Business Communication: Building Critical Skills

Kitty O. Locker was an Associate Professor of English at The Ohio State University, where she taught courses in workplace discourse and research methods. She received her B.A. from DePauw University and her M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Illinois at Urbana. She also wrote  Business and Administrative Communication (6th ed., Irwin/McGraw-Hill, 2003),  The Irwin Business Communication Handbook: Writing and Speaking in Business Classes (1993), and co-edited Conducting Research in Business Communication (1988). Her consulting clients included URS Greiner, Abbott Laboratories, the Ohio Civil Service Employees Association, AT&T, and the American Medical Association. In 1994–95, she served as President of the Association for Business Communication (ABC). From 1997 to 2000, she edited ABC’s  Journal of Business Communication. She received ABC’s Outstanding Researcher Award in 1992 and ABC’s Meada Gibbs Outstanding Teacher Award in 1998. Stephen Kyo Kaczmarek is an Assistant Professor at Columbus State Community College. He teaches business and technical communication, composition, creative writing, journalism, public relations, freshman experience, and courses in film and literature he has designed. Steve received an M.A. in English and B.A.s in journalism and English from Ohio State. His consulting clients have included Nationwide Insurance, The Ohio Historical Society, The Ohio Association of Historical Societies and Museums, The Ohio Museums Association, United Energy Systems, etc. Prior to joining Columbus State, Steve managed staff development and information for the Franklin County, Ohio, Commissioners.

• Unit 1 Building Blocks for Effective Messages Module 1: Business Communication, Management, and Success Module 2: Adapting Your Message to Your Audience Module 3: Communicating Across Cultures Module 4: Planning, Writing, and Revising Module 5: Designing Documents, Slides, and ScreensUnit 2 Creating Goodwill Module 6: You-Attitude Module 7: Positive Emphasis Module 8: Reader BenefitsUnit 3 Letters, Memos, and E-Mail Messages Module 9: Formats for Letters and Memos Module 10: Informative and Positive Messages Module 11: Negative Messages Module 12: Persuasive Messages Module 13: E-mail Messages, Web Writing, and TechnologyUnit 4 Polishing Your Writing Module 14: Editing for Grammar and Punctuation Module 15: Choosing the Right Word Module 16: Revising Sentences and ParagraphsUnit 5 Interpersonal Communication Module 17: Listening Module 18: Working and Writing in Teams Module 19: Planning, Conducting, and Recording Meetings Module 20: Making Oral PresentationsUnit 6 Research, Reports, and Visuals Module 21: Proposals and Progress Reports Module 22: Finding, Analyzing, and Documenting Information Module 23: Short Reports Module 24: Long Reports Module 25: Using VisualsUnit 7 Job Hunting Module 26: Researching Jobs Module 27: REsumEs Module 28: Job Application Letters Module 29: Job Interviews Module 30: Follow-Up Letters and Calls and Job Offers