• Communication Breakdowns: Think back to a time you experienced a communication breakdown in a business setting (something you're comfortable discussing with the class). Was it a form of upward, downward, or horizontal communication and why? Did you figure out why the breakdown occurred? Was it related to cultural differences, selective perception, emotional factors, technology, or some other identifiable cause? How might you avoid similar breakdowns in the workplace?
• Effective Professional Communication: When it comes to communication skills, employers express particular frustration with recent college graduates who haven't learned how to adapt to a professional environment. Identify a video clip (on YouTube or another online source) that you believe represents an example of effective communication in a business setting. Post a link to the video in discussion, along with a brief written summary of why you think this example shows effective communication in action using your textbook for support. Discuss the importance of effective professional communication in a business context.
• Lessons in Communication: Celebrities can learn from successful businesses when it comes to managing their careers, but businesses can learn from successful celebrities, tooparticularly when it comes to building communities online using social media. For instance, social media guru Dan Schawbel cites Vin Diesel, Ashton Kutcher, Lady Gaga, Lenny Kravitz, and Michael Phelps as celebrities who have used Facebook to build their personal brands.Locate three celebrities (musicians, actors, authors, or athletes) who have sizable fan bases on Facebook and analyze how they use the social network. Do brief analysis of the lessons, positive or negative, that a business could learn from these celebrities. Be sure to cite specific elements from the Facebook pages you've chosen, and if you think any of the celebrities have made mistakes in their use of Facebook, describe those as well.
• Intercultural Communication: Find an online business documentsuch as a company webpage, blog post, Facebook Info tab, or LinkedIn profile that you believe commits an intercultural communication blunder by failing to consider the needs of at least some of its target readers. For example, a website might use slang or idiomatic language that could confuse some readers, or it might use language that offends some readers. In a discussions post, share the text you found and explain why you think it does not succeed as effective intercultural communication. Offer recommendations for changes. Be sure to include a link back to the original material.