Business Communication Undergraduate Courses
Eller undergraduates step right into business communication their first semester, building the essential written communication skills they’ll need to stand out. Business Communication is also an important ongoing resource for students at Eller, at undergraduate and graduate levels. Business writing, presenting, digital communication and group communication will serve our graduates every day of their careers.
In-Person Courses
This course teaches effective communication practices necessary in professional business settings. The course instruction focuses on written, oral, intrapersonal, and interpersonal communication for pre-ECON majors. All learning objectives and outcomes are designed to prepare students for both academic and career success. Business professionals spend 70% of their time communicating. According to NACE's Job Outlook 2022 survey, the top skills employers seek are the ability to problem-solve, work collaboratively, and write cogently. Employers’ chief criteria for promotion are communication skills. Your ability to communicate effectively will set you apart from your peers and broaden your leadership potential. Focusing on internal messaging in the workplace and external messaging of professional persona, this course introduces the fundamentals of written business communication strategies, team collaboration, presentations, and impression management.
Students in BCOM 214 develop internal messaging skills primarily through a series of professional writing exercises. The course provides students a simulated work environment including emerging technologies, a hybrid remote setting, and a robust team experience. Students master stakeholder engagement through simulations and assignments designed to replicate work place documents. With a focus on written deliverables, students learn to respond appropriately through a number of channels and mediums. A pre and post writing assessment tracks students’ skill acquisition and determines placement into the next course sequence. The course culminates in a case competition, where students analyze a data sets and use their findings to drive recommendations for messaging to key stakeholders.
The course instruction focuses on written, oral, interpersonal, and intrapersonal communication strategies essential for success in business environments. BCOM 314 takes students purposefully through the process of analyzing, strategizing, and executing professional communication strategies, both individually and as part of a team. The assignments assist students in developing the communicator credibility and agility they need to compete in the workplace. There are three focus areas for the course. The Communication Plan focus area allows students to develop strategic thinking skills and communication messaging strategies. The Interpersonal Communication focus area allows students to work collaboratively on a team and communicate with their growing professional network. The Professional Persona focus area helps students cultivate their authentic professional persona and enhance their digital footprint.
Online Courses
The Eller School of Management is pleased to offer a robust online experience for our students. In Business Communication, we offer three distinct online classes. While covering much of the same content as our in-person offerings, the online course content is generally delivered in a seven-week accelerated format.
Students in BCOM 214 Online develop internal and external messaging skills primarily through a series of professional writing exercises. The course provides students a simulated work environment wherein they serve as interns for a company that is faced with a series of communication challenges. Students master stakeholder engagement through simulations and assignments designed to replicate work place documents. With a focus on written deliverables, students learn to respond appropriately through a number of channels and mediums. Instructor feedback is offered within 48 hours of submission and students are encouraged to use the feedback to inform the optional revisions. There is also a peer review element so that students can benefit from receiving peer feedback and providing peer feedback.
This course focuses on both written and virtual presentation skills. Collaboration is essential in this course and students are placed in small teams in which they will work together to complete team tasks.
Individual tasks: Students will engage in series of exercises designed to reveal their professional personas. They will use this information in creating a professional website and a professional persona executive summary.
Team tasks: Teams will choose a publicly traded Fortune 500 company to research during the seven week course and present two substantive virtual presentations. The first is the Company Brand Narrative, wherein students identify a communication disconnect between the company’s desired stakeholder perception and the perception that the stakeholder currently holds. The final virtual presentation will be the Case Competition, wherein the teams will present to a group of objective judges and outline their communication solution to solve the disconnect. Students will present over Zoom and practice throughout the course with PitchVantage. Students should anticipate meeting with their team virtually at a minimum of twice a week. Students will also have two required Instructor check-ins over the course of the seven weeks.
Students must have adequate oral and communication skills to be able to effectively focus on developing the higher-order thinking skills that are necessary to succeed in the course. In order to help students devise successful communication strategies, the course will also therefore emphasize the development of these higher-order skills, which include analysis, synthesis and evaluation.
For transfer students who are not able to take BCOM 214 before transitioning to the Eller College, the Business Communication Program offers a two-credit course in managerial writing. With a small class size and one-on-one feedback delivered within 48 hours of submission, students gain confidence in their ability to generate effective business documents.