COM/140 Week 1 - Final Project Tropic

Checkpoint: Final Project Topic          

For this assignment you must choose a topic for your final project. Your final project includes creating a Microsoft PowerPoint presentation persuading a committee to adopt your business idea for an office in the River View Plaza Digital Story.

• Resources: Appendix A and the River View Plaza Digital Story
• View the River View Plaza Digital Story at http://corptrain.phoenix.edu/AXIA/com140/digital story/digifast.html
• Use the information in the River View Plaza Digital Story as an introduction to the characters and situations used as a backdrop for your final project.
• View the River View Plaza Digital Story transcript located on the Materials tab of your student web page. Print a copy of the transcript to use as a reference while you work on your final project.
• Write a 100- to 150-word proposal for the topic of your final project. This proposal must explain why you chose this topic.
• Submit your final project topic to your instructor. Your instructor must approve your topic for your final project.

COM/140 Week 2

Grammar Exercise 1: Inclusive Language

Read the designated pages about writing inclusively in A Pocket Style Manual, located on your student web page.

• Review the navigation exercises in the Guide to Using the Axia Site, located on your student web page.
• Complete the Exercise Central exercises listed in the table below. The exercises are located at the Axia College Writing Resources Web Site at http://bcs.bedfordstmartins.com/axia/.
• Copy and paste your individual results for each exercise into a new post in your Individual forum. The subject line of each post must inform the instructor which exercise you are posting (for example, Exercise 123).

Characteristics of Interpersonal

Communication

Appendix B

For effective, written business communication, writers must consider several factors: the purpose of the communication, the identity of the audience members (including their probable reactions, amount of information they already have, obstacles that must be overcome, and expectations that should be fulfilled), appropriate tone, and relevant content. Keep these factors in mind as you complete the following CheckPoint.

Keys to Effective Business Communication

Read the following scenario:

In this scenario, assume the role of a student. You have read assignment details in your course syllabus, but you are still unsure what to do. Think about how you would approach your instructor versus how you would approach a classmate to receive more information about the assignment.

• Review the factors of purpose, audience, tone, and structural content in the Week One reading Keys to Effective Business Communication.

• Complete the table in Appendix B to determine the appropriate purpose, audience, tone, and content for each type of interpersonal communication noted in the scenario.

Online Resources - Appendix C

Address the following: In addition to WritePointSM and the Plagiarism Checker, what other resources are available at the CWE? What information do these other resources provide?

Identify which two online resources may be most useful in building your own writing skills. Explain your answer.

Use the instructions in Appendix C to submit your Week One CheckPoint for a WritePointSM and Plagiarism Checker review at the CWE. Then, address the following points about the feedback you receive:

o What feedback did you receive from the CWE?
o What surprised you about this feedback?
o What is most valuable to you regarding this feedback?

COM/140 Week 3

Effective Business Communication

Conveying negative information is one of the most difficult tasks you will encounter in business communication. To receive a favorable response, focus on appropriate word choices, tone, and organization of details—especially how much information to convey to each person and how to layer the negative content. Providing the best possible service to both internal and external customers hinges on good communication.

Read the following scenario:

As a project manager, you are looking forward to completing your current project and then taking a European vacation with your bonus money. Shortly before bonuses are expected, however, you realize your team just missed reaching the financial goal for the quarter. As a result, you and your team will not receive bonuses. You must notify your manager and your team members about this development. You must also inform your travel agent you are unable to take the trip.

• Create a table with the following column headings: Manager, Teammates, Travel Agent.

• Add the following row headings to the table: Purpose, Audience, Tone, Content.

• Use the table to enter the appropriate purpose, audience, tone, and content for communicating the negative information in the scenario to your manager, teammates, and travel agent. Later in the course, you will use the information in the table to develop business communication.

COM/140 Week 4

CheckPoint: Different Kinds of Messages

Although all business communication shares some common characteristics, differences exist among different kinds of messages. Because writers do not have a second opportunity to create a first impression, planning what to say and how to say it is an essential first step in successful business communication.

Review the Week Three reading Writing Different Kinds of Messages to determine the most appropriate type of communication for different types of messages.

• Write one or two paragraphs in which you address the following points regarding your final project:
  • What kinds of unwanted reactions might you encounter when trying to convince the business committee to accept your proposal for a new service?
  • What steps can you take to ensure you convey the purpose of your message to the audience?
• Draft an informative email to one person on the committee and a positive email to another person on the committee.
• In the emails, explain the purpose of your presentation.
• Explain how these two emails differ.

Assignment: Negative Messages

Using templates or sample documents to help you write emails, memos, and letters can be helpful for inexperienced writers; however, customize the communication so the document does not appear as a form letter.

Use the information in your Week Three CheckPoint to determine how to communicate with the manager, teammates, and travel agent in the scenario.

Consider how much information and what type of communication (email, memo, or letter) is appropriate for each party, based on information in the Week Three reading Writing Different Kinds of Messages.

Write a letter to one party, a memo to one party, and an email to one party. Each communication must be a maximum of 250 words.

COM/140 Week 5

CheckPoint: Persuasive Memo

Recall the characteristics of persuasive communication as well as the personal example you noted in DQ 1. As you compose your memo, remember to address any questions or objections the committee members might have.

Write a 200- to 300-word persuasive memo to one of the committee members noted in Appendix A. In your memo, convince the committee members the service you chose for your final project is needed.

COM/140 Week 6

CheckPoint: Creating Effective Documents

This course has covered various types of business communication—each with its own format and characteristics. In other college courses, you will write academic papers formatted according to guidelines in the Axia College’s Writing Style Handbook. This CheckPoint provides you with an opportunity to compare the ways business and academic writing are similar and different.

Address the following in 200-300 words: Suggest two tips for creating academic documents not mentioned in the resource information. Which guidelines do you think are most important for formatting papers? Which guidelines appear less important to the message of a business document but more important to the message of an academic paper? Explain your answers.

Assignment: Applying Style Guidelines

Use the information in Chapter 1 in Axia College’s Writing Style Handbook to apply Axia style guidelines and reformat the academic paper in Appendix E.

• Write a response in the form of a memo from Joe Gilmore, Training Department Manager, to Christine Lancaster, Training Supervisor, regarding her idea for the next training series. The memo must not exceed 300 words.

Post the assignment components as attachments:

• the reformatted paper in Appendix E - Emotional Intelligence.
• the answers to the questions about formatting.
• the memo regarding idea for training series.

COM/140 Week 7

CheckPoint: Effective Presentations

Effectively presenting information to an audience, whether for your direct supervisor or a roomful of clients, is crucial to business success. An essential element of an effective presentation is the visual components—everything from the font you choose to the graphics and presentation template.

Determine what type of document design, layout, presentation template, font, colors, and graphics you plan to include in your final project. Explain why you made those choices.

COM/140 Week 8

Comprehensive Grammar CheckPoint

Enter the correct answer for each item by typing either a or b in the second column. Provide an explanation for each choice in the Rationale column. The boxes will expand to accommodate your text.

Job-Search Management

Finding a job in today’s competitive market not only takes time but also strategic planning. Creating résumés and job-application letters is only half the battle. Applicants also need to manage the interview process, including writing follow-up letters and making phone calls. Finally, they need to determine which position to accept once an offer has been made.

• Plan for a job search by considering how you would manage the résumé, job-application letter, interview, and follow-up letter.

• Create a table that lays out a day-by-day plan to use as a job aid for your employment search, spanning 3 weeks.

Résumé and Job-Application Letter

Certain details attract the attention of interviewers, whereas other aspects of job-search communication routinely disqualify applicants. Savvy job hunters know how to highlight strengths and learn how to deal with any difficulties in their work background. It is also important to customize résumés and application letters for each specific job description.
Many companies now prefer online résumés, which differ slightly from the traditional hardcopy résumé.

• Select a job you want.
• Create a résumé for online distribution using one of the examples in the Model Documents Gallery
• Write a 200- to 300-word job-application letter to accompany the résumé using one of the examples in the Model Documents Gallery.

COM/140 Week 9

Appendix A Business Presentation

Final Project: RIVER VIEW PLAZA DIGITAL STORY

DIGIFAST Business Presentation

Create a Microsoft PowerPoint slide presentation to persuade a business committee your office building needs a new service.

Final Project Overview

Your COM 140 Final Project consists of a Microsoft PowerPoint slide presentation. The purpose of the presentation is to persuade a business committee your office building needs a new service. The committee is composed of the owner of your company, your manager, two fellow employees, and the building facilities manager. 

This presentation must contain the following elements:

• Content and Development

• Presentation consists of 8 to 10 slides, appropriate for the audience, with speaker notes for each slide.
• Presentation includes appropriate use of visual aids and elegant graphics.
• Text is limited to not more than 5 lines per slide and not more than 5 words per bulleted item.
• Appropriate use of font sizes is incorporated.
• Introduction provides sufficient background on the topic and previews major points.
• Presentation develops a central theme or idea, directed toward the appropriate audience.
• Major points are clearly stated; are supported by specific details, examples, or analysis; and are organized logically.
• Conclusion is logical and reviews the major points.

• Readability and Style

• Slide transitions are logical and maintain the flow throughout the presentation.
• Tone is appropriate to the content and assignment.
• Sentences are clear and concise.

• Mechanics

• Citations of original works within the body of the presentation follow Axia style guidelines.
• Presentation is laid out with effective use of headings, font sizes, and white space.
• Rules of grammar, usage, and punctuation are followed.
• Spelling is correct.