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Business Communication
BUS105 | 3 Credits
Get a closer look at how communication works in the workplace. Business Communication gives you the tools to communicate clearly and the confidence to use common business technology effectively.
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About Business Communication
What You’ll Learn
Business Communication examines the principles of communication in the workplace. This online college course is designed to increase your writing skills to gain greater mastery of grammar, mechanics, and style.
- Demonstrate with an example the importance of communication to business.
- Using audience analysis adapt a message to the audience.
- Write business messages and documents with clarity and precision.
- Use the you-viewpoint and positive language in writing to build goodwill.
- Organize and write clear business e-mails and letters.
- Write positive messages that are well-structured and direct.
- Compose tactful and courteous negative messages.
- Use persuasive strategies to compose a variety of persuasive messages.
- Show how to research and organize information in a report.
- Organize and write a short report or a proposal.
- Prepare a well-structured, long, formal report.
- Create different kinds of textual and visual graphics and apply the guidelines of page designing to a report.
- Prepare and organize an effective formal presentation.
- Describe what one can do to effectively communicate across cultures.
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WANT US TO CHECK?Course Details
Discover important aspects and techniques for writing informational, persuasive, sales, employment, and both positive and negative news communications.
ACE-Recommended
ACE Code:
OOSL-0014
Flexible Schedule
30-day Average Course Completion
Business Courses Transferred Over 24,900 Times
$1,300,000 Saved on Tuition
Prerequisites
There are no prerequisites to take Business Communication.
Course Text
The required eTextbook for this course is included with your course purchase at no additional cost.
- A derivative from the original work: Business Communication for Success, by Scott McLean, is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
Course Checkpoints
Effective Business Communications
- Why Is It Important to Communicate Well?
- What Is Communication?
- Communication in Context
- Business Ethics and Your Responsibilities as a Communicator
Delivering Your Message: Verbal and Nonverbal Communication
- What Is Language?
- Messages
- Principles of Verbal and Nonverbal Communication
- Language Can be an Obstacle to Communication
- Nonverbal Communication in Digital Workspaces
- Visual Aids
- Improving Verbal Communication
Understanding your Audience
- Self-Understanding Is Fundamental to Communication
- Perception and Differences in Perception
- Getting to Know Your Audience
- Listening and Reading for Understanding
Effective Business Writing
- Oral versus Written Communication
- How Is Writing Learned?
- Good Writing Style in Written Communication
- Principles of Written Communication
- Overcoming Barriers to Effective Written Communication
Writing Preparation
- Think, Then Write: Writing Preparation
- A Planning Checklist for Business Messages
- Research and Investigation: Getting Started
- Ethics, Plagiarism, and Reliable Sources
- Completing Your Research and Investigation
- Reading and Analyzing
Writing
- Organization
- Writing Style
- Making an Argument
- Paraphrase and Summary versus Plagiarism
- Ethics and Content Selection
Revising and Presenting your Writing
- General and Specific Revision Points to Consider
- Style Revisions
- Evaluating the Work of Others
- Proofreading and Design Evaluation
Feedback in the Writing Process
- Diverse Forms of Feedback
- Qualitative and Quantitative Research Feedback
- Feedback as an Opportunity
- How am I Doing?
Business Writing in Action
- Text, Email, Netiquette, and Negative Emails
- Memorandums and Letters
- Business Proposal
- Report
- Résumé and Cover Letter
- Sales Message
- Crisis Communication Plan
Communication to Inform
- Functions of Communication to Inform
- Types of Communication to Inform
- Adapting Your Presentation to Teach
- Diverse Types of Intelligence and Learning Preferences
Communication to Persuade
- What Is Persuasion?
- Principles of Persuasion
- Functions of the Presentation to Persuade
- Meeting the Audience’s Basic Needs
- Making an Argument
- Communicating Ethically and Avoiding Fallacies
- Elevator Speech
Communicating to Varied Audiences: Intercultural and Intergenerational Communication
- Intercultural Communication
- Intergenerational Communication
- Changing Demographics
- Strategies for Effective Communication
- Common Cultural Characteristics
- Divergent Cultural Characteristics
- International Communication and the Global Marketplace
- Styles of Management
Group Communication, Teamwork and Leadership
- Workspaces: Then and Now–A Comparative Analysis
- Communication Benefits of Different Work Environments
- Flexing Strategies in the Workplace
- What Is a Group?
- Group Problem Solving
- Using Technology to Facilitate Meetings
- Organizational Communication
- Collaboration in the 21st Century Workplace
Assignments & Grading
Your score provides a percentage score and letter grade for each course. A passing percentage is 70% or higher.
Assignments for this course include:
- 4 Reading Check
- 5 Graded Exam
- 1 Graded Final
What You’ll Need
- A reliable computer or laptop
- Stable internet connection
- Web browser
- Basic computer skills
- Any required course materials
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Real, human feedback to help you ace your assignments
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Professional development assistance
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Professional development assistance
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Resume-building resources
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Make a Bigger Impact in Your Business Career
Clear and strategic communication is essential in business at any level. Business Communication will teach you how to write, present, and collaborate more effectively on the job. You’ll build the skills you need to connect with clients, teams, and leadership more easily.
Why it matters:
- Nearly 1 in 4 employed professionals with a university degree studied business.
- Communication is consistently ranked among the most important job skills by employers across all industries.
How this course sets you up for success:
Marketing Manager, Corporate Communications Specialist, Public Relations Associate, Sales Executive, Business Analyst, Project Manager, Client Services Manager, Internal Communications Coordinator
How this course sets you up for success:
You’ll learn how to communicate with more clarity and confidence — skills that make a lasting impact in any business environment.
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