Business Communication 2
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Course Introduction

 

Core Standards of the Course

Strand 1
Importance of Business Communication - Students will understand the importance of business communication: businesses are constantly sending messages to customers, inter-business, clients, supervisors and board members.

Standard 1
Understand the importance of taking responsibility for verbal and written communication-- understanding what words are appropriate or inappropriate for business situations.

Professional apologies when someone has been offended by our communication.

1. How to have a difficult conversation (hiring, firing, asking for a promotion, hygiene issues, colleague conflicts, giving a positive no, resigning from a job, unhappy customer/employee.)
   
2. Understanding your own biases and experiences. How they impact your communication and perspective in understanding
   

Standard 2
Standard 2 Explore the business/professional situations that require communication, and evaluate appropriate communication.

Develop ways to Improve listening, note taking and observing skills, and giving verbal feedback to engage in each situation

1. Small talk: informal “water cooler” talk, get to know you moments with supervisor, colleagues and customers.
   
2. Customer relationship interaction- remembering customer names and details
   
3. Impromptu summary- Without prior notice, express your opinion thoughtfully, and summarize current issues succinctly.
   
4. Reporting to or receiving a report/feedback from a supervisor
   
5. Board meeting/ formal presentation: prepared presentation with details planned and listed in a handout or in a slideshow.
   
6. Business dinner or party: more formal conversations with business partners or clients. Goal is to make a positive impression, avoiding controversial topics.
   

Performance Skills

1. Role play professionally handling a difficult situation (mass layoff, product recall)
   
2. Evaluate a case study where a business demonstrated effective or ineffective communication.
   

Strand 2
Employment Seeking Communication - Students will explore the appropriate communication tools and strategies for securing employment.

Standard 1
Students will understand that a professional resume communicates their skills and verifiable experiences.

1. Resumes Essential Components: Contact information, Work experience, Education Experience, and at least 1 of the following (Skills and Certifications, Personal Interest, Awards) to fill one page.
   
2. References Sheet: a separate document that contains names, contact information, and relationship length and description. Non-family members!
   

Standard 2
Understand the importance of tailoring an employment resume to match a specific job description

1. Job Description: published notice of employment opening including list of duties and experience required.
   
2. Adapting a resume to include keywords from the job description to aid in electronic selection of applicants.
   
   • Keywords: specific words from the job description that an employer will use to filter applicants.

Standard 3
Explore the importance of an effective cover letter and follow-up letter in the ability to secure employment

1. Cover letter essentials:
   
   • Consistent formatting with resume: including fonts and headers styles with contact information.
   • Introduction of potential employee
   • Employee Skill matched to the job description- give specific details
   • Fit: employee culture and values align with business mission
   • Ask: request an interview and explain how to best contact you
2. Follow up letter essentials:
   
   • Thank employer for interview
   • Reminder of Fit: why you are an ideal candidate
   • Future looking--how to contact you for further information

Standard 4
Understand the process for effective job interviews

1. Informal job interviews
   
   • Networking
   • Professionally complete a written or electronic job application form
2. Interview Essentials:
   
   • Research the company- know their product/service, understand the company values and culture (including dress)
   • Prepare answers to common interview questions
   • Prepare a list of questions to ask an interviewer
   • Avoid common mistakes made by applicants (improper dress or grooming, sharing too much personal information, answering questions too briefly, not doing research on the business, asking about pay.)
   • Arrive early with paper copy of your resume

Standard 5
Understand how to navigate and utilize technology to secure employment

1. Templates: a digital tool that provides a structure for resumes, cover letters and other business documents
   
2. Job Posting websites: is a site used by employers to advertise their job vacancies to job seekers.
   
   • Examples: Jobs.utah.gov, Monster.com, Snagajob, Indeed.com, glassdoor, Simplyhired, and LinkedIn.
3. LinkedIn profiles/ professional networking sites: include your name, professional-looking profile photo, summarize your work history/story, list your skills and ask connections to endorse your skills, network with/follow others.
   

Performance Skills

1. Create an employment portfolio (Required)
   
   • Create a resume that is tailored to a specific job description
   • Write a cover-letter to accompany a resume and asks for an interview
   • Role-play interviews and demonstrate professional communication.
2. And 2 of the following:
   
   • Evaluate two or more cover-letters for clarity.
   • Prepare a list of answers to common interview questions; make sure answers are appropriate, positive and complete.
   • Research a potential employer and prepare questions to ask about the business.
   • Write a follow-up letter for a simulated job opportunity.

Strand 3
Online Business Communication - Students will Improve business communication through the use and understanding of online tools.

Standard 1
Explore the concept of digital citizenship: responsible use of technology by anyone who uses computers, the Internet, and digital devices to engage with society on any level.

1. A business’s or person’s digital footprint communicates a message about them.
   
2. Identify cyber bullying e use of electronic communication to bully a person, typically by sending messages of an intimidating or threatening nature.
   

Standard 2
Understand the impact of social media as a communication tool

1. Know your audience to choose the most appropriate social media platform
   
2. Establish an objective with posting
   
   • How frequently to post
   • What kind of messages do you want to send
     • Does it represent the business well?
     • What will be the perception of the post (background of images count)?
3. Understand the importance of an online persona
   
   • Social media accounts should give the impression that you want them to?
   • Explain the use of Social media as a common screening practice for future college and career opportunities
   • In 2021, 70% of hiring managers look up personal social media accounts
   • College recruiters & scholarships offices verify applicants’ information through their Social Media personas.

Performance Skills (Choose one)

1. Students will analyze their digital footprint and understand the importance of and impact of digital decisions
   
2. Students will evaluate how a business communicates through social media and the messages of those postings.
   

Strand 4
Information Gathering - Students will improve and demonstrate effective informational reading strategies necessary to success in the workplace.

Standard 1
Use basic evaluation techniques to find and use a variety of credible and reliable sources of information.

1. Date publication
   
2. Check sources of the information
   
3. Checking sources bias
   
4. Determine the motive of the publication
   

Standard 2
Determine key understanding from various articles, websites, blogs and other publications.

1. Summarize the information sources main ideas
   
2. Determine the key points for future communications
   

Standard 3
Understand how to use the information you have gathered to apply it to the business or organization that they are in.

1. Create recommendation on improved practices for the business
   
2. Determine the best way to communicate recommendations from reading.
   

Performance Skills
Read and analyze three current business articles.

Utilize this resource for similar articles https://www.allsides.com/unbiased-balanced-news

1. Summarize each article
   
2. Report on any biases that you can see
   
3. Compare the motivation of each article
   
4. Determine the key points to be able to report either verbal or written.
   

Strand 5
Delivering & Sharing Knowledge - Students will understand various formal methods for delivering/sharing knowledge in the workplace.

Standard 1
Create and organize a professional verbal report

1. Plan & Construct (research, outline, and organize) public speeches.
   
2. Compose -use correct grammar, spelling, and parallelism in both the presentation and oral report.
   
3. Create a Reference/Works Cited page with proper citations for sources.
   
4. Edit
   
5. Present
   

Standard 2
Deliver a professional presentation.

1. Manage apprehension about communicating in public contexts.
   
   • Rehearse your presentation
   • Visual guide- slideshow
   • Recognizing human limitations- realistic expectations
   • Paced breathing
2. Dress appropriately
   
3. Posture
   
4. Eye contact
   
5. Body language including hand/arm gestures
   
6. Filler words eg. like, um, so.
   
7. Volume and enunciation
   

Performance Skills
Verbally deliver a five to ten minute business presentation similar to a podcast or Ted Talk.

Strand 6
Careers and CTE Pathways - Students will understand the Business Communications I and II are explorer courses for all the Business, Finance & Marketing pathways. Students will learn to make connections between the Business and Marketing Pathways and Post-secondary opportunities.

Standard 1
Standard 1 Identify potential careers that include the skills taught in Business Communication I and II. Point out specific or high wage, high demand careers for the state of Utah. Examples:

1. Determine personality traits that support these types of jobs.
   
   • Problem Solving
   • Teamwork/Collaborative
   • Communication
   • Detail Oriented
   • Time Management
   • Creativity

Standard 2
Understand CTE High School to College and Career Pathways that relate to advertising careers and other classes offered related to these Pathways.

1. Describe the Utah pathway(s) that Business Communications is currently included in.
   
   • Utah CTE Pathways
   • UTech Utah technical college network for technical colleges and the digital marketing programs that exist locally. Explore what opportunities are available for Utah high school Seniors. https://careerschoolnow.org/colleges/states/utah
2. Identify secondary certifications and/or degrees needed for these types of careers.
   
   • USHE Utah System of Higher Education. Highlight the current BS or BA opportunities in Business or Communications
   • Students can gain Industry certifications that highlight the skills they have through Google, MOS, ADA, and MTA industry exams.
   • Teach students the importance of emerging social media sites like LinkedIn in verifying communications skills.

Performance Skills

1. Set up or clean up a LinkedIn profile or personal website.
   
2. Create an infographic that identifies a career and the education or training to get to that career. Be sure to include starting and average salary, and schools or universities that provide the training, required skills, or certifications.
   

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http://www.uen.org - in partnership with Utah State Board of Education (USBE) and Utah System of Higher Education (USHE).  Send questions or comments to USBE Specialist - Racheal  Routt and see the CTE/Business, Finance and Marketing website. For general questions about Utah's Core Standards contact the Director - THALEA  LONGHURST.

These materials have been produced by and for the teachers of the State of Utah. Copies of these materials may be freely reproduced for teacher and classroom use. When distributing these materials, credit should be given to Utah State Board of Education. These materials may not be published, in whole or part, or in any other format, without the written permission of the Utah State Board of Education, 250 East 500 South, PO Box 144200, Salt Lake City, Utah 84114-4200.