Designing and Developing an e-Learning Course: Public Speaking and Business
Communication Skills _ PSC201
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Designing and Developing an e-Learning Course: Public Speaking and Business
Communication Skills _ PSC201
Learning Outcomes
In the week four to six of this course, students will learn:
- According to Gilbert (2015), the elements and foundational competencies that make up
total communication - Advanced communication skills in public speaking and business presentation
- Nonverbal communication and the power of body language
- How to listen better to public speakers
- The importance of asking insightful questions in public meetings
- Communication and public speaking for business meetings
- Public speaking and communication skills for cross-cultural audiences
- Impromptu public speaking
- Public speaking and communication for interview situations
- Strategies for communicating complex messages more clearly, confidently and
effectively - Assessing the expectations of the audience and engage with them effectively
- Overcoming nervousness and confidence for speaking in public
- Discover how to use voice to convey a confident and engaging communication style
- Identifying similar and divergent cultural characteristics in the audience
Weekly Schedule
Week Four: In the fourth week, students will learn advanced skills and competencies for
audience engagement and making impactful formal presentations
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Topic 7: Non-verbal Communication and Body Language
The learning objectives for this module are:
- The Importance of body language in public communication
- Some truths and myths about body language in communicating effectively
- Demonstrating appropriate body language that engages the audience
- Using body language and eye contact to establish personal connection with the audience
Topic 8: Total Communication and Audience Engagement
The learning objectives for this module are according to (Baccarani & Bonfanti, 2015). - Using language that engages and influences the audience
- Push versus pull techniques for engaging and influencing audiences
- Combining voice and tone, and non-verbal communication for engaging audiences
- Using voice effectively through tonal diction, intonation, rhythm and pacing
- Vocal skills of elocution and accent softening
- Dynamic language for improving overall communication skills
- How to transition from one topic to the next
Discussion questions:
- Explain some truths about use of body language in communicating effectively and
compare them with some common myths concerning their use in public speaking. - Explain the basic underlying principles that should guide the use of voice and tone in
public communication.
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Required Activities:
Write a three page report in which you discuss the various strategies and underlying
principles that you would apply in using body language and tone variation to keep an audience
engaged.
Week Five: In the fifth week, students will learn the best practices and patterns for
speaking and leading formal business negotiation and meetings for conflict resolution
Topic 9: Business Meetings
The specific learning objectives for this module are:
- Delivering formal speeches professionally while incorporating style, passion and impact
- How to structure business presentations and meetings effectively
- How to help team members in contributing positively at meetings
- Using questioning to improve audience engagement
- Using language that engages others while being specific to the message of the meeting
- Presentation and audience management skills for increasing content retention by the
audience. - Making dynamic and engaging presentations so the audience will never forget
- Key communication skills needed for successful team leadership
- Managing communication in a meeting once it is in progress
- Bring the meeting to a successful conclusion that conveys the final message
Topic 10: Conflict Meetings
According to Bachner (2014), the specific learning objectives of this module are: - Focusing on behaviour as opposed to personality of the speaker and audiences
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- Emotional intelligence for understanding the mood of audiences
- How to influence and direct the emotional state of the audience
- Reading and anticipating the emotions and behavior of audiences.
- Interpersonal skills for managing conflict situations at meetings and public venues
- Communication skills for manage conflicts better and calming volatile situations.
- Communicating assertively in conflict resolution.
- Effective cross-cultural communication in the modern globalized workplace (Bachner,
2014).
Discussion questions:
- Write two paragraphs discussing how you can use a planning checklist for guiding the
agenda at business meetings, and which communication style is most appropriate for
business meetings. - What emphatic communication skills would be most relevant in preventing conflict in a
meeting in which the audience takes opposing sides?
Required Activities:
Conflict is an inevitable component in dealing with people, but it does not have to be a
bad thing. Write a three page report explaining how conflict can be turned into an opportunity for
increasing the value of communication (Baccarani & Bonfanti, 2015). What communication
techniques would be applicable for preventing, managing and controlling conflict to change the
situation for the better and strengthen relationships?
Week Six: In this week, students will learn competencies and skills that are specific to
public communication in responding to queries by the audience.
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Topic 11: Impromptu Speaking
- Strategies for building confidence and combating anxiety in impromptu public speeches
and meetings - Understanding the importance of rapport and sharpening one’s rapport with audiences
- Establishing rapport and engaging audiences
- How to build proper rapport using simple voice and body language techniques
- Using eye contact, pacing and leading to enhance rapport with audiences
Topic 12: Interviews
The specific learning objectives for this module are: - Techniques for managing nerves and exuding confidence at interviews
- Importance of listening actively in interviews and meetings
- Skills for handling media interviews
- Non verbal communication and body language awareness for interviews
- Communication techniques for conducting interviews
- How to use body language for building rapport with interviewers
- Preparation techniques for performing in interviews
- Delivering convincing answers to interview questions
Discussion Questions:
- Discuss techniques that can be applied by speakers to establish rapport with large
audiences.
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- Discuss communication strategies that can enable an interviewee to establish rapport with
interviewers
Required Activities:
What key points should a speaker take note of when faced with impromptu media
interview situations?
Assignments:
(a) Essay Test Assignment: - Describe the rules that govern written language in public communication
- Describe the planning process and essential elements of a business meeting in teamwork
settings - Examine possible techniques for overcoming common obstacles in conflict resolution
meetings
(b) Writing Assignment:
In a scenario where you have been posted for an international assignment, describe the
most important aspects of ensuring effective communication with strongly accented audiences.
Define and discuss effective strategies for facilitating effective intercultural communication
while living and working abroad
Challenges and Benefits Encountered in Designing the Course
A major challenge of using an online approach to teaching is that the instructor cannot
guarantee all students the opportunity for receiving personalized instruction and tutoring. The
instructor cannot ensure that the number of students that register for the online course will be
small and easy to teach in a one-on-one communication basis with each student (Bachner, 2014).
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The registration process for the online course cannot guarantee that the instructor will be
working with the same number of students in each course semester. The instructor can also not
guarantee that all students that register for the class would keep up regular attendance. Other
challenges of online teaching relate to the specific course content being taught (Rattenborg,
Simonds & Hunt, 2010). In teaching public speaking and business communication through an
online course, the instructor will have limited access to opportunities for face-to-face
communication with the students. The teacher cannot directly assess the development of
speaking and communication skills through oral tests (Guffey & Loewy, 2010). The online
platform for learning however offers the option for students to upload videos of themselves
taking oral tests at speaking and communication. The benefit of the online approach to teaching
is that the method offers flexibility in the range of learning materials and instruction methods.
The teacher can use various electronic media such as video conferencing and multi-media
content, blog posts and classroom forum areas to serve learning materials and course content to
students (Gilbert, 2015). Online learning provides an enriching experience for students to learn
using technology, and provides an efficient method for the instructor to reach all students at their
own convenience without requiring to meet students in a traditional classroom environments
(Baccarani & Bonfanti, 2015).
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References
Baccarani, Claudio & Bonfanti, Angelo (2015). “Effective public speaking – a conceptual
framework in the corporate-communication field”, Corporate Communications, 20(3),
375-390.
