Gretchen N. Vik

Breaking Bad Habits: Teaching Effective PowerPoint Use to Working Graduate Students

introduction to the presentation. And it was early in the semester when they had more time to devote to teamwork instead of late in the semester when both students and faculty have frayed nerves and time challenges. By conducting research early in the semester for the oral presentation, students were ready to use their research techniques in more depth when preparing for a written report on a different topic. Perhaps you might wish to revisit the structure of your oral presentation and decide if it is the best opportunity for your students or if changes would enhance your results.

Topics for Business Communication Research

*Members of the Subcommittee were: John D. Pettit, Jr., Chair; Joel P. Bowman; Bernadine Branchaw; Howard Greenbaum; Leah Grubb; James M. Lahiff; John M. Penrose; William Sharbrough; Norman B. Sigband; Gretchen N. Vik; Morris P. Wolf; Mohan Limaye; Robert Insley; Lamar Reinsch; and Larry Smeltzer. This report combines efforts of the 1985, 1986, and 1987 Committees. ORGANIZATIONAL/MANAGERIAL COMMUNICATION

What We Need to Teach in a Basic Writing Skills Course.

The other phases can be done as homework with only a brief in-class explanation. The amount of class time to discuss the similarities and differences of the group rests with the instructor. The strength of this assignment in examining decision-making effectiveness lies in its explicitness; students actually determine what behaviors represent effective and ineffective performance. In addition, students discover which dimensions are common to all groups and which dimensions are peculiar to individual task groups.

Do-It-Yourself Cases for Accountants.

IN OUR &dquo;REPORTING FOR ACCOUNTANTS&dquo; course, students have a number of individual assignments, two case exams and a final, and three team projects that include both a written and a presentation component. The last team project is a payroll workpaper assignment that gives students practice in planning an interview for information; handling a team interview of a payroll expert at a company the team chooses; writing up the company’s payroll process in narrative and flowchart form with appropriate cross-referencing; analyzing the process for strengths, weaknesses, and recommendations; and then presenting the payroll process in

Computer Screen Design Strategies

Computer screen design has some features in common with printed page de sign and some very different features as well. Basic communication techniques, such as conciseness, clarity, and consistency, are still important, as are use of short sentences and paragraphs, common diction, itemizing, headings, and white space. The different features of the electronic medium, such as varied color, reverse video, scrolling and other movement, sound, and automatic spacing, can cause some problems for users if not designed effec tively. This paper will discuss strategies for effective computer screen design based on the research on screen format and screen readability, and the use of graphics features and color. Both novice and experienced computer users can benefit from this information.

Book Reviews : Word Processing: A Systems Approach to the Office. Helen McCabe and Estelle Popham. Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Inc. 1977. 180 pp

Word Processing is aimed at secretarial science students, but business students in other areas could learn a lot through a reading of this book. Word processing is discussed first historically, and the emphasis is on the changing position of secretaries with the addition of the new electronic equipment, but Chapter 6, &dquo;Word Processing Case Studies,&dquo; goes beyond professional studies material into some very interesting management background on how 12 major companies automated their word processing. These case studies show a range of problems and detail the solutions. This material would be helpful to any student who will ever work in an office, as well as to secretaries and word processing employees. ’

Communication Training Programs for Business

tolerate and must convince the student that nothing is to be gained through deception. The Prison Environment May Be Threatening for The Teacher. For the average teacher the idea of teaching behind steel bars and undergoing security searches by armed guards may be disturbing. The security measures are constant reminders that the teacher is in a potentially dangerous environment. After a few weeks, however, most teachers become accustomed to the environment and to its physical manifestations. REWARDS

Book Reviews : What Color is Your Parachute? Richard N. Bolles. Berkeley, CA, Ten Speed Press, 1975 (revised), 229 pages (paperback).

In some ways, their advice parallels and amplifies that found in most business communication texts. For example, those looking for jobs are always told to analyze themselves and what they can offer a company and to analyze businesses to decide where best to put their skills to use. Bolles and Irish go farther and spend a great many pages giving helpful ideas for self-analysis. Bolles offers human potential group goal-finding and says that the job-seeker needs to set aside several months to really work on self-analysis. Irish gives more conventional advice on functional resumes, but the thrust of both books is that self-analysis is crucial to the job-finding process. It’s not just what your major is, but what kind of job you’ll be happy in, that ought to affect your choice, according to both books.

4.95. Go Hire Yourself An Employer. Richard K. Irish. New York, Anchor Books, 1973, 165 pages (paperback).

can help in teaching writing, particularly in business courses. Some valuable concepts of communication theory seem buried for students under the mass of theorizing about it, whereas the useful concepts ought to be applied rather than merely presented as theory. One result of the 1959 Gordon and Howell report recommending upgrading of the business curriculum was the addition of communication theory to the old business writing course. To augment the business English, letters, and reports that had always been taught, textbook writers added sections