English Business Communication
A.Y. 2021/2022
Learning objectives
The course aims at developing/enhancing the students' workplace communication skills in corporate and institutional settings, providing a theoretical foundation of business communication principles and strengthening their capacity for successful communication in the context of business with its etiquette and specific rules.
Expected learning outcomes
By the end of the course, the students should be able to: - correctly use relevant terminology in context; - implement specific communicative strategies in professional contexts, such as making business calls, having a job interview and communicating in a business setting; - read and analyze newspaper articles and business texts; - write emails, memos, reports, CVs and business letters; - listen to and understand discussions, presentations and interviews and be able to participate in them.
Lesson period: Third trimester
Assessment methods: Esame
Assessment result: voto verbalizzato in trentesimi
Single course
This course cannot be attended as a single course. Please check our list of single courses to find the ones available for enrolment.
Course syllabus and organization
Single session
Lesson period
Third trimester
Course syllabus
The course aims to enhance the students' communication skills in business contexts. This will be achieved through a series of lectures on communication theory (linguistics, sociology and anthropology applied to business settings), and through learning vocabulary, functional language and pragmatic elements useful in business settings.
In particular, the course will touch upon the following topics:
- business discourse
- characeristics and conventions of communication
- rhetorical situation and message in communication
- considering the audience
- stories
- persuasion techniques
- conciseness and precision
- written communication organising principles and style
- presentations
- revising and editing
- oral communication
- non-verbal communication
- correspondece (letters, e-mails, memorandum, etc,)
- applications, cover letters and CVs
- Proposals, reports and recommendations
- Groups and meetings
- LinkedIn and TED talks
- Intercultural communication
In particular, the course will touch upon the following topics:
- business discourse
- characeristics and conventions of communication
- rhetorical situation and message in communication
- considering the audience
- stories
- persuasion techniques
- conciseness and precision
- written communication organising principles and style
- presentations
- revising and editing
- oral communication
- non-verbal communication
- correspondece (letters, e-mails, memorandum, etc,)
- applications, cover letters and CVs
- Proposals, reports and recommendations
- Groups and meetings
- LinkedIn and TED talks
- Intercultural communication
Prerequisites for admission
Students must have passed a Placement Test in English (for more information on how and when to take the Placement Test, please refer to SLAM: https://www.unimi.it/it/studiare/competenze-linguistiche/placement-test-test-di-ingresso-e-corsi-di-inglese). It is highly recommended to have at least a B2 level knowledge of English. The class is taught at C1 level.
Teaching methods
Lectures.
Pair and teamwork.
Focus on listening and reading comprehension skills.
Individual student work.
Pair and teamwork.
Focus on listening and reading comprehension skills.
Individual student work.
Teaching Resources
"Business Communication for Success", University of Minnesota Press, open source available online https://open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/textbooks/business-communication-for-success
Course Power Point slides and all the additional material available on Ariel.
Optional (not required):
Garner, B.A. 2012, HBR guide to Better Business Writing. Harvard Business Press.
Graham D, Graham J. 20009, Can Do Writing, Wiley.
Business Writing Clear and Simple, 2007, Learning Express.
Richard Blundel, "Effective Organisational Communication: Perspectives, Principles, and Practices", Pearson Education.
C.Gallo, Talk like TED, St.Martin's Press, New York
B.Bernstein (2018) How to write a killer LinkedIn profile.
N.Duarte Slide:ology. O'Reilly
G.Graff, C.Birkenstein, R.Durst (2018) They Say/I Say. Norton and Company, New York/London
A.Pilbeam, Working Across Cultures. Market Leader, Pearson.
R.D.Lewis (2006), When Cultures Collide. Leading Across Cultures, Nicholas Brealey, London
Course Power Point slides and all the additional material available on Ariel.
Optional (not required):
Garner, B.A. 2012, HBR guide to Better Business Writing. Harvard Business Press.
Graham D, Graham J. 20009, Can Do Writing, Wiley.
Business Writing Clear and Simple, 2007, Learning Express.
Richard Blundel, "Effective Organisational Communication: Perspectives, Principles, and Practices", Pearson Education.
C.Gallo, Talk like TED, St.Martin's Press, New York
B.Bernstein (2018) How to write a killer LinkedIn profile.
N.Duarte Slide:ology. O'Reilly
G.Graff, C.Birkenstein, R.Durst (2018) They Say/I Say. Norton and Company, New York/London
A.Pilbeam, Working Across Cultures. Market Leader, Pearson.
R.D.Lewis (2006), When Cultures Collide. Leading Across Cultures, Nicholas Brealey, London
Assessment methods and Criteria
The exam will be computer-based and contain 100 closed questions (multiple choice or true/false). Students will have 120 minutes to complete the exam. The questions will address the course materials available on Ariel (texts listed in the bibliography, contents of the lectures and things studied in class, additional linguistic activities). In particular, the exam will aim to:
- verify that the student has reached the aims of the course in terms of knowledge and understanding;
- verify the command of specific terminology.
- verify that the student has reached the aims of the course in terms of knowledge and understanding;
- verify the command of specific terminology.
L-LIN/12 - LANGUAGE AND TRANSLATION - ENGLISH - University credits: 9
Lessons: 60 hours
Professor:
Kalinina Irina