Units

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Sample subject outline - Semester 1 2013

Note: Subject outlines often change before the semester begins. Below is a sample outline.

Rationale

Professional Communication aims to enhance your career prospects by developing a significant understanding of communication dynamics between individuals and groups in organisational settings. The unit will sharpen your practical and critical skills in situation analysis, project proposal development and reporting, formal document production, professional presentations, and workplace communication practices. Although there is some focus on the creative and cultural industries, the content and skills covered are applicable to a range of professions and career options. You will be encouraged to pursue a project topic in your chosen professional field.

Aims

This unit aims to provide you with:
1. An understanding of the nature of communication in professional settings and the pragmatic, problem-solving roles professional communication teams play in their organisations.
2. Experience in planning, presenting, and evaluating applied communication tasks in professional settings.
3. A critical understanding of the role of professional communication skills - including audience sensitivity, rhetorical appropriateness, and generic conventions.
4. Field knowledge, organisational skills and networks to enhance your career prospects.

Objectives

On completion of this unit you should be able to:
1. Demonstrate an applied understanding of the principles of communication in organisational and professional settings.
2. Survey and analyse the communication channels and processes that structure an organisation's internal and external interactions.
3. Collaborate with a project group and contribute to achieving a client organisation's project goals.
4. Research, analyse, plan, and manage the content and components of formal commmunication projects and associated materials.
5. Develop briefings, proposals, reports, pitches, and functional messages, using the relevant technologies and conventions in the manner of a professional consultant to a client, sponsor or colleague.

Content

This unit addresses content such as:
- Professional communication in organisations: Roles, audiences, requirements, barriers, strategies and ethics.
- Organisational structures and communication processes.
- Interpersonal interaction and teamwork.
- Leadership and management communication.
- Conflict and negotiation.
- Project proposals, reports and management.
- Formal professional documents and presentations.
- Public programs and professional networks.

Approaches to Teaching and Learning

This unit is taught through lectures and discussion sessions, tutorials and presentations, online resources and discussions, and field visits. Assessment items are designed to develop your knowledge, abilities and confidence as communicators in professional situations. Group formation and project work begin in week 2. A professional approach to project work requires full tutorial attendance in the first half of semester. Non-attendance at tutorials may lead to sub-standard performance on the group project.

Assessment

LATE ASSIGNMENTS
An assignment submitted after the due date without an approved extension will not be marked. If you are unable to complete your assignment on time, you should submit on time whatever work you have done.

Faculty Assessment Information
To access complete Creative Industries Faculty Assessment Information please refer to the Blackboard site for this unit.

Academic Honesty
Academic honesty means that you are expected to exhibit honesty and act responsibly when undertaking assessment. Any action or practice on your part which would defeat the purposes of assessment is regarded as academic dishonesty. The penalties for academic dishonesty are provided in the Student Rules. For more information you should consult the Academic Integrity Kit , and the QUT Library resources for avoiding plagiarism.Grading Scale - You will be awarded a final grade on a 1 to 7 scale.

Assessment name: Examination (in-class)
Description: Type: Examination (in-class )
Relates to objectives: 1, 2, 5
Weight: 30%
Internal or external: Internal
Group or individual: Individual
Due date: Mid to late Semester

Assessment name: Professional Plan
Description: Proposal or Report
Grading: Group (25%) with Individual Component (15%)
Relates to objectives: 2, 3, 4, 5
Weight: 40%
Internal or external: Internal
Group or individual: Group with Individual Component
Due date: End of Semester

Assessment name: Presentation (Oral or Group)
Description: Project briefing/Pitch to client/Progress Report to client.
(Group 5%) and Individual (25%) components.
Relates to objectives: 3, 4, 5
Weight: 30%
Internal or external: Internal
Group or individual: Group with Individual Component
Due date: EarlytoMid Semester

Academic Honesty

QUT is committed to maintaining high academic standards to protect the value of its qualifications. To assist you in assuring the academic integrity of your assessment you are encouraged to make use of the support materials and services available to help you consider and check your assessment items. Important information about the university's approach to academic integrity of assessment is on your unit Blackboard site.

A breach of academic integrity is regarded as Student Misconduct and can lead to the imposition of penalties.

Resource materials

Recommended:
Lehman, C.M., DuFrene, D.D., Cameron-Dow, J., Barrett, M. & Murphy, W.L. (2012). BCOM. Melbourne: Cengage.
Set chapters and resource readings from CMD.

Recommended References:
Coley, S.M., & Scheinberg, C.A. (2008). Proposal writing: Effective grantsmanship. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
De Janasz, S., Wood, G., Gottschalk, L., Dowd, K. & Schneider, B. (2006). Interpersonal skills in organisations. Boston, MA: McGrawHill
Eunson, B. (2008/2011). Communicating in the C21 (2nd/3rd ed). Milton: Wiley.
Freed, R.C., Freed, S. & Romano, J.D. (2003). Writing winning business proposals: Your guide to landing the client, making the sale, persuading the boss. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Hamilton, C. (2008). Communicating for results: A guide for business and the professions. (8th ed.) Belmont, CA : Thomson/Wadsworth
Holloway , B.R. (2003). Proposal writing across the disciplines. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Locker, K. & Kienzler, D. (2008/2010) Business and administrative communication (8th ed). Boston: McGraw Hill Irwin.
Miller, K. (2008). Organizational communication: Approaches and processes. (5th ed.).Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Thomson.
Pfeiffer, W.S., & Keller, C.H. (2000). Proposal writing: The art of friendly and winning persuasion. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Weissmann, J. (2009). Presenting to win: The art of telling your story. (updated ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.
Weissman, J. (2009). The power presenter: Technique, style, and strategy from America's top speaking coach. New York: Wiley. (QUT ebook-search via library catalogue).
Whalen, D.J. (2007). The professional communication toolkit. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

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Risk assessment statement

Students are invited to attend optional field visits to various institutions of their choice (such as the State Library of Queensland, Queensland Museum, Queensland Art Gallery, Gallery of Modern Art). Any such visits and associated transport to and from venues are at each student's discretion. There are no out of the ordinary risks associated with this unit.

Disclaimer - Offer of some units is subject to viability, and information in these Unit Outlines is subject to change prior to commencement of semester.

Last modified: 28-Mar-2013