Business Communication: Analyzing your external communications
General
- Undergraduate; 1st year, 2nd year
- 60 learners; teams of 6
- 30 hours per learner
- Dates set by experience
- Learners self-assign
Preferred companies
- 10/10 project matches
- Canada
- Academic experience
- Startup, Non profit, Small to medium enterprise, Family owned, Social enterprise
- Any
Categories
Skills
Project timeline
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January 26, 2021Experience start
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February 2, 2021Project Scope Meeting
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February 17, 2021Solo Memo Due
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February 17, 2021Review of advancement
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March 9, 2021Feedback from employer on solo memo
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March 10, 2021Peer Feedback
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April 21, 2021Experience end
Timeline
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January 26, 2021Experience start
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February 2, 2021Project Scope Meeting
Meeting between students and company to confirm: project scope and important dates. Deadline for this meeting is February 1st.
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February 17, 2021Solo Memo Due
Each team member submits their own solo memo analyzing your company's industry.
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February 17, 2021Review of advancement
Student groups will examine their presentations
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March 9, 2021Feedback from employer on solo memo
Employer gives feedback to each student on their industry memo not later than March 8th.
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March 10, 2021Peer Feedback
Students meet for peer feedback on proposal
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March 10, 2021Peer Feedback
Students meet to give peer feedback
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March 17, 2021Unsolicited Proposal Due
Each team member submits their own unsolicited proposal analyzing your company's external communication problems.
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March 30, 2021Feedback from employer on unsolicited proposal
Employer gives feedback to each student on their unsolicited proposal not later than March 29th.
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April 7, 2021PowerPoint Submtited
All groups submit their PowerPoint file by 2:30pm Eastern on April 6, 2021. Presentations occur during classes 11 and 12 (April 6 and 13). Businesses are in attendance.
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April 7, 2021Presentations on Zoom
On either April 6 or 13, students will present to the company, live on Zoom. Employers will be invited to attend live on one of these days and can ask questions during the Q&A portion. Employers are asked to give feedback not later than April 20th (the project end).
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April 7, 2021PowerPoint Submtited
All groups submit their PowerPoint file by 2:30pm Eastern on April 6, 2021. Presentations occur during classes 11 and 12 (April 6 and 13). Businesses are in attendance.
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April 14, 2021PowerPoint Submtited
Presentations occur on April 6 and April 13. Businesses are in attendance.
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April 14, 2021In-class presentations
Presentations occur on April 6 and April 13. Businesses are in attendance.
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April 14, 2021Presenattions on Zoom
On either April 6 or 13, students will present to the company, live on Zoom. Employers will be invited to attend live on one of these days and can ask questions during the Q&A portion. Employers are asked to give feedback not later than April 20th (the project end).
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April 21, 2021Experience end
Overview
- Details
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In this course, students learn the principles and techniques of clear, concise and effective written and oral communication, as well as technology concerns as it impacts on external communication in the profit and non-profit sectors.
Most importantly, our students can review your company's best practices -- whether you are a young start-up, a small family-owned business or a medium-sized company -- to see if you can do better to communicate to the external world in a global economy. In effect, our students can help your organization increase its market reach by reviewing your company's external communication.
- Learner skills
- Digital marketing, Sales & marketing, Marketing strategy, Written communication, Business strategy
- Deliverables
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The final deliverable of the project is a written proposal and an audio-visual PowerPoint presentation delivered live.
Project Examples
Would you like an analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of your organization's external communications strategy to ensure that you are effectively communicating your accomplishments? Working in a group of approximately eight students, a team can analyze your organization's key external messages, with proposals to improve your pivotal messages. Teams will work on the project from the end of January to the mid-April.
For example, this assignment can be helpful for any company engaged in profit or non-profit categories (from senior citizen organizations to advocacy groups), manufacturing, retail, and distribution firms. We are also seeking start-ups, individual-owned, indigenous or small family-owned businesses -- the very backbone of our economy.
With your guidance, areas of focus for this project include but are not limited to:
- Campaigns to your existing customers and shareholders.
- Reaching out to new customers with your key messages.
- Communicating sustainability, climate justice and social advocacy efforts to champion indigenous and racialized communities.
- Ethical communications.
- Workplace diversity/ globalization.
- Communications in highly competitive markets – applying persuasive techniques to differentiate oneself.
- Digital communications: how technology is shaping industries and communication within industries.
Additional company criteria
Companies must answer the following questions to submit a match request to this experience:
Provide feedback to students as per the milestones.
Be available for a Zoom call with the instructor to initiate your relationship and confirm your scope is an appropriate fit for the course.
Provide a dedicated contact who is available to answer periodic emails, phone calls or Zoom over the duration of the project to address students' questions, including an introductory meeting with students the week of February 1, 2021.
Be present for the students' final presentations.