MANAGEMENT COMMUNICATIONS MGT 268 - Students - UC Davis

MANAGEMENT COMMUNICATIONS MGT 268
Fall/2010
Wednesdays, 3:10 - 6 p.m.
Adjunct Professor: Daniel Kennedy
dnykennedy@ucdavis.edu
Mobile: 916-501-3352
Office hours: readily available by appointment in room 3207 Gallagher Hall
Course Introduction and Outline
This management communications course will improve your effectiveness as a
speaker. (A companion elective, also by Professor Kennedy, is MGT #290, which
is devoted to business writing.)
In MGT #268, which will meet for seven sessions, each student will give at least
five brief oral presentations. Constructive critiques will follow. Students thereby
acquire one skill after the other, and test them, all based on their individual
needs. The assignments often mirror real-world situations and require deft
handling. Managing anxiety, speaking at the right speed, eliminating uh’s – these
basics will all be addressed. The class is particularly welcoming to students with
great anxiety about having to give presentations.
The course objective is to instill confidence and competence that will last a
lifetime for every student. Speaking is a craft: it can be learned during the sevenweek
duration of this class within a supportive environment of peers.
Second-year students have registration priority, as class size is strictly limited to
twenty (necessary to allow time for individual presentations.)
Required Reading
The Management Communications #298-2 packet, including brief readings
Recommended Reading/Viewing
Lenny Laskowski, 10 Days to More Confident Public Speaking. Princeton

Language Institute, Grand Central Publishing, 2001
James C. Humes. Speak Like Churchill, Stand Like Lincoln. Prime Publishing,
2002.
Janet E. Esposito, Overcome Your Fear of Public Speaking and Performing. In
The Spotlight, 2003.
Pamela Angell. Business Communication Design. McGraw Hill Irwin. 2004 (sic).
This is a great overall textbook on all aspects of the subject.
Also, to view and learn from quality presentations by noted speakers, with and
without accompanying visuals, go to
http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks.
Evaluation and Grading
Class participation: 15%
Speaking assignments: 85%
Important notes: What is “participation?” It’s attendance, first of all, because this
is a hands-on workshop environment. It’s also active participation in the
discussions and critiques. All assignments benefit from being rehearsed with
others, especially students in the class.
Code of Ethics Disclosure
All students who take this course are governed by the University of California's
standards of ethical conduct for students, in particular, the sections on academic
conduct and integrity. These sections set forth the responsibilities of students
and faculty to maintain a spirit of academic honesty and integrity at U. C. Davis.
It is essential that you are aware of this code of conduct and the disciplinary
actions that may be taken in the event of a violation. Details may be obtained
from the GSM Associate Dean or the Office of Judicial Affairs.
Students in this class should abide by the course-specific policies regarding
participation, collaboration, and reliance on the work of others, as spelled out
earlier in this syllabus and by the instructor in class.
Schedule
Starting in the second class, oral presentations will be recorded for your
personal viewing outside of class in order to enhance learning.

1 st class: Learn the importance of skilled management communications, and
receive an introduction to the craft of making a presentation. Also, each student
makes a 90-second oral presentation. “If I were (a person of tremendous
influence, with the ability to reshape something about business), I would
change….” (you might choose a subject tied to OB, HR, philanthropic activity, the
capital markets, green manufacturing, advertising, etc.)
2 nd class: Each student makes a 3-minute oral presentation, advocating a
change in the realm of healthcare in the U.S. or elsewhere in the world. Imagine
that your audience consists of people in the healthcare industry – physicians,
nurses, hospital administrators, executives in healthcare insurance, healthcare
policy leaders, and the like.
3 rd class: Ten students make 3-minute oral presentations. The assignment is to
tell us about a key incident or person in your life that has had a major influence
on your business aspirations. This taps a student’s story-telling skills. This will
take 90 minutes; the professor will lecture during the remaining time.
4 th class: The remaining ten students make their presentations on the topic from
last week. Professor teaches skills in the balance of the period.
5 th class: Each student makes a 3-minute persuasive presentation, incorporating
one or more props (visual elements other than PowerPoint).
6 th class and 7 th class: During classes six and seven, students will give inspiring
presentations drawn from personal experience. These presentations will include
elements of wit, which will be explained beforehand. Additionally, the professor
will lecture and demonstrate the correct uses of PowerPoint and other skills.
There will be no final exam.