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 |
|---|---|---|
| Online: Proof Laboratory | 8 @ 30 points each | 240 |
| Reading and Media Quizzes | 5 @ 20 points each | 100 |
| CS1: Infographic Poster and Presentation | 50 | |
| CS 3: Sprint - Chipotle CEO Interview Strategy Consultation | 75 | |
| Crisis Communication Strategy Debate | 100 | |
| Final Project - Managing Customer Reviews | 125 | |
| In-Class Participation | 160 | |
| Total | 850 |
Scale
| Percentage | Letter Grade |
|---|---|
| 90–100% | A |
| 80–89% | B |
| 70–79% | C |
| 60–69% | D |
| Below 60% | F |
Course Components
Weekly Proof Lab Exercises
After engaging with the assigned readings and media each week, you will focus on developing your verbal communication and constructive feedback skills. For this assignment, you will independently prepare and deliver a concise three-minute presentation on the assigned topic, which you will share with three or four Proof Lab colleagues from the class. Following the presentations, you will practice the 4-Step Feedback Model to provide thoughtful and actionable feedback to your peers.
This assignment is a low-stakes opportunity to make significant strides in your fluidity, engagement, and influence. The activities will help you build confidence and refine your communication skills in a supportive, collaborative setting. For details, please see the Weekly Proof Lab prompts in the Assignments Tab in Canvas.
Reading and Media Quizzes
To aid with content comprehension and recall, you will complete regular quizzes. These quizzes will cover content from the reading, assigned articles, or other media. Each quiz will have 10 multiple-choice questions worth one point each. The quizzes will be administered in class. If you know in advance that you will not be present on a quiz day, please make arrangements with Dr. Harrison. No make-up quizzes will be permitted.
Communication Strategy Assignments (CS 1-3)
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 will be written, spoken, or a combination of both. Please see CS1- CS3 for assignment details.
Crisis Communication Strategy Debates
You and your colleagues will work in teams throughout two debates to sharpen your ability to engage in healthy corporate debate about how to best navigate communication challenges. Over the two debates, you will have the opportunity to serve as advocates for change, defenders of the status quo, or debate mediators/evaluators 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: Managing Customer Reviews
As a cumulative demonstration of your ability to strategically communicate like a business leader, you and your team will select a local business with Google Review entries. You are your team will design a high-quality presentation addressing the highs and lows of managing customer reviews. Please see the Final Project assignment for details.
In-Class Participation
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.**I use the audio function in ChatGPT 4.0 to explain my evaluation of student work orally to ensure I can provide you with the fastest possible feedback. ChatGPT converts my original ideas and reflections of your work into edited text for your review.
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. Quizzes are excluded from the late policy as they cannot be made up.
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 |
|---|---|---|