable of
understanding, learning, and performing the activities needed to complete a task. Typically, a cooperative
learning group is composed of three or four randomly selected students who work together to complete an
assigned task. The most effective groups are heterogeneous in background, skill level, physical capability,
and gender. Moreover, they have no assigned leader (leadership emerges naturally as group members
alternate performing leadership tasks when appropriate).
A variety of skills are necessary for cooperative learning groups to be successful. Students will be
familiar with most of these skills from other contexts. However, be sure to remind them of the
requirements they must fulfill for the group’s work to be useful. Not all students will use every skill all
the time. But by becoming aware of the appropriate skills and applying them when required, all students
can become equal partners in making the group successful.
Give students the following list of tips during your discussion of the process prior to beginning group
work:
• Use the names of your fellow group members.
• Encourage others in your group to talk and participate.
• Acknowledge the contributions of others and express your appreciation (“Ellen and Sam did the
research on marketing in Spain,” “Thanks, good idea,” etc.).
• Use eye contact when talking with your fellow group members.
• Share feelings with your group using I messages (“I feel that we’re not making progress,” “I like
working with this group,” “I feel like some members are not contributing equally”).
• Disagree in an agreeable way: try to say something positive before saying anything negative (“I see
your point about including that information, but I’m not sure it needs to be detailed”).
• Reduce tension among group members, perhaps by initiating a conversation or discussion when a
problem arises.
• Practice active listening: for example, allow group members to complete a thought before interrupting
with comments, and acknowledge that you have heard what another group member said (“I hear that
you think . . .”).
• Check others’ understanding of the work.
• Give information and opinions.
Loading page 24...
Cooperative Learning Guide 20
• Stay on-task: Help your group get back to work and follow directions for completing your task.
• Seek information and opinions from others in your group as well as from outside resources.
While students are working in cooperative learning groups, the instructor becomes the facilitator and
mediator. When students are working in groups during class, the instructor rotates among the groups to
check progress, make sure they are on-task, help solve problems by offering a variety of solutions, help
end disagreements by guiding students in a discussion of their differences, and ensure that all students are
participating in the various responsibilities of completing the task. If groups are working outside class, the
instructor can arrange a brief meeting with each group to check progress.1
WORKING IN DYADS
A dyad is a two-student form of the cooperative learning group. Dyads are useful for giving information
and for stating and clarifying opinions, feelings, and attitudes. By participating in dyads, students have an
opportunity to learn and practice the art of active listening and to express their thoughts.
Dyads can be used as a method of stimulating thought prior to class discussion, helping students
formulate or define opinions both before and after a discussion, and initiating the work of a cooperative
learning group. Implementing the process is fairly easy:
1. Divide students into random pairs, and give them a topic or question to discuss.
2. Give each partner a specified amount of time to speak about the topic or question. Initially, students
may be comfortable talking to a partner for only one or two minutes; but as students relax with the
process, that time can be extended to five minutes or longer.
3. Inform students that while one member of the dyad is speaking, the partner is responsible for listening
without interruption, comment, or judgment. If the person speaking has nothing to say or is unable to
talk for the specified time, the partner may opt either to say nothing, or to prompt the speaker by
asking a related question or by saying something related to the topic.
4. When the specified time for talking is over, the partners switch roles—listener becomes speaker and
speaker becomes listener.
5. Emphasize the importance of confidentiality. A member of the dyad must not share what a partner
says unless that partner gives permission.
6. Following the discussion in dyads, the class can proceed with a large-group discussion either about
the topic or about the cooperative learning groups. In this follow-up discussion, give each member of
the class an opportunity to share his or her feelings, attitudes, or opinions about the topic and the
process.
WORKING WITH THE JIGSAW PROCESS
The jigsaw is a variation of the cooperative learning process that is useful in helping students understand
and process information that is assigned for reading. Textbook chapters and lengthy articles are examples
of the type of material that can be jigsawed. By reading a section of the text or an article, and discussing it
with other students who have read the same section, a student becomes an “expert” on that section and
then shares that expertise with the students in an assigned group who have not read the material. The
skills necessary for cooperative learning groups are applicable to the jigsaw process. Here are the
procedures for implementing the jigsaw process:
1. Divide the assigned chapter or article into easily digestible sections. This separation can be done by
subtopic, but the reading should probably not be divided into more than six sections.
2. Divide the class into groups. The number of students in each group must equal the number of sections
• Stay on-task: Help your group get back to work and follow directions for completing your task.
• Seek information and opinions from others in your group as well as from outside resources.
While students are working in cooperative learning groups, the instructor becomes the facilitator and
mediator. When students are working in groups during class, the instructor rotates among the groups to
check progress, make sure they are on-task, help solve problems by offering a variety of solutions, help
end disagreements by guiding students in a discussion of their differences, and ensure that all students are
participating in the various responsibilities of completing the task. If groups are working outside class, the
instructor can arrange a brief meeting with each group to check progress.1
WORKING IN DYADS
A dyad is a two-student form of the cooperative learning group. Dyads are useful for giving information
and for stating and clarifying opinions, feelings, and attitudes. By participating in dyads, students have an
opportunity to learn and practice the art of active listening and to express their thoughts.
Dyads can be used as a method of stimulating thought prior to class discussion, helping students
formulate or define opinions both before and after a discussion, and initiating the work of a cooperative
learning group. Implementing the process is fairly easy:
1. Divide students into random pairs, and give them a topic or question to discuss.
2. Give each partner a specified amount of time to speak about the topic or question. Initially, students
may be comfortable talking to a partner for only one or two minutes; but as students relax with the
process, that time can be extended to five minutes or longer.
3. Inform students that while one member of the dyad is speaking, the partner is responsible for listening
without interruption, comment, or judgment. If the person speaking has nothing to say or is unable to
talk for the specified time, the partner may opt either to say nothing, or to prompt the speaker by
asking a related question or by saying something related to the topic.
4. When the specified time for talking is over, the partners switch roles—listener becomes speaker and
speaker becomes listener.
5. Emphasize the importance of confidentiality. A member of the dyad must not share what a partner
says unless that partner gives permission.
6. Following the discussion in dyads, the class can proceed with a large-group discussion either about
the topic or about the cooperative learning groups. In this follow-up discussion, give each member of
the class an opportunity to share his or her feelings, attitudes, or opinions about the topic and the
process.
WORKING WITH THE JIGSAW PROCESS
The jigsaw is a variation of the cooperative learning process that is useful in helping students understand
and process information that is assigned for reading. Textbook chapters and lengthy articles are examples
of the type of material that can be jigsawed. By reading a section of the text or an article, and discussing it
with other students who have read the same section, a student becomes an “expert” on that section and
then shares that expertise with the students in an assigned group who have not read the material. The
skills necessary for cooperative learning groups are applicable to the jigsaw process. Here are the
procedures for implementing the jigsaw process:
1. Divide the assigned chapter or article into easily digestible sections. This separation can be done by
subtopic, but the reading should probably not be divided into more than six sections.
2. Divide the class into groups. The number of students in each group must equal the number of sections
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Cooperative Learning Guide 21
in the assigned chapter or article. If there are extra students, assign them to groups already having a
full complement rather than forming any groups with fewer students than sections of reading.
3. Assign each student in a group one section of the article or chapter so that all the sections will be read
by at least one member of each group. (If extra students are in the group, more than one person will
be reading some of the sections.)
4. Allow students a specified time (10 to 15 minutes) to read their material and take notes.
5. After all students have read their assigned sections, they form “expert groups,” meeting with other
students who have read the same material and discussing what they have read. While meeting in
expert groups, students have an opportunity to gain a broader perspective and to become more
knowledgeable about the material they have read. Expert groups can last 10 to 15 minutes.
6. After meeting with expert groups, students break up into their original groups and teach the other
members about the sections they have read. Sharing in the original group should be done in the
sequence of the original chapter or article. Five minutes per section should be ample time for students
to share the information they have read, answer any questions, and discuss the section with group
members.
7. If desired, a class discussion of the entire chapter or article can summarize the small-group
discussions or emphasize particular issues.
Note
1. Selected portions of this material were adapted from Dee Dishon and Pat Wilson O’Leary, A
Guidebook for Cooperative Learning (Holmes Beach, Fla.: Learning Publications, 1984), 57.
in the assigned chapter or article. If there are extra students, assign them to groups already having a
full complement rather than forming any groups with fewer students than sections of reading.
3. Assign each student in a group one section of the article or chapter so that all the sections will be read
by at least one member of each group. (If extra students are in the group, more than one person will
be reading some of the sections.)
4. Allow students a specified time (10 to 15 minutes) to read their material and take notes.
5. After all students have read their assigned sections, they form “expert groups,” meeting with other
students who have read the same material and discussing what they have read. While meeting in
expert groups, students have an opportunity to gain a broader perspective and to become more
knowledgeable about the material they have read. Expert groups can last 10 to 15 minutes.
6. After meeting with expert groups, students break up into their original groups and teach the other
members about the sections they have read. Sharing in the original group should be done in the
sequence of the original chapter or article. Five minutes per section should be ample time for students
to share the information they have read, answer any questions, and discuss the section with group
members.
7. If desired, a class discussion of the entire chapter or article can summarize the small-group
discussions or emphasize particular issues.
Note
1. Selected portions of this material were adapted from Dee Dishon and Pat Wilson O’Leary, A
Guidebook for Cooperative Learning (Holmes Beach, Fla.: Learning Publications, 1984), 57.
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Collaborative Writing Guide 22
COLLABORATIVE WRITING GUIDE
by Deborah Bosley
The University of North Carolina at Charlotte
Charlotte, North Carolina
If we teach students that writing is a solitary activity, we may not be preparing them adequately for entry
into the business world. In business, a single report or other document is frequently planned, researched,
written, and edited by a team of colleagues. Thus, graduates who are not skilled in collaborative writing
may be unprepared for professional life.
When two or more students receive group credit for working together to produce a single document
or presentation, they are engaging in collaborative writing. Merely exchanging papers and evaluating one
another’s work, which is then turned in for individual credit, is peer evaluation—not collaborative
writing.
You might want to consider using collaborative writing in your business communication classes
(particularly in conjunction with the report-writing and presentation chapters) for several reasons:
• Most businesses require employees to write collaboratively, but most people receive no training in
collaborative writing in high school or in college.1
• Collaborative or cooperative learning improves self-esteem, teaches students problem-solving skills,
and improves their ability to evaluate others’ work. In addition, cooperative learning increases ethnic
and racial tolerance.2
• Collaborative writing improves writing ability, particularly the ability to analyze audiences.
• Collaborative writing relieves business communication teachers of the volumes of paperwork they
must usually face, allows them to function less as authority or evaluator and more as facilitator, and
introduces a new and effective teaching/learning strategy into the classroom.
PREPARING STUDENTS FOR COLLABORATIVE WRITING
Throughout their school years, students learn the value of individual accomplishment rather than
commitment to shared goals. With the weight of such experience behind them, students cannot learn to
work collaboratively just by listening to lectures. They must experience cooperative work for themselves.
The first step is to establish a sense of community and shared history among members of the entire
class as well as among members of each work group. One method of building that sense of community is
to encourage students to respond orally to one another, not merely to the teacher. Teach them how to
critique one another’s work constructively. You can also begin the semester with such activities as peer-
evaluation groups, discussion groups, and groups that collaborate on writing assignments. Finally, help
students develop a commitment to the task and to their groups.
Although most students have not had extensive team experience, many of them have worked in
groups in other business classes, freshman composition classes, and extracurricular organizations. These
experiences influence their attitudes about group work in the business communication class, so you might
ask students to list what they perceive to be the positive and negative aspects of working in groups. Then
assign them to groups to discuss their lists and compile a group list. The group list can then be shared
with the entire class. In discussing the frustrations and rewards of group work, students develop a sense of
common experience. In addition, students who have never worked in a group get a preview of what to
expect.
COLLABORATIVE WRITING GUIDE
by Deborah Bosley
The University of North Carolina at Charlotte
Charlotte, North Carolina
If we teach students that writing is a solitary activity, we may not be preparing them adequately for entry
into the business world. In business, a single report or other document is frequently planned, researched,
written, and edited by a team of colleagues. Thus, graduates who are not skilled in collaborative writing
may be unprepared for professional life.
When two or more students receive group credit for working together to produce a single document
or presentation, they are engaging in collaborative writing. Merely exchanging papers and evaluating one
another’s work, which is then turned in for individual credit, is peer evaluation—not collaborative
writing.
You might want to consider using collaborative writing in your business communication classes
(particularly in conjunction with the report-writing and presentation chapters) for several reasons:
• Most businesses require employees to write collaboratively, but most people receive no training in
collaborative writing in high school or in college.1
• Collaborative or cooperative learning improves self-esteem, teaches students problem-solving skills,
and improves their ability to evaluate others’ work. In addition, cooperative learning increases ethnic
and racial tolerance.2
• Collaborative writing improves writing ability, particularly the ability to analyze audiences.
• Collaborative writing relieves business communication teachers of the volumes of paperwork they
must usually face, allows them to function less as authority or evaluator and more as facilitator, and
introduces a new and effective teaching/learning strategy into the classroom.
PREPARING STUDENTS FOR COLLABORATIVE WRITING
Throughout their school years, students learn the value of individual accomplishment rather than
commitment to shared goals. With the weight of such experience behind them, students cannot learn to
work collaboratively just by listening to lectures. They must experience cooperative work for themselves.
The first step is to establish a sense of community and shared history among members of the entire
class as well as among members of each work group. One method of building that sense of community is
to encourage students to respond orally to one another, not merely to the teacher. Teach them how to
critique one another’s work constructively. You can also begin the semester with such activities as peer-
evaluation groups, discussion groups, and groups that collaborate on writing assignments. Finally, help
students develop a commitment to the task and to their groups.
Although most students have not had extensive team experience, many of them have worked in
groups in other business classes, freshman composition classes, and extracurricular organizations. These
experiences influence their attitudes about group work in the business communication class, so you might
ask students to list what they perceive to be the positive and negative aspects of working in groups. Then
assign them to groups to discuss their lists and compile a group list. The group list can then be shared
with the entire class. In discussing the frustrations and rewards of group work, students develop a sense of
common experience. In addition, students who have never worked in a group get a preview of what to
expect.
Loading page 27...
Collaborative Writing Guide 23
Many instructors ask students to record their reactions to and feelings about the group process. This
activity encourages students to be more introspective about collaborative writing and, if the journals are
turned in periodically, gives instructors the opportunity to help students who are having trouble. The
journals also help the instructor evaluate the work of each group.
Forming Groups
Many researchers have offered criteria for dividing groups: along demographic lines, by ability, according
to interest in a particular topic, on the basis of common schedules and availability for meetings. You
might also randomly assign students to groups or, if you have watched students interact on smaller group
projects, form groups according to who seems to work well together.
Regardless of how you divide students, however, groups should be made up of an odd number of
members. Three eliminates the dynamics of the dyad; five eliminates couples or pairs working against
each other. Also, an odd number of members can decide issues by voting.
Three seems to be the most effective number to work with. Many collaborative writing assignments
are too big for fewer people to accomplish in a reasonable amount of time. And with more than three
members, the group will have trouble both scheduling time to meet and achieving a sense of unity and
cohesion. Also, with three members, the group generally cannot achieve its goals unless all members take
an active role. In a larger group, group members can often avoid participating in the assignment.
It is best to avoid putting close friends into the same group. For one thing, if two are close friends, the
other will feel like a “third wheel.” Second, friends are less likely to pressure one another to fulfill their
obligations for the project. Finally, friends tend to discuss other matters besides the project during their
group meeting time.
Teaching Group Brainstorming and Decision Making
Students usually need to be taught how to cooperate in generating ideas and how to avoid letting one
member dominate the group’s decisions. They often think brainstorming means writing down a bunch of
ideas. In addition, they frequently let the group member perceived to be the brightest or the hardest
working or the one who assumes the leadership position to make many of the group’s decisions. Without
enough commitment to the task to “fight” for their perspective, the others may just give in. Weaker
students might even feel that they do not know enough to make any decisions or to have a valid opinion.
You might teach students to overcome this tendency in a situation that is not directly connected with
their project or with a grade. For example, you might have each group come up with a name for itself or
with a theme for a sales letter.
One effective method for reaching consensus begins with brainstorming.3 You must stress that
students’ ideas are to be generated on the spur of the moment and without any judgment on the part of the
other group members. Within the groups, each member in turn contributes one idea, which is recorded.
Each member gets a chance to make three suggestions. Without discussing the merits of any of the ideas,
each member then votes for what he or she considers the three best ideas. The three ideas that receive the
most votes are then discussed by the group. After their discussion, the group votes again or agrees on their
final choice.
Assigning Tasks
With three members in a group, each person can fill an important group-maintenance role: leader,
recorder, or evaluator. The leader is responsible for setting the agenda, making sure all members know
about meetings, and leading discussions. (Leaders may be chosen by their groups or may arise naturally;
in some groups, various members take the lead at different points in the project.) The recorder takes
minutes and keeps track of who’s doing what. The evaluator keeps the group on target and initiates
Many instructors ask students to record their reactions to and feelings about the group process. This
activity encourages students to be more introspective about collaborative writing and, if the journals are
turned in periodically, gives instructors the opportunity to help students who are having trouble. The
journals also help the instructor evaluate the work of each group.
Forming Groups
Many researchers have offered criteria for dividing groups: along demographic lines, by ability, according
to interest in a particular topic, on the basis of common schedules and availability for meetings. You
might also randomly assign students to groups or, if you have watched students interact on smaller group
projects, form groups according to who seems to work well together.
Regardless of how you divide students, however, groups should be made up of an odd number of
members. Three eliminates the dynamics of the dyad; five eliminates couples or pairs working against
each other. Also, an odd number of members can decide issues by voting.
Three seems to be the most effective number to work with. Many collaborative writing assignments
are too big for fewer people to accomplish in a reasonable amount of time. And with more than three
members, the group will have trouble both scheduling time to meet and achieving a sense of unity and
cohesion. Also, with three members, the group generally cannot achieve its goals unless all members take
an active role. In a larger group, group members can often avoid participating in the assignment.
It is best to avoid putting close friends into the same group. For one thing, if two are close friends, the
other will feel like a “third wheel.” Second, friends are less likely to pressure one another to fulfill their
obligations for the project. Finally, friends tend to discuss other matters besides the project during their
group meeting time.
Teaching Group Brainstorming and Decision Making
Students usually need to be taught how to cooperate in generating ideas and how to avoid letting one
member dominate the group’s decisions. They often think brainstorming means writing down a bunch of
ideas. In addition, they frequently let the group member perceived to be the brightest or the hardest
working or the one who assumes the leadership position to make many of the group’s decisions. Without
enough commitment to the task to “fight” for their perspective, the others may just give in. Weaker
students might even feel that they do not know enough to make any decisions or to have a valid opinion.
You might teach students to overcome this tendency in a situation that is not directly connected with
their project or with a grade. For example, you might have each group come up with a name for itself or
with a theme for a sales letter.
One effective method for reaching consensus begins with brainstorming.3 You must stress that
students’ ideas are to be generated on the spur of the moment and without any judgment on the part of the
other group members. Within the groups, each member in turn contributes one idea, which is recorded.
Each member gets a chance to make three suggestions. Without discussing the merits of any of the ideas,
each member then votes for what he or she considers the three best ideas. The three ideas that receive the
most votes are then discussed by the group. After their discussion, the group votes again or agrees on their
final choice.
Assigning Tasks
With three members in a group, each person can fill an important group-maintenance role: leader,
recorder, or evaluator. The leader is responsible for setting the agenda, making sure all members know
about meetings, and leading discussions. (Leaders may be chosen by their groups or may arise naturally;
in some groups, various members take the lead at different points in the project.) The recorder takes
minutes and keeps track of who’s doing what. The evaluator keeps the group on target and initiates
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Collaborative Writing Guide 24
discussions about how the group is functioning.
The most effective way to assign tasks for a project is on the basis of students’ interests or abilities.
Groups should therefore encourage members who are proficient at doing library research, conducting one-
on-one interviews, or word processing to do so. You might want to supplement group assignment of tasks
by providing a list of tasks that need to be completed, such as designing the survey, conducting the
interviews, writing the rough draft, and proofreading the final document.
Each student should keep track of his or her specific responsibilities, hours spent working on them,
hours spent meeting with the group, and so on (see Exhibit 1, below). This log helps students track their
own participation and (if turned in) allows you to evaluate individual participation.
Students sometimes wonder how to handle a group member who is not doing his or her share of the
work. Before the groups start working on their projects, you might suggest one of these three remedies:
(1) group members confront the errant student to work through problems together; (2) you take care of the
problem when you evaluate the student’s individual work; or (3) you talk with the student in a private
conference or talk with the entire group. You might create role-play situations so that students can
practice confronting “freeloaders.”
ASSIGNING SHORT-TERM PROJECTS
If time for collaborative writing is limited, you might assign a project that will take only two or three class
sessions. Chapters 1 through 10 in the textbook offer a variety of activities that can be performed by
groups. (These are also good warm-up activities for a collaborative report-writing project.) The Chapter
Guides in this manual suggest solutions for each activity, and checklists in each chapter of the textbook
provide evaluation guidelines.
Here are some additional short-term assignments:
1. Divide the class into groups of people in similar majors, then ask each group to compose a letter
soliciting career information from someone in their chosen field. For example, accounting students
might ask questions like these: What kind of courses did you take in college? What liberal arts
courses prepared you for a career in accounting? What kind of starting salary can an accountant
expect to receive? What are the best geographic locations for accountants? What is your professional
life like on a daily basis? The groups can brainstorm to come up with questions and a recipient for the
letter, compose a rough draft (which you should evaluate), and prepare and mail a final draft. The
response can then be used in conjunction with the chapter on writing application letters and résumés
or as a basis for discussing career opportunities.
2. To gather information for the report-writing project, each group might write a letter asking for
information from someone who has knowledge of their topic. This letter might serve as an interview
in written form.
discussions about how the group is functioning.
The most effective way to assign tasks for a project is on the basis of students’ interests or abilities.
Groups should therefore encourage members who are proficient at doing library research, conducting one-
on-one interviews, or word processing to do so. You might want to supplement group assignment of tasks
by providing a list of tasks that need to be completed, such as designing the survey, conducting the
interviews, writing the rough draft, and proofreading the final document.
Each student should keep track of his or her specific responsibilities, hours spent working on them,
hours spent meeting with the group, and so on (see Exhibit 1, below). This log helps students track their
own participation and (if turned in) allows you to evaluate individual participation.
Students sometimes wonder how to handle a group member who is not doing his or her share of the
work. Before the groups start working on their projects, you might suggest one of these three remedies:
(1) group members confront the errant student to work through problems together; (2) you take care of the
problem when you evaluate the student’s individual work; or (3) you talk with the student in a private
conference or talk with the entire group. You might create role-play situations so that students can
practice confronting “freeloaders.”
ASSIGNING SHORT-TERM PROJECTS
If time for collaborative writing is limited, you might assign a project that will take only two or three class
sessions. Chapters 1 through 10 in the textbook offer a variety of activities that can be performed by
groups. (These are also good warm-up activities for a collaborative report-writing project.) The Chapter
Guides in this manual suggest solutions for each activity, and checklists in each chapter of the textbook
provide evaluation guidelines.
Here are some additional short-term assignments:
1. Divide the class into groups of people in similar majors, then ask each group to compose a letter
soliciting career information from someone in their chosen field. For example, accounting students
might ask questions like these: What kind of courses did you take in college? What liberal arts
courses prepared you for a career in accounting? What kind of starting salary can an accountant
expect to receive? What are the best geographic locations for accountants? What is your professional
life like on a daily basis? The groups can brainstorm to come up with questions and a recipient for the
letter, compose a rough draft (which you should evaluate), and prepare and mail a final draft. The
response can then be used in conjunction with the chapter on writing application letters and résumés
or as a basis for discussing career opportunities.
2. To gather information for the report-writing project, each group might write a letter asking for
information from someone who has knowledge of their topic. This letter might serve as an interview
in written form.
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Collaborative Writing Guide 25
EXHIBIT 1
INDIVIDUAL AND GROUP TASK SHEET
Name of Group/Team
Topic for Group Research Report
Individual’s Name
Function in Group (leader, secretary, editor, etc.)
What you did (be specific) Time spent (date; hours and minutes)
Group meetings (where and when) Who attended Time spent
EXHIBIT 1
INDIVIDUAL AND GROUP TASK SHEET
Name of Group/Team
Topic for Group Research Report
Individual’s Name
Function in Group (leader, secretary, editor, etc.)
What you did (be specific) Time spent (date; hours and minutes)
Group meetings (where and when) Who attended Time spent
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Collaborative Writing Guide 26
3. Ask groups to give themselves a name and assume the role of consultants hired to make suggestions
for changes at the university. After discussing a problem within the university, they can write a
collaborative proposal (letter or memo) to mail to the appropriate audience.
4. Ask students to collaborate on writing a mid-semester evaluation of your class. They could write this
memo as a form of personnel evaluation. To ensure candor, you might give them credit for doing the
assignment without actually grading it.
5. Ask groups to compose letters inviting a prominent businessperson to speak to the class. The entire
class might select the most effective letter for actual mailing.
6. If the business school at your university produces a newsletter, seek permission for your students to
write some articles. You may have to meet with the head of the business school to determine
appropriate general topics, but let the groups select their own specific topics. The names of the groups
or of individual members could appear after the articles. This assignment is useful as a precursor to
the report-writing unit because it uses many of the same procedures.
7. Ask whether the English Department would be interested in a newsletter produced by groups of your
students. Or have students write articles for the public relations office at your university. You might
also consider publishing a newsletter for your business communication classes.
8. Ask groups to write summaries of important articles on business communication. Each group could
research several articles on one topic, such as customer service or sexual harassment, then write a
summary of the articles for presentation to the class.
UNDERTAKING A LONG-TERM PROJECT
The long-term project described here is a 15- to 20-page analytical or informational report. For complete
exposure to the collaborative process, each group produces a work plan, a survey, a rough draft, a
progress report, a final report, an oral presentation, and an evaluation of each participant’s work with the
group. Most of the data for the reports are gathered from interviews and original surveys, although some
library research may be necessary.
If the report is written for a real audience, a copy of the final draft is submitted to that audience.
Students may invite recipients of the report to their oral presentation and seek their written feedback on
the report itself.
Because of the scope of this project, give students time in class to meet with their groups, and
remember that you are there as a facilitator. Try to limit your interaction with the groups to observing or
answering questions about the project; try to avoid becoming another member of the group by offering
too many suggestions or taking over the decision-making process. Remember, you are an authority figure,
and students tend to acquiesce to what they perceive to be your agenda.
Overview of the Process
The report-writing project usually takes at least seven weeks, although you may find that you can
eliminate some classroom time. The following week-by-week schedule (assuming three class meetings
each week) indicates which chapters and topics to discuss and when to collect specific assignments:
Week 1
• Introduction to group dynamics covered in Chapter 2 (collaboration); discuss student attitudes about
and experiences with groups
• Instruction in brainstorming and decision-making techniques
• Discussion of Chapter 14 (planning reports and proposals); formation of groups; selection of topics;
3. Ask groups to give themselves a name and assume the role of consultants hired to make suggestions
for changes at the university. After discussing a problem within the university, they can write a
collaborative proposal (letter or memo) to mail to the appropriate audience.
4. Ask students to collaborate on writing a mid-semester evaluation of your class. They could write this
memo as a form of personnel evaluation. To ensure candor, you might give them credit for doing the
assignment without actually grading it.
5. Ask groups to compose letters inviting a prominent businessperson to speak to the class. The entire
class might select the most effective letter for actual mailing.
6. If the business school at your university produces a newsletter, seek permission for your students to
write some articles. You may have to meet with the head of the business school to determine
appropriate general topics, but let the groups select their own specific topics. The names of the groups
or of individual members could appear after the articles. This assignment is useful as a precursor to
the report-writing unit because it uses many of the same procedures.
7. Ask whether the English Department would be interested in a newsletter produced by groups of your
students. Or have students write articles for the public relations office at your university. You might
also consider publishing a newsletter for your business communication classes.
8. Ask groups to write summaries of important articles on business communication. Each group could
research several articles on one topic, such as customer service or sexual harassment, then write a
summary of the articles for presentation to the class.
UNDERTAKING A LONG-TERM PROJECT
The long-term project described here is a 15- to 20-page analytical or informational report. For complete
exposure to the collaborative process, each group produces a work plan, a survey, a rough draft, a
progress report, a final report, an oral presentation, and an evaluation of each participant’s work with the
group. Most of the data for the reports are gathered from interviews and original surveys, although some
library research may be necessary.
If the report is written for a real audience, a copy of the final draft is submitted to that audience.
Students may invite recipients of the report to their oral presentation and seek their written feedback on
the report itself.
Because of the scope of this project, give students time in class to meet with their groups, and
remember that you are there as a facilitator. Try to limit your interaction with the groups to observing or
answering questions about the project; try to avoid becoming another member of the group by offering
too many suggestions or taking over the decision-making process. Remember, you are an authority figure,
and students tend to acquiesce to what they perceive to be your agenda.
Overview of the Process
The report-writing project usually takes at least seven weeks, although you may find that you can
eliminate some classroom time. The following week-by-week schedule (assuming three class meetings
each week) indicates which chapters and topics to discuss and when to collect specific assignments:
Week 1
• Introduction to group dynamics covered in Chapter 2 (collaboration); discuss student attitudes about
and experiences with groups
• Instruction in brainstorming and decision-making techniques
• Discussion of Chapter 14 (planning reports and proposals); formation of groups; selection of topics;
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Subject
Business Management