ORG423: Communication Strategies for Leaders

ORG423: Communication Strategies for Leaders
Credit Hours:
3
Contact Hours:
This is a 3-credit course, offered in accelerated format. This means that 16 weeks of material is covered in 8 weeks. The exact number of hours per week that you can expect to spend on each course will vary based upon the weekly coursework, as well as your study style and preferences. You should plan to spend 10-25 hours per week in each course reading material, interacting on the discussion boards, writing papers, completing projects, and doing research.
Course Description and Outcomes
Course Description:
This course provides a practical review of leadership communication strategies for transmitting, receiving, and understanding information in the workplace. Emphasis is on equipping leaders with the knowledge of how to overcome communication barriers by utilizing appropriate strategies and methods.
Course Overview:
This course consists of the study of communication strategies to be applied for effective leadership in organizational situations. You will learn to apply successful strategies for communicating effectively through electronic, written and oral presentations as well as individual and team interactive business situations. Through an individualized and customized assessment—the personal communication development plan—you will identify areas for personal communication improvement, build a plan to implement appropriate strategies to improve personal communication, and evaluate your personal progress.
You will also be assessed through five critical thinking activities and eight mastery learning activities. The critical thinking activities will consist of synthesizing a long report into an executive summary, writing a reflection paper, an oral presentation through pod casting, and building a PowerPoint presentation with appropriate color and graphics.
The mastery learning activities will consist of multiple-choice quizzes, matching, and fill in the blank sentences assessing content delivered in the course modules. A variety of learning style approaches including written, video, audio and web 2.0 tools are used.
Course Learning Outcomes:
1. Design a personal communication improvement plan.
2. Analyze and apply communication strategies in multicultural business settings.
3. Manage team and individual conflict through appropriate communication strategies.
4. Evaluate and apply effective communication strategies to facilitate organizational change.
5. Apply a positive ethos and utilize tools for communication to create effective presentations.
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Participation & Attendance
Prompt and consistent attendance in your online courses is essential for your success at CSU-Global Campus. Failure to verify your attendance within the first 7 days of this course may result in your withdrawal. If for some reason you would like to drop a course, please contact your advisor.
Online classes have deadlines, assignments, and participation requirements just like on-campus classes. Budget your time carefully and keep an open line of communication with your instructor. If you are having technical problems, problems with your assignments, or other problems that are impeding your progress, let your instructor know as soon as possible.
Course Materials
Textbook Information is located in the CSU-Global Booklist on the Student Portal.
Course Schedule
Due Dates
The Academic Week at CSU-Global begins on Monday and ends the following Sunday.
• Discussion Boards: The original post must be completed by Thursday at 11:59 p.m. MT and Peer Responses posted by Sunday 11:59 p.m. MT. Late posts may not be awarded points.
• Opening Exercises: Take the opening exercise before reading each week’s content to see which areas you will need to focus on. You may take these exercises as many times as you need. The opening exercises will not affect your final grade.
• Mastery Exercises: Students may access and retake mastery exercises through the last day of class until they achieve the scores they desire.
• Critical Thinking: Assignments are due Sunday at 11:59 p.m. MT.
• Live Classroom: Although participation is not required, a Live Classroom session is held during Week 4.
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Week #
Readings
Assignments
1
• Chapter 1 & 2 in Leadership Communication
• Discussion
(25 points)
• Opening Exercise (0 points)
• Mastery Exercise (10 points)
2
• Chapter 8 in Leadership Communication
• Boyatzis, R. E. (2009). Unleashing the power of self-directed learning. Retrieved from http://www.eiconsortium.org/reprints/self-directed_learning.html
• Robles, M. M. (2012). Executive perceptions of the top 10 soft skills needed in today’s workplace. Business Communication Quarterly, 75(4), 453–465.
• Bradberry, T., & Greaves, J. (2003). The emotional intelligence quick book [Review]. New York, NY: Fireside.
• Discussion
(25 points)
• Opening Exercise (0 points)
• Mastery Exercise (10 points)
3
• Chapter 9 in Leadership Communication
• Hofstede, G. (2011). Dimensionalizing cultures: The Hofstede Model in context. Online Readings in Psychology and Culture, 2(1:8). Retrieved from http://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1014&context=orpc
• Discussion
(25 points)
• Opening Exercise (0 points)
• Mastery Exercise (10 points)
• Critical Thinking (50 points)
4
• Chapter 3 & 5 in Leadership Communication
• Fraser, M., & Dutta, S. (2009). Yes, CEOs should Facebook and Twitter. Forbes.com. Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/2009/03/11/social-networking-executives-leadership-managing-facebook.html
• Wei, N. (2007, October). Making effective PowerPoint presentations. Pollution Engineering, 37(10), 23.
• Discussion
(25 points)
• Opening Exercise (0 points)
• Mastery Exercise (10 points)
• Critical Thinking (70 points)
• Live Classroom
(0 points)
5
• Chapter 11 in Leadership Communication
• Adair, J. (2004). Chapter 4: Communication and presentation. In Adair on Leadership Pocketbook (pp. 95-120). London: UK: Thorogood Publishing Ltd.
• Discussion
(25 points)
• Opening Exercise (0 points)
• Mastery Exercise (10 points)
• Critical Thinking (70 points)
6
• Chapter 10 in Leadership Communication
• Adubato, S. (2009, September 7). Leadership teams must address communication issues. njbiz, 22(36), 15.
• Discussion
(25 points)
• Opening Exercise (0 points) SAMPLE
• Mastery Exercise (10 points)
• Critical Thinking (80 points)
7
• Chapter 6 & 7 in Leadership Communication
• Adubato, S. (2009, September 7). Leadership teams must address communication issues. njbiz, 22(36), 15.
• Anderson, H. V. (2003, January). A virtual end to stage fright. Harvard Management Communication Letter, 6(1), 3.
• Harris, S. R., Kemmerling, R. L., & North, M. M. (2002, December). Brief virtual reality therapy for public speaking anxiety. CyberPsychology & Behavior, 5(6), 543-550.
• Discussion
(25 points)
• Opening Exercise (0 points)
• Mastery Exercise (10 points)
• Critical Thinking (100 points)
8
• Chapters 13 & 14 in Leadership Communication
• Ramesh, P. (2012). Five leadership lessons from Martin Luther King, Jr. The Buzz Bin. Retrieved from http://www.buzzbinpadillacrt.com/five-leadership-lessons-from-martin-luther-king-jr/?utm_content=buffer38b27&utm_medium=social&utm_source=linkedin.com&utm_campaign=buffer
• Lewis, L. K., Schmisseur, A. M., Stephens, K. K., & Weir, K. E. (2006). Advice on communicating during organizational change. Journal of Business Communication, 43(2), 113-137.
• Thompson, M. C. (2011, October 28). A recollection of Visionary leader Steve Jobs [Web log post]. Huffington Post. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mark-c-thompson/steve-jobs-remembered_b_1064152.html
• Discussion
(25 points)
• Opening Exercise (0 points)
• Mastery Exercise (10 points)
• Portfolio
(350 points)
Assignment Details This course includes the following assignments/projects:
Module 3
CRITICAL THINKING ASSIGNMENT (50 points)
Choose one of the following two assignments to complete this week. Do not do both assignments. Identify your assignment choice in the title of your submission.
Option #1: Cross-Cultural Communication Paper
Research the culture of a country of your choice. In a two to three page paper, describe the key cultural differences between the U.S. and your chosen country. Include specific differences in leadership communication and the adjustments you would need to make if you were planning to do a business presentation to a group of leaders from your chosen country. Conclude with recommendations you would make to your co-workers on how to communicate effectively in this country’s culture. Refer to this week’s readings for more information on cultural literacy.
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Your paper should be two to three in length and conform to CSU-Global Guide to Writing and APA Requirements. Include at least two scholarly references in addition to the course textbook. The CSU-Global Library is a good place to find these references.
Option #2: Cross-Cultural Communication Presentation
Research the culture of a country of your choice. In an eight to ten slide PowerPoint presentation, describe the key cultural differences between the U.S. and your chosen country. Include specific differences in leadership communication and the adjustments you would need to make if you were planning to do a business presentation to a group of leaders from your chosen country. Conclude with recommendations you would make to your co-workers on how to communicate effectively in this country’s culture. Refer to this week’s readings for more information on cultural literacy.
Your presentation should be eight to ten slides in length and conform to CSU-Global Guide to Writing and APA Requirements. Include at least two scholarly references in addition to the course textbook. The CSU-Global Library is a good place to find these references.
Module 4
CRITICAL THINKING ASSIGNMENT (70 points)
Choose one of the following two assignments to complete this week. Do not do both assignments. Identify your assignment choice in the title of your submission.
Option #1: LinkedIn (Sections: Recommendations, Groups)
Go to LinkedIn.com. Create a profile if you have not already established one and ensure your professional brand is consistent across social and professional platforms. Be sure to fill in the following required sections with as much detail as possible:
• Summary
• Previous Work experience
• Certifications
• Education.
In addition, fill in the Recommendations and Groups sections. You may also fill in the other optional sections, although it is not required for this option.
In two to three paragraphs, describe how you want to improve your overall professional brand in the next year and why these changes will help you achieve this goal. Provide the link to your profile in your submission and the date you created your profile. Refer to the rubric for grading details.
Option #2: LinkedIn (Sections: Skills and Endorsements, Organizations)
Go to LinkedIn.com. Create a profile if you have not already established one and ensure your professional brand is consistent across social and professional platforms. Be sure to fill in the following required sections, with as much detail as possible:
• Summary
• Previous Work experience
• Certifications SAMPLE
• Education
In addition, fill in the Skills and Endorsements and Organizations sections. You may also fill in the other optional sections, although it is not required for this option.
Ensure your professional brand is consistent across social and professional platforms. In two to three paragraphs, describe the changes you have made to your profile and why these changes help you achieve this goal. Provide the link to your profile in your submission and the date you created your original profile. Refer to the rubric for grading details.
Module 5
CRITICAL THINKING ASSIGNMENT (70 points)
Choose one of the following two assignments to complete this week. Do not do both assignments. Identify your assignment choice in the title of your submission.
Option 1: Ensuring That Meetings Lead to Action
Think back to a recent meeting you attended that was not effective. A good meeting planner can overcome this inertia by performing four steps: (Barrett, 2014, pp. 303-304)
1. Assign specific tasks to specific people.
2. Review all actions and responsibilities at the end of the meeting.
3. Provide a meeting summary with assigned deliverables included.
4. Follow up on action items in a reasonable time.
Explain each of these steps and describe how they could be implemented to improve the meeting’s effectiveness. Be sure to clearly articulate the strategy to resolve the conflict.
Here are some questions to consider when writing your paper: (not required)
• Who called the meeting?
• What was it about?
• Was there an agenda?
• Was the purpose of the meeting accomplished?
• After the meeting, were minutes distributed that outlined tasks and deadlines?
• During the meeting, what role did you play all or most of the time (leader, scribe, facilitator, etc.)?
• What could have been done to make the meeting more effective?
Refer to this week’s readings for more information on the four steps. Your paper should be three to four pages in length, conform to CSU-Global Guide to Writing and APA Requirements, and included appropriate references. The CSU-Global library is a great place to locate these resources. Refer to the rubric for grading details.
Option #2: PetroCo Refinery Case Study
Go to pp. 111-112 in Leadership Communication and read the Case Study on PetroCo Refinery. Do the assignment on page 112:
Draft an email to the site services managers scheduling a meeting to discuss the budget (alternatively, you may choose to create a meeting request). Since you have no direct supervisory control, it will do little good to demand cuts; in fact, a demand to cut budget might result in the loss of a service that matters most to you! Therefore, consider your strategy and your persuasive approach carefully as you prepare the email. You may also consider SAMPLE
whether to use a direct or indirect approach to the memo. Remember to craft a clear and complete subject line for the memo, provide all the information they need to attend the meeting, and close with the next steps or how to contact you for further information. In addition, consider what you might want to send to your audience to help prepare them for the meeting. Include a list of the attachments you would include with this email along with a brief explanation of why you would include them.
Refer to this week’s readings for more information on the four steps. Your email and supporting documents should conform to CSU-Global Guide to Writing and APA Requirements, and included appropriate references. The CSU-Global library is a great place to locate these resources. Refer to the rubric for grading details.
Module 6
CRITICAL THINKING ASSIGNMENT (80 points)
Choose one of the following two assignments to complete this week. Do not do both assignments. Identify your assignment choice in the title of your submission.
Option #1: Effective Meeting Planning
Plan a meeting: Decide whom to invite and plan the meeting objectives and desired outcome of the meeting. If you are planning a virtual meeting, address the pros and cons of holding the meeting online.
Scenario:
The marketing communications department has outgrown their space in the corporate office. You’ve been asked to put together a team to design optimal work facilities for the department’s newly leased space in a neighboring building. You have four months before the lease begins to put your plan together. You may choose four other people from the company to be on your team. For this assignment, create the names of the people you choose. Assume that you know each person and can explain why you chose them. You can base your descriptions on real people that you know if you wish.
Part 1: Write a short paragraph describing why you chose the four members of your team. Did you choose based on MBTI, past work history, emotional intelligence, office politics, ability to work on a team, or some other reason? There are no wrong answers. The objective of the assignment is to be aware of why you chose the group for your team and to be able to articulate your reasons for choosing them.
Part 2: Write the agenda for the first meeting launching the new team. Include the date, time, and place of the meeting. Include a brief description of the members’ roles and responsibilities. Clarify the intended outcome of the meeting. Project a positive ethos in the meeting invitation.
Guidelines:
• Criteria for choosing members should be well explained
• Meeting Invitation Basics
• Time, date, place
• Desired meeting outcome/goals
• Team members’ roles and responsibilities, prep needed
• Invitation projects positive ethos
• Positive language
• No grammatical or spelling errors
• Organized and readable
• Agenda
• Heading
• Time estimates SAMPLE
• Topics
• Person responsible
• Instructions for post meeting follow-up
Refer to the rubric for grading details.
Option #2: Zarate Tech Case Study
Go to pp. 278-279 in Leadership Communication and read the Case Study on Zarate Tech Goes Virtual. Do the assignment on page 279:
Draft the email or meeting request to your team establishing the project objectives and inviting them to the team launch, which you have decided to hold in person in the Chicago office. Then establish an agenda for the meeting and your approach to working as a team. Next, outline what you see as the challenges to this project and some of the best practices in working virtually that you think will help your team get off to a good start. Finally, note the type of interactive tools you will want to include in the team’s shared workspace and why these tools will be helpful.
Refer to the rubric for grading details.
Module 7
CRITICAL THINKING ASSIGNMENT (100 points)
Option #1: Leadership Presentation – Persuasive
For this assignment, you will prepare and deliver a four-minute oral presentation that persuades an audience to do something. You may speak on any topic of your choice. The presentation must be strategically organized for effectively engaging your audience using what you’ve learned in Modules 1-7.
You will submit two separate deliverables:
• A six to eight slide (not including title or reference slides) PowerPoint of your presentation. Each slide should utilize graphics and/or media to make your presentation visually appealing. Your speaker notes at the bottom of each slide should provide a word-for-word transcript of your audio presentation.
• An mp3 (audio) file of your presentation. You will need to record your presentation by any means that produces an mp3 file. You may use Windows Sound Recorder, iTunes podcasting software, Garage Band (Mac) or any other software that produces an mp3 file.
Free podcast editing software is available on the internet, such as WavePad. Please submit the recording deliverable of your assignment in mp3 format.
WavePad is available at: http://wavepad.en.softonic.com/download
More information on the software can be found at: http://www.nch.com.au/wavepad/index.html
Refer to the rubric for grading details.
Option #2: Leadership Presentation – Critique
For this assignment, you will prepare and deliver a four-minute oral presentation that critiques how a specific news agency (web, TV, social media) covered a recent current event. You may speak on any topic of your choice. The SAMPLE
presentation must be strategically organized for effectively engaging your audience using what you’ve learned in Modules 1-7.
You will submit two separate deliverables:
• A six to eight slide (not including title or reference slides) PowerPoint of your presentation. Each slide should utilize graphics and/or media to make your presentation visually appealing. Your speaker notes at the bottom of each slide should provide a word-for-word transcript of your audio presentation.
• An mp3 (audio) file of your presentation. You will need to record your presentation by any means that produces an mp3 file. You may use Windows Sound Recorder, iTunes podcasting software, Garage Band (mac) or any other software that produces an mp3 file.
Free podcast editing software is available on the internet, such as WavePad. Please submit the recording deliverable of your assignment in mp3 format.
WavePad is available at: http://wavepad.en.softonic.com/download
More information on the software can be found at: http://www.nch.com.au/wavepad/index.html
Module 8
PORTFOLIO PROJECT (350 points)
For this course you will be creating a Personal Communication Development Plan as your final Portfolio Project. Select one of the options below and note your selection in the title of your assignment submission. Utilize the Portfolio Project Reminders through this course to pace yourself as you work towards completing this project.
Option #1: Personal Communication Development Plan – Paper
The Personal Communication Development Plan will be based on the Portfolio Project Checklist found in the Module 8 Materials folder. Download this document and work through each part carefully. As you work through Part 1 and Part 2 of this checklist, you may discover something new about your personal communication. You may change your checklist and scoring sheet to reflect your discoveries. Do not start working on your paper until you have completed Part 3 of the checklist.
Review the downloadable Portfolio Paper Requirements available in Portfolio Project assignment prompt in Module 8 along with the Portfolio Project Rubric. Once you have completed your paper, be sure to include your completed Project Checklist as part of your final assignment submission. Combine the documents and submit one file.
Option #2: Personal Communication Development Plan – Presentation
The Personal Communication Development Plan will be based on the Portfolio Project Checklist found in the Module 8 Materials folder. Download this document and work through each part carefully. As you work through Part 1 and Part 2 of this checklist, you may discover something new about your personal communication. You may change your checklist and scoring sheet to reflect your discoveries. Do not start working on your presentation until you have completed Part 3 of the checklist.
Review the downloadable Portfolio Presentation Requirements available in Portfolio Project assignment prompt in Module 8 along with the Portfolio Project Rubric. Once you have completed your presentation, be sure to include your completed Project Checklist as part of your final assignment submission.
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Course Policies
Course Grading
20% Discussion Participation
0% Opening Exercises
0% Live Classroom
8% Mastery Exercises 37% Critical Thinking Assignments 35% Final Portfolio Paper
Grading Scale and Policies
A
95.0 – 100
A-
90.0 – 94.9
B+
86.7 – 89.9
B
83.3 – 86.6
B-
80.0 – 83.2
C+
75.0 – 79.9
C
70.0 – 74.9
D
60.0 – 69.9
F
59.9 or below
In-Classroom Policies
For information on late work and incomplete grade policies, please refer to our In-Classroom Student Policies and Guidelines or the Academic Catalog for comprehensive documentation of CSU-Global institutional policies.
Academic Integrity
Students must assume responsibility for maintaining honesty in all work submitted for credit and in any other work designated by the instructor of the course. Academic dishonesty includes cheating, fabrication, facilitating academic dishonesty, plagiarism, reusing /re-purposing your own work (see CSU-Global Guide to Writing and APA Requirements for percentage of repurposed work that can be used in an assignment), unauthorized possession of academic materials, and unauthorized collaboration. The CSU-Global Library provides information on how students can avoid plagiarism by understanding what it is and how to use the Library and Internet resources.
Citing Sources with APA Style
All students are expected to follow the CSU-Global Guide to Writing and APA Requirements when citing in APA (based on the APA Style Manual, 6th edition) for all assignments. For details on CSU-Global APA style, please review the APA resources within the CSU-Global Library under the “APA Guide & Resources” link. A link to this document should also be provided within most assignment descriptions on your course’s Assignments page.
Disability Services Statement
CSU–Global is committed to providing reasonable accommodations for all persons with disabilities. Any student with a documented disability requesting academic accommodations should contact the Disability Resource Coordinator at 720-279-0650 and/or email ada@CSUGlobal.edu for additional information to coordinate reasonable accommodations for students with documented disabilities.
Netiquette
Respect the diversity of opinions among the instructor and classmates and engage with them in a courteous, respectful, and professional manner. All posts and classroom communication must be conducted in accordance with the student code of conduct. Think before you push the Send button. Did you say just what you meant? How will the person on the other end read the words?
Maintain an environment free of harassment, stalking, threats, abuse, insults or humiliation toward the instructor and classmates. This includes, but is not limited to, demeaning written or oral comments of an ethnic, SAMPLE
religious, age, disability, sexist (or sexual orientation), or racist nature; and the unwanted sexual advances or intimidations by email, or on discussion boards and other postings within or connected to the online classroom.
If you have concerns about something that has been said, please let your instructor know.
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