Course Syllabus
Contact Information
Course Details
Course Description
Managing Corporate Communication challenges students to master their writing, listening, presentation, and interpersonal communication skills to lead in various business environments. Emphasis is placed on credibility management, audience analysis, research, revision, and rehearsal to equip students for professional success.
Course Objectives
L1: Apply Strategic Communication Principles: Students will apply strategic communication principles by considering purpose, audience, context, and medium when crafting business messages. They will also analyze how audiences and stakeholders influence content, form, format, and design communication decisions.
L2: Develop Proficiency in Persuasive Communication: Students will learn to craft persuasive, research-based business communications, including reports, presentations, and correspondence, focusing on accuracy, appropriateness, ethics, timeliness, persuasiveness, and professionalism.
L3: Enhance Oral Communication, Feedback, and Listening Skills: Students will demonstrate effective oral communication and listening skills across various business contexts, including public speaking, meetings, and interpersonal interactions.
L4: Cultivate Self-reflection to Maximize Influence: Students will demonstrate self-awareness by critically assessing their communication practices, identifying behaviors that may undermine productivity, influence, and professional relationships, and developing strategies for improvement.
Course Materials
Required Textbooks and Program
- O’Rourke, J. (2023). Management Communication (7th ed.). Routledge.
- OU Textbook Brokers
Other Required Materials
- Laptop, tablet, or desktop computer with word processing functions.
- Reliable Internet Access
- AI Tool (Limited Use)
Grades
Breakdown
| Activity | Description | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Communication Challenge Activities | 5 @ 30 points each | 150 |
| Communication Strategy - Elevator Pitch | 50 | |
| Communication Strategy - Presenting Your Case to Senior Management | 100 | |
| Communication Strategy - Debates and Argument Briefs | 3@ 50 points each | 150 |
| Final Project - TBA | 100 | |
| Certificates/Summaries - Flipped Class | 10@10 | 100 |
| In-Class Participation | (Quizzes, case studies, and activities) | 200 |
| Total | 850 |
Scale
| Percentage | Letter Grade |
|---|---|
| 90–100% | A |
| 80–89% | B |
| 70–79% | C |
| 60–69% | D |
| Below 60% | F |
Course Components
Communication Challenge Assignments
After completing the weekly reading and media, please write a reflection synthesizing the most valuable insights and make personal applications considering how you can use the combined information to improve your influence and communication climates.
Communication Strategy Assignments
The communication strategy assignments allow you to customize your communication strategy to achieve your goals and meet your audience's needs and wants. These assignments include the elevator speech and the Presenting Your Case to Senior Management speech.
Communication Strategy Debates
You and your colleagues will work in teams throughout three debates to sharpen your ability to engage in healthy corporate debate about how to best navigate communication challenges. Over the three debates, you will have the opportunity to serve as advocates for change, defenders of the status quo, and debate mediators to showcase your strategic writing and presentation skills and your ability to manage challenging question-and-answer sessions. Please see the Strategy Debate assignment for details.
Final Project
You and your colleagues will participate in a case competition designed to showcase your writing, analytical, problem-solving, and presentation skills. You will present your analysis and recommendations to an organizational leader and the winning team will receive extra credit.
In-Class Participation
Digital Lecture Certificates
This is a flipped class, so you will complete your reading and lectures, which represent passive learning, on your own. In the classroom, we will actively put our knowledge to the test through classroom activities such as quizzes, activities, cases, etc. Your instructor will be there to support you during your active learning activities and to help you grow your skills.
Course Policies
Feedback
I will try to grade all work approximately one week from the due date. For grades of A.W., W, and I refer to the university catalog for information and how they might affect eligibility for financial aid, etc. *Even if mathematically you can pass the course without completing the presentation assignments, I will not pass any student who does not complete each speech assignment.
Late Policy
All assignments, written and oral, are due on specified dates. Please discuss any extension requests before the assignment is due. Unexcused late submissions will receive a 15% grade reduction. Please complete the assignment or exam within seven calendar days of the scheduled date or you will receive no points for the assignment.
Plagiarism
Plagiarism is the most common form of academic misconduct at OU. There is basically no college-level assignment that can be satisfactorily completed by copying. OU's basic assumption about writing is that all written assignments show the student's own understanding in the student's own words. That means all writing assignments, in class or out, are assumed to be composed entirely of words generated (not simply found) by the student, except where words written by someone else are specifically marked as such with proper citation or when asked to experiment with generative AI. Including other people's words in your paper is helpful when you do it honestly and correctly. When you don't, it's plagiarism.
For more information about plagiarism, watch this video and then take this short course offered by University Libraries.
University Academic Policies and Student Support
Access the University Academic Policies Document.
Course Summary:
| Date | Details | Due |
|---|---|---|