COMM 286:
Business & Professional Communication
Course Syllabus | Spring 2020
COMM 286: Course Syllabus | Spring 2020
1
Course Description and Objectives
One doesn’t have to look far to see the importance employers place on good communication skills in
prospective hires. In fact, the 2016 National Association of Colleges and Employers Job Outlook once
again rates verbal and written communication skills, problem-solving skills, and the ability to work
effectively in a team as among the most highly desired characteristics in new and potential employees.
It’s no secret that the ability to effectively communicate your ideas in public and interpersonal spaces in
the professional environment and to negotiate workplace relationships often means the difference
between getting that promotion and being passed over for it. Evidence of your ability to communicate
well is one of the top skills that interviewers assess when evaluating job candidates.
But what does it
really mean to have good communication skills?
In this class, you will develop and refine your oral
communication skills so that you will be able to apply them in your workplace interactions, at the
interpersonal level, in teams, and in a more public space. But achieving “good communication”in
organizational contexts depends upon far more than organizational members’ possession and execution of
these often taken for granted and under-developed skills. Therefore, as you develop your oral
communication skills set in this course, we will examine communication issues that are important to
contemporary organizations, as well as the communication-based problems with which they grapple.
After completing this course, you will be able to:
❑
Use theories and concepts to advance your understanding of communication
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Use theories and concepts to expand your communicative repertoire to help you successfully
navigate professional life
❑
Develop/enhance your ability to research, organize, and deliver professional oral presentations
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Develop/enhance impromptu speaking skills
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Develop/enhance teamwork skills and specific strategies to work effectively in teams
❑
Use theories and concepts to understand and intelligently discuss communication issues and
challenges in contemporary professional life
Required Reading & Resources
Adler, R.B., Maresh-Fuehrer, M.,
Elmhorst, J., & Lucas, K. (2019).
Communicating at work: Strategies for
success in business and the professions.
[Customized e-textbook for the University of Nebraska
Lincoln].
Lincoln, NE: McGraw Hill.
The required text for this course is a custom package pre-loaded into your Canvas course shell.
In
addition to the text chapters that have been drawn from multiple texts, the faculty have included content
in the textbook package necessary for success in this course. Further, the faculty have worked directly
with the publisher to provide a cost-effective package to UNL students in the e-book format. Students
taking this course are expected to utilize the components of the package available within the course shell.
