Welcome to Communication 240: Business and Government. I am looking forward to a creative and productive semester. I look forward to getting to know each of you and watching you evolve as effective communicators. I really enjoy teaching at TCNJ. I enjoy teaching this class because I teach from a practical perspective, although we will examine some ethical and theoretcial dimensions too. It is so satisfying to help so many of you get prepared for your professional careers. We will be examining communication from a number of different directions all in the context of real life in both business and government settings. A few of the many paths that we will explore include investigating how messages are created from the perspective of the sender to how they are received from the perspective of the receiver. The channels used, the effective of culture in the formation of a message and the networks used. We will understand how to effectively communicate in business and examine how messages travel in a business environment whether you the management or subordinate. Additionally, we will focus on the presentational skills needed to give a talk, train an employee or ace a job interview, just to name a few. We will address the message shared in government and politics by using the issues in today's government. Examining the message and learning that making important decisions is more than the charisma but, analyzing the message. We will observe and apply technology and explore how it creates and changes in the message in new and fascinating ways. And, lastly, we will focus on networking and interviewing that occurs in professional settings. Blogging on our class blog will be an important method of capturing our thoughts. We will be using this blog to communicate in many ways in the class, so it is an important class requirement that you visit this blog a few times during the week to keep abreast of assignments and other important class information.We will be using blogs as a means of recording our learning and studies. Every student is required to blog. You can begin by posting your blogs on our class blog post or as the semester evolves, create your own blog. Whatever the case, it is important that you remember that this is an extension of our academic classroom. You must use appropriate grammar, spelling and ideas in all your posts. Also, trying to rush through an assignment or making a weak effort in posting will be evident for all persons to see. Also, be sure to adhere to copyright issues in all posting. Only your originals work(s) whether words or pictures may be used. Please check out the Com 240 links throughout the semester for helpful places needed while in this course. You should feel free to email me at the address on the syllabus at any time for help, questions, concerns, or possible class absences. We will be using this blog to create discussion and complete written assignments this semester. Please be sure that you create a gmail account so you can post on our blog this semester. Please email me if you have any problems asap.
Use this blog post to introduce yourself to the class. We will use it as a practice post. I am looking forward to a pleasurable and productive semester! Share with us a brief introduction of yourself. What do you want us to know about you? What is something unusual or "wowful" about you? Be sure to include how you hope this course will help you further your career or personal goals.
A relentless passion for aiming towards excellence fuels my commitment to school and work. As a Philosophy major, I’m often asked, “So. . . what are you going to do with that?” I explain that studying philosophy provides skills that are crucial in almost any work environment. I’ll go on to explain that I’m considering working in a corporate Executive Vice President capacity.
ReplyDeleteFor some reason, most people do not expect a philosophy major to have these ambitions.
I’ve enjoyed working in a diverse set or roles including plain-clothes Loss Prevention Investigator (apprehending shoplifters) for Six Flags, teaching juggling classes and working in sales/guest satisfaction. In all of these jobs I’ve had to effectively convey my objectives to a wide range of audiences.
In this class, I look forward to honing in public speaking skills and learning presentations for specific audiences such as an elevator speech to impress those C-Suite executives.
I’m eager to meet everyone in class on August 31.
-Jesse de Agustin
Hello everyone! My name is Ali Jaeger and I am a senior biology major. I am applying to veterinary schools this fall, and I hope my experience with large and small animals, as well as wildlife, will make me a competitive candidate! My other passion is lacrosse. I dedicate myself to the varsity program at TCNJ, and my goal is to lead the team to a national championship this year. I suppose an "unusual" fact about myself is that I play the drums.
ReplyDeleteI am excited to take this course, as I hope it will better prepare me to speak confidently at future veterinary school interviews.
I look forward to meeting everyone on Tuesday.
Ali
Hello, my name is Iana. This is my freshman year and I am currently majoring in International Business. I just graduated from Hopewell Valley Central High School.
ReplyDeleteAlthough the past six or seven years my family has resided in Pennington, my family did a lot of traveling before they settled down.
My parents were originally from Bulgaria and I was also born in Bulgaria. At the early age of three I moved to Johannesburg, South Africa. My family lived in South Africa for five years, most of which were spent in the predominantly Caucasian city, Cape Town.
When I turned eight my mother won a green card to the United States. As a family we packed up our life in South Africa for the opportunity of a lifetime.
I return to Bulgaria every summer and along the way I have visited many other European countries. I have also traveled to a few countries out side of Europe including Japan and Mexico.
Travel has been a very important aspect of my childhood and has shaped me into the person I am today. It has taught me to be open to all the different people around me and it has instilled in me a burning passion to explore different cultures and countries.
I enrolled in this course because I have never been a confident presenter whether it is in front of a large group or even just a few people I am not familiar with. I am hoping to get a job where I can meet many different people and share my passions and my views. I expect that this class will help me do so.
Greetings,
ReplyDeleteMy name is Alisha. I am a senior and majoring in Communications (Radio/TV/Film ). I am excited for this year because this is my last year at TCNJ. Soon I will be embarking on a new chapter in my life. Where I will be attending film school and pursuing a Masters in Film. Besides film my other passion is being involved in my church by spreading the love of Jesus Christ through talking, prayer, or a hug. By taking Public Speaking I hope to gain the proper skills and confidence needed for public speaking and networking.
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ReplyDeleteGreetings class,
ReplyDeleteMy name is Valerys I am sophomore pursuing a major in Communication Studies. I was born and raised in Dominican Republic but my family moved to the U.S when I was eleven years old and I have been residing in New Jersey ever since. Like many immigrant families, my family migrated in search of better opportunities. Fortunately, we found better opportunities and accomplished most of what we hoped for.
Nevertheless, I believe that for every great opportunity there is great sacrifice and our sacrifice was leaving a whole lifetime behind, family, friends, and indispensable neighbors. It is for these reasons that love to travel as much as I can to my country,to visit all that I left behind.
My ultimate career goal is to become a news reporter or anchor and I hope that this course will help me develop the confidence and skills in public speaking that I will need to pursue this career.
Val~
Hi Everyone!
ReplyDeleteMy name is Carmella Holl and I am a freshman this year at TCNJ. I am coming in as a Business Marketing major. I have known since the seventh grade that this was the type of career I wanted to pursue. My father is a Director of Marketing at Sanofi-Aventis Pharmaceuticals. When I attended “Bring Your Child to Work Day” five years ago, I knew that this was the job for me!
I have been dancing since I was five years old. I have experienced many types of dancing such as ballet, tap, jazz, pointe, modern, jazz, lyrical and hip hop. I spent nine years in my studio’s selective Company. Although I do not want to go professional, I hope to continue my dancing in college.
I am excited to be in this class because I always want to improve my public speaking. Going into the world of business, I realize that having exceptional communication skills is crucial. I have had a lot of training in public speaking through a program I am a part of called RYLA (Rotary Youth Leadership Academy) however I know there is always room for improvement.
I am very excited to be part of this class!
- Carmella Holl
Hey Everyone!
ReplyDeleteMy name is Meg Woodworth and I'm a double major in Communication Studies and Marketing. I really hope that this class will help me to improve my communication skills, especially in large groups which can cause a lot of anxiety for me. I'm not really sure what I want to do yet, however I've found all of the Communication classes that I've taken here at TCNJ to be very interesting, so I'd like to do something in that field.
I was born and raised in Monmouth County, New Jersey. I'm a sophomore at TCNJ and I absolutely love this school. I'm a sister of Delta Zeta Sorority, and I have one biological sister who's two years older than me. You can usually find me in the Library Cafe, because it's my favorite place on campus. One "Fun Fact" about me is that I've been a vegetarian for four years.
I'm really excited for this semester, and I hope this class will help me to improve my communication skills.
It was really great meeting everyone today and hearing a little bit about each of you! :)
-Meg
Hi all,
ReplyDeleteI'm an Interpersonal/Organizational Communication Studies major with a minor in Women and Gender studies. I'm in my Senior year, and in the process of preparing for the LSAT.
I believe that I already do have strong public speaking skills, but there is *always* room to improve and learn theories behind tactics that can strengthen delivery and impact. I am full of personality and energy and I really believe that helps my speech skills.
Looking forward to working together throughout this semester with you all!
My name is Carly Koziol and I am sophomore open-options major within the field of Communications. I entered campus my freshman year as a Biomedical Engineer and quickly realized that the niche was not right for my personality. Although it resulted in a terrible first week as a freshman, it was the wake-up call I needed to rethink my future goals.
ReplyDeleteI took a step back and thought about what truly made me happy: fashion and people. I have this creative edge that allows treasures to be unearthed from thrift stores and goodwill, and a natural gift to offer insight upon self-presentation and trends.* In addition, human interaction is the source that paints a smile upon my face day in and day out. In efforts to intertwine my passion with profitable career opportunities, I’m choosing the offbeat path within the field of Communications (contrary to Fashion Merchandising, ect.) in order to achieve my own professional success story (yet to be determined).
In the context of this class, eloquently efficient speakers are not only admired by me, but also envied. Those who are able to get their point across and profitably reap the benefits of efficient speaking skills are those, who for the most part, achieve their goals. I hope this class replaces that envy with confidence in the fact that I, too, can be counted within this efficient group of communicators.
*I made a few bracelets by hammering and twisting forks and spoons, catching the attention of bystanders. Before I knew it, I went through dozens and dozens of eating utensils crafting jewelry for TCNJ acquaintances. This perhaps holds a correlation to last year’s significantly reduced amount of silverware in Eickhoff by the end of spring semester. My apologies!
Hello Class,
ReplyDeleteMy name is Brittany Sykes and I am a sophomore finance major. I am also a part of the Black Student Union e-board, serving as the VP of Internal Affairs. I plan on becoming more involved this semester by joining more organizations focusing on financial matters such as Coming into TCNJ, I really didn't know what to expect, but once I moved in and began to meet people, I had the opportunity to meet some fantastic people, not to mention, the great academic reputation that TCNJ holds. As for a random fact about me, I have a fascination with Ancient Greece and plan on studying abroad in Greece next year.
I decided to take this class because I feel it is essential to know how to speak well and express your ideas in a presentable manner for any profession. However, I believe I am lacking in that area. I have plenty of ideas, but I have trouble communicating them to others. I am hoping this class will strengthen my abilities in this area, so I can travel further in my career. Anyone can have a good idea, but it all depends how well you present it to others and what they think that makes a difference.
Hey Everyone,
ReplyDeleteMy name is Lauren Sampson, a senior Health & Exercise Science major. I'm currently undertaking the process of applying to both, graduate school for Global Health and the Peace Corps. Which means essays, essays, essays, and the GRE. Dreadful. On a happier note, I am the President of the National Council of Negro Women on campus and actively involved in several other organizations.
My "wowful" factor would be my extensive (in comparison to majority of my friends) musical knowledge. I can't plan any instrument but absolutely love listening to music, fall asleep listening to it ever night.
I'm taking this class because I intended to pursue a career in policy and management of international health with organizations like USAID or WHO. And I need to be able to communicate effective to the audiences I'll be addressing. It's also a dream of mine to address the United Nations one day.
Hi,
ReplyDeleteMy name is Alexandria, but everyone calls me Aly. I am a junior here at college and currently majoring in communications. I'm from Jersey City, but I love dorming at TCNJ.
I intern with the March of Dimes, The March for Babies. I participated in the walk back in april and raised almost $500 in 1 week. (I'm a bit of a last minute person ;) ) I've been a nanny since I was 12 yrs old and I love working with kids.
I've taken public speaking classes before, but for some reason I still blank out and find it hard to speak in front of a group of people. Otherwise, I am really easy to talk to and get along with. I am excited for this class and think we can all help each other out alot.
I want to own my own business one day and I think have a skill set like public speaking will benefit me in the long run. Learning how to converse with people and network is especially important.
I look foward to getting to know all of you =]
-Aly
Hello everyone! It was great to hear about you all in class on Tuesday and I think these blog posts are going to be a fun way to allow us all to interact more.
ReplyDeleteAs I mentioned when I spoke on Tuesday, my name is Michelle Dutka and I am a senior this year, majoring in Communication Studies. I transferred into TCNJ from Ocean County College and I love everything about it here! Right now I work in the Sports Information Office on campus, assisting the Sports Information Director with public relations for all of the sports here at TCNJ. I feel so lucky to have gotten this job because I feel like I found a field that I would love to work in. In order to pursue working in sports, I am a Public Relations Intern with the Philadelphia Flyers this fall. I’m really excited to get more experience in the field I’m interested in pursuing.
I’ve taken a public speaking course at Ocean County College, but I absolutely wanted to take one here at TCNJ also. I always try to convince myself that I feel comfortable speaking in front of people, but every time I know I have to speak I still get that uneasy feeling in my stomach and my hands start to shake. I’m so excited to improve my public speaking skills because it is such a vital part of any career. I hope to eventually become fully confident as a public speaker.
As for my “wowful” quality, I think that would be my optimism. Every summer when I waitress, customers usually tell me they appreciate my smile and cheerfulness, especially when they can tell that the restaurant is busy and I am probably overwhelmed. My optimism allows me to find the positive in any situation and always remain happy and cheerful.
Thanks for taking the time to learn more about me and I’m looking forward to some great discussions this semester!
Hello, Everyone!
ReplyDeleteMy name is Audrey Hix, and I am a Junior Communication Studies major with a focus in Public/Mass Media and a minor in Psychology. I hope to use these degrees towards a career in public relations, corporate communications, or promotions. Already, it has helped me attain a promotions internship with NJ 101.5.
I do not have one extraordinary skill that makes me “wowful”- I cannot ride a unicycle, sing, or dance. However, I am dependable, punctual, organized, and consistent in my schoolwork, work and personal life, which sets me apart from others.
I took COM240 because I have never been a great public speaker. I remain calm until right before I have to go up in front of the class to deliver my speech or presentation, and then my heart starts pounding and my throat goes dry. I slip on words, start talking too fast, look at the ceiling, laugh nervously, and have even been known to have a coughing fit in the middle of a speech. In other words, it’s not pretty. I’m hoping this class will help me convey my wowful characteristics to peers and potential employers with calm, friendly confidence.
Hi Everyone!
ReplyDeleteMy name is Kim. I am a junior at TCNJ and am in the process of changing my major to Communications. I am looking forward to this semester because it means that I am no longer a Nursing major! I am also a bit nervous because I have never taken a communications course. Now I am taking four!
I am looking forward to taking COM 240 because although I love to talk, I am not great at speaking in front of large groups of people. I hope this class will make me more comfortable in doing so because public speaking skills are important to a career in the communications field. After graduation, I hope to burn my waitressing apron and work in the public relations/marketing field.
As far as hobbies go, I love to travel and see new places. I spent a lot of time doing so this summer and am getting excited about a trip to Utah in two weeks (I won't be missing any class, Professor M). I also like to paint, but I can never find enough time to do it because of my busy work schedule.
According to Professor Mcmanimon, my "wowful" factor is my smile. After thinking about it for awhile, I realized she's right. I use my smile to bring a little something extra to conversations with both strangers and friends. It's amazing what a good orthodontist can do!
Hello everyone,
ReplyDeleteMy name's Luciano Grullon and I am a Super Senior majoring in Journalism with a double minor in Philosophy and Communications. I look forward to becoming a better communicator with this class.
Some of my most memorable moments thus far have been instances where I had to speak in front of influential individuals. For instance, I participated in an intense summer legal program at Seton Hall Law where I had to defend a case in front of four real judges for approximately 45 minutes. All of us who participated in this program had to take Torts, Contracts, Appellate Advocacy and First Year Legal Writing. Each course in itself required that you embrace the Socratic Method and always be on your toes because when you were chosen to speak you had to stand up and speak clearly with confidence. If undegrad institutions required this, I am pretty sure that we'd produce more confident public speakers.
My goal is to become a transactional lawyer or an in-house counsel primarily while doing pro bono immigration law on the side. I am confident that this class will help me refine and cultivate the skills necessary to speak persuasively and capture the attention of the audience.
From what I've been told, my "wowful" factor is the fact that I always put others before me. I consider this a blessing passed on from my mother and hope to continue being this way.
Hi everyone,
ReplyDeleteI’m Leann and I’m a senior marketing major with a minor in communication. The past three years at TCNJ have just flown by for me. I moved in early this summer to help with freshman welcome week and I still remember playfair and all the other events like they just happened. At the same time, I feel as though I’ve grown and learned lots. I came here only with a vague notion that I wanted to be in the business world because of leadership roles I had in high school. Besides actually declaring a major and deciding on a communications minor, I also tried to become active on campus. I’ve tried out a variety of clubs on campus but I ultimately found my passion as a member of the Residence Hall Association (RHA). Last year I served as a chair on the programming committee where I got the opportunity to be involved in planning different events on campus and this year I was elected as treasurer. Both through my major and RHA, I know what a powerful tool public speaking can be. By taking this course I hope to refine my public speaking skills, especially “ad lib” type and “elevator speech” since that’s where I usually have the least amount of confidence.
As for my “wow” factor, I think it’s my ability to listen to others and be a sympathetic ear for anyone who needs someone to talk to. After the class speech however, it was brought to my attention that another “wow” factor about me is my passion and while I tend not to really notice this about myself, I can see why other people would pick up on this trait.
I was born on the most majestic island in the world, and then five years later my parents shoved me on a plane and transported me to the most populated state in the Untied States. I moved from the glory of Australia to the filth of the New Jersey, from crystal clear beaches to jelly fish infested waters, and from acres of green grass to smog filled cities.
ReplyDeleteMy parents are both Egyptian fled Egypt after facing major persecution for being a Coptic Orthodox Christian. The Coptic people, a small minority in Egypt, have still faced persecution until today. I currently am involved in efforts to bring human rights to Egypt. Most recently I attended a protest in front of the United Nations and the Egyptian consulate to bring justice for eight people who died after attending a midnight mass on Christmas Eve.
Throughout my life I want to continue my efforts to bring human rights to my fellow Christians in Egypt and throughout the world. My future goals are to become a pharmacist, and help in humanitarian efforts in places of need such as Kenya and other areas stricken with poverty. I am satisfied with my life and my dream is to make all others just as satisfied.
I feel that public speaking will allow me to be able to bring to the public’s eyes my views on human rights issues. It will allow me to become more well rounded because effective communication allows you to interact with a lot more people and thus understanding a lot more cultures. Also I plan on becoming a physical therapist and communication is key to being a successful therapist.