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SPCH 227 Week 1 Written Assignment

At the end of Chapter 1, on pages 18 and 19, study the section called “Develop Communication Skills Improvement Goals.”

Self Review Part 1: Then do the Self Review for the end of Part 1, Foundations of Communication, on page 110. Write a communication improvement plan similar to the sample goal statement in Chapter 1 (pages 18 and 19).

Self Review Part 2: Last, do the Self Review for the end of Part 2, Interpersonal Communication, on page 206. Write a communication improvement plan similar to the sample goal statement in Chapter 1 (pages 18 and 19).

Use this information to begin the Communication Change Challenge (CCC) Course Project below.

SPCH 227 Week 2 Written Assignments, Listening Analysis

Listening Analysis: First, read the Week 2 Lecture on listening, and do the Listening Exercise to evaluate your listening skills. Then, use that information to describe an instance when you failed to be an effective listener.

Next, answer the following questions in one succinct paragraph each (be sure to apply some of the material from Chapter 5 when constructing your response).

1.   Where in the listening process did you break down? (Be sure to note the specific stage of the listening process that broke down. See Figure 5.3 on pages 104 and 105 for more information.)

2.   What was the reason you failed to listen effectively?

3.   What could you have done differently to improve your listening?

SPCH 227 Week 3 Assignment, Topic Selection for Individual Speech Presentation

Review this week’s lecture. Think about a communication topic that you would like to learn more about. Look at the Table of Contents in your textbook for more ideas. E-mail your instructor early in the week to obtain speech topic approval for an informative or persuasive speech. Research your topic and create a good thesis statement. Write at least three sentences for the main ideas concerning your topic. You will continue with this next week. Nothing is due yet in the Dropbox for your speech. Presentations are due in Week 6.

Assignment: Conflict Analysis

Conflict Analysis Part 1: Observe an instance that you are not personally involved with where conflict is present (you will need to be a bit of a covert operator to accomplish this). Answer the following:

In several detailed paragraphs, describe the conflict scene.

1a. Who was involved in the conflict? What was the relationship between the participants prior to the conflict? Did it appear as if the relationship between the participants had any impact on how either person responded to the conflict?

1b. When and where did it take place? Was it formal or informal? Planned or unplanned? What impact did the location and time have on the outcome?

1c. What transpired? (be specific)

Many times when we face conflict, there is a surface-level problem and an underlying problem. The surface-level problem acts only as a symptom of the real problem. Consider both.

1d. What was the surface problem?

1e. What was the underlying problem or the real problem? If this is unclear, what might you speculate the real problem to be?

There are many conflict management strategies that can be employed when dealing with conflict. Consider which were present in this conflict.

1f. Which conflict management strategies were employed by each of the participants? Did the conflict management strategies change during the course of the conversation? How do you know? 

1g. What was the outcome? Was there a winner? A loser? Did there appear to be an impact on the relationship? If so, what was that impact?

1h. Looking back, describe at least two variables that could be changed in this scene to alter the outcome.

Conflict Analysis Part 2: Much of the learning in this course requires you to draw conclusions about your experiences and observations based on the concepts we have read about and discussed. Taking this into consideration:

2a., 2b. List two specific things you learned about conflict as a result of this exercise. Reference material from the text, threaded discussions, lecture, terminal course objectives, and so forth. Answers that demonstrate application of the course material and effective critical thinking will earn the greatest amount of points.

Your submission should be approximately one page in length: one paragraph per item for 1a.–1h., and 2a. and 2b.

SPCH 227 Week 4 Assignment, Individual Speech Presentation: Draft

From last week: Email your instructor early in the week to obtain speech topic approval if you have not already done so. Continue researching your topic and create a good thesis statement. Write at least three sentences for the main ideas concerning your topic.

This week, update your thesis statement and your main idea sentences, create at least two subtopics for each of the three main points, and add to your research notes. Use these items to write a first draft for your outline. Do the outline tutorial exercises provided in the lecture. Spend time learning about outlining and solving your topic organization, sequence, and outline problems. Your outline is not due this week. You will complete working on this outline next week. Nothing is due in the Dropbox yet for your speech.

PowerPoint presentations with recorded narration are due in Week 6. Begin practicing the use of your microphone with your computer and the PowerPoint narration feature. See the iConnect tab and the Presentation tab under Course Home for the tutorials on how to use these features.

Note: Notify your instructor now if you do not understand how to create an outline. If you are having great difficulty creating a draft of your outline, e-mail specific questions to your instructor. You may wish to ask for a personal phone call.

Written Assignment: Team Collaborative Outline Exercise

The following is a list of ideas that were brainstormed in a meeting with your company employees. The company needs to include all these ideas in an all-company presentation, but the list is very disorganized right now. What would be the best way to sort these ideas into some sequence of main points with subpoints?

With your assigned team, unscramble the following statements to create a logical outline for an upcoming business presentation. Use standard outline format as described in your textbook.

1. Ensure that the language is used correctly.
2. Speaker credibility influences how listeners feel about the speaker.
3. Character is the quality of being honest, trustworthy, and showing goodwill.
4. Deliver the speech with confidence.
5. Credibility is an extremely important factor in determining speaker effectiveness.
6. Connect the audience to the topic.
7. Practice your delivery.
8. Verbally cite personal subject knowledge.
9. Present error free written materials.
10. Credibility has three primary characteristics: the three Cs.
11. Ensure that typographical errors are eliminated.
12. Charisma is the quality of being assertive, confident, and enthusiastic.
13. Speaker credibility influences the listener’s ability to learn or to believe.
14. Demonstrate expertise.
15. Verbally cite expert sources.
16. Connect yourself to the topic.
17. Plan your delivery.
18. Ensure that facts are correct.
19. Competence is the quality of being an expert and intelligent.
20. Connect with the audience on a personal level.
21. Establish common ground.
22. Credibility is established in four ways.

Week 5 Assignment, Speech Written Assignment: Final Outline, Description of Visuals, and References

• Written Assignment: Your Final Outline needs to have a General goal for a topic for a certain audience, a Specific Goal, a Thesis Statement sentence, Introduction, Body of the Outline, and Conclusion. See Chapter 11 for writing general and specific goals. See the end of Chapter 12 for an example of a completed outline.
• Include a separate page for the Description of Visuals (PowerPoint images plan)
• Include a separate page named References and list sources in alphabetical order with hanging indents and use APA style. Do the APA tutorials provided in the Syllabus.
• Call a DeVry librarian for help on formatting your References page.
• See the outline rubric in Doc Sharing and check your work to be sure that you have included all of the requirements to complete this assignment.

Team Editing:

• Early in the week (Day 1, 2, or 3), share your completed first or second outline draft with your team to ask for feedback. If you do not share your first draft early in the week, you cannot expect other people to have time to review it for you.
• During the week (Days 1-5), respond to team members who have asked for your suggestions, comments, and corrections on their outlines. You can respond by any communication method of your choice – IM, chat, phone, email, texting, team threads, etc. Try to respond as early as you can, or at least within 2 days. If you can’t review an outline or provide any comment within 2 days of receiving a team member’s outline, notify your team member about when to expect your comments. Day 5 should be your latest date to respond to other people, or Day 6 for emergency last minute reviews. Remember that other people need time to use your ideas and revise their outlines!
• Review the suggestions, comments, and corrections that you receive daily from your team and incorporate the best ideas into your first draft outline.
• Save the end of your week (Days 6 and 7) for revising your own outline and preparing the Final Outline version, completing the Description of Visuals (PowerPoint images plan) page, and checking the References page.

SPCH 227 Week 6 Assignment, Speech: PowerPoint Presentation

• This week your PowerPoint Presentation is due.  Please see the Presentation item under course home for more details.

SPCH 227 Week 7 Written Assignment: Self Review Communication Improvement Plans, Parts 1, 2, 3, and 4

This week, you will evaluate your Self Review Communication Improvement Plans, Parts 1, 2, 3, and 4 of the textbook. Answer the following questions about your Self Reviews.

1. Self Review Part 1: Do the Self Review for the end of Part 1, Foundations of Communication on page 110. Compare this to the first Self Review on Part 1 that you did in Week 1. Read over the communication improvement plan for Part 1 that you wrote during Week 1. Have you changed any of these communication behaviors during this course? Were you able to implement this Part 1 Plan? Why or why not?
2. Self Review Part 2: Do the Self Review for the end of Part 2, Interpersonal Communication on page 206. Compare this to the first Self Review on Part 2 that you did in Week 1. Read over the communication improvement plan for Part 2 that you wrote during Week 1. Have you changed any of these communication behaviors during this course? Were you able to implement this Part 2 Plan? Why or why not?
3. Self Review Part 3: Do the Self Review for the end of Part 3, Group Communication on page 249. Compare this to the first Self Review on Part 3 that you did in Week 2. Read over the communication improvement plan for Part 3 that you wrote during Week 2. Have you changed any of these communication behaviors during this course? Were you able to implement this Part 3 Plan? Why or why not?

Self Review Part 4: Do the Self Review for the end of Part 4, Public Speaking on page 418. Compare this to the first Self Review on Part 4 that you did in Week 2. Read over the communication improvement plan for Part 4 that you wrote during Week 2. Have you changed any of these communication behaviors during this course? Were you able to implement this Part 4 Plan? Why or why not?

SPCH 227 Course Project

Select a relevant interpersonal communication behavior to work on; attempt to change your behavior or pattern in the communication area you selected, and evaluate your progress and performance.

Before you can begin this communication change project, you will need to select a relevant interpersonal communication behavior to work on. One word of advice: spend some time choosing your goal. Since you will be devoting significant time and energy to this particular project, and since it is such a rare opportunity to spend your time working on self-improvement, it is worth taking some extra time to choose a behavior that is particularly significant to you and worth this much attention. You will also find it easier to stay committed to the project over time if you are invested in the desired outcome.

We all have communication strengths and weaknesses that have a profound impact on our interpersonal relations with others. The way that we communicate is often the result of behavioral habits and patterns that we form over time vs. conscious decisions that we make as a result of a given set of circumstances. The communication behaviors that we develop, whether positive or negative, are indicative of what is often referred to as our communication style. In fact, our communication style is as much a part of us as the way we walk or the rate of our breathing.

Because the way that we communicate has been developed over a lifetime, changing the way we communicate is not easy and requires commitment. Changing the way we communicate is entirely possible however, and the results of such a change can be profound.

The following outline presents a method for making such a communication change. In short:

• First, analyze your communication behaviors and patterns.
• Second, identify a specific communication behavior or pattern that you feel you need to change or improve.
• Third, construct a plan for changing that communication behavior or pattern.
• Last, attempt to change your behavior or pattern in the communication area you selected, and evaluate your progress and performance.

Over the course of the session you will work through an eight-step process, which will require you to document how you analyzed, identified, changed, and evaluated your communication behaviors. You will be graded based on demonstrating that you followed this process and your final analysis, not on whether you actually achieved the desired change.

Milestones

The following eight steps will form the structure of the CCC experience and the written assignments. You will receive specific information on how to perform each step and when to submit them as we move through the session.

Part 1: Selecting a communication goal (due Week 1)
Part 2: Describing communication patterns (due Week 2 and 3) 
Part 3: Establishing behavioral goals: What will it look like when I am doing it well? (due Week 2 and 3) 
Part 4: Goal Analysis (due Week 4) 
Part 5: Covert Rehearsal: Practicing in your imagination (due Week 5) 
Part 6: Behavioral Rehearsal: Practicing your new behavior (due Week 5) 
Part 7: Actual Implementation: Performing your behavior in real-life situations (due Week 6 and 7) 
Part 8: Evaluating your progress (due Week 8)

CCC Evaluation

Parts 1 through 7 are evaluated as weekly Course Project assignments. To earn full credit for the first seven parts, it is important that you provide all of the detail requested in the blue box at the end of each part. The blue box for each step is located in the respective Course Project tab each week at the bottom. It is recommended that you organize your material with headings that demonstrate that you have worked through the process.

CCC Project Examples

Problem 1:

A 20-something woman recognizes that she appears to frown and/or has a negative facial expression when communicating interpersonally. Others often misread her as a result.

Outcome 1:

She set the goal of using a positive facial expression when communicating interpersonally. She was more successful at work and received significantly more attention in her personal life as well. She made many new friends and broke off a long-term, unhealthy relationship with her boyfriend as a result of the increased attention.

Problem 2:

A 40-something woman with a successful career recognizes that she does not accept criticism well. Generally, she jumped to the defense and never heard, nor considered, the merit of the feedback.

Outcome 2:

She set the goal of changing her response to receiving criticism. She found that she was able to learn from constructive feedback and was recognized in her review for the positive change in her behavior.

Problem 3:

A 30-something man recognizes that he is taken advantage of by his co-workers because he does not know how to say no. He often does the work of several employees and is sometimes even mocked by the co-workers who know that he has this deficit.

Outcome 3:

He set the goal to clearly evaluate requests from co-workers and say “yes” to those that are appropriate and to say “no” to those that are unreasonable. The co-workers were surprised at first and continued to challenge him for a time, but ultimately he won their respect and improved the working relationships significantly.