Week 2 Explore Graded Activity Template

Use the prompts below to submit your proposal topic and audience analysis to your instructor for review. Save your document with your last name_first initial_Week2_COM510 (example: Smith_J_Week2_COM510). 

My topic is: 

[Write your response here.]

It is important because

[Write your response here.]

It solves the following problem(s)

[Write your response here.]

Its benefit(s) is (are)

[Write your response to Question 1 here.]

My audience is

[Write your response to Question 1 here.]

Here are some pointer that can assist you on the assignment;

COM510 ASSIGNMENT COMMUNICATION CHALLENGE TOPICS 

In the world of business, we can create opportunities through strategic communication. Throughout our professional careers, there are key events that raise the stakes of our communications approach. 

WHAT YOU’LL DO 

1. 1)  Review the Communication Challenge Topics and their accompanying case study examples. 

2. 2)  Select 1 topic that is professionally relevant for you. 

3. 3)  Use for your COM510 assignments (Assignment 1: Outline (Week 4); Assignment 2: Written Communication Plan (Week 8); Assignment 3: 5 minute or less Video (Week 10) (the topic you have selected, not the case study example).
Note: If there is another challenge or current opportunity in your professional life that is more relevant for you, you may choose a topic that is not on this list. Keep in mind that the communication challenge you select must include both written and verbal communication elements to meet the needs of this course. (Your professor must approve your selection before you proceed.) 

Examples of each scenario are provided to demonstrate what thoughtful, professional communication would look like in each of these situations. These are only examples and should not be used for completing the assignment. You can create and establish all necessary assumptions. The scenario is yours to explain. 

WHAT YOU’LL CONSIDER

· Your topic 

· The topic’s importance 

· The problem(s) it solves 

· Its benefits 

· Your audience 

COMMUNICATION CHALLENGE TOPICS 

Choose one of the following topics for your assignments: 

· Internal Promotion 

· New Job Opportunity Interview 

· Pitching a Project Idea

· Mini TED Talk 

· Topic of Your Choice Approved by Your Professor (see Note above)  

INTERNAL PROMOTION 

Seeking a promotion from within your company is one opportunity in which strategic communication could mean the difference be- tween success and failure. If you choose this scenario, you’ll need to create both a written and a verbal (audio or video) communication. These elements should explain why you are the right person for the internal promotion while addressing potential questions you might need to answer as part of the process. 

Things to Consider 

· Have you checked the listings on your company’s job board lately? 

· Is there a new position you would like to secure? 

· Have you taken on more responsibility at work? 

· Have your outcomes been positive? 

· Do your job title and job description match what you do? (If your job description is inaccurate, be sure to mention this when you are interviewing and/or negotiating.) 

Case Study Example — Internal Promotion 

Lakisha has been working at the XYZ Company for two years. She is interested in an internal position that has just opened. The new job involves more responsibility and would require her to supervise personnel for the first time in her career. She believes she brings several strengths to this opportunity. The position would mean reporting to a different manager. It would also include a significant increase in salary and a supervisor title. Lakisha’s annual reviews have been good, and she believes her current manager would recommend her for the new position. 

Lakisha first emails her boss a carefully worded email to set up a time to discuss the job opening in person. She has thoughtfully planned her approach to engage the support of her current manager. Next, Lakisha emails the HR representative hosting the position to formally express her interest. She copies her current manager on the email and submits her application through the company’s application portal. 

These carefully planned and executed steps result in Lakisha receiving an email from the hiring manager. She gets an invitation to interview for the position. Each step in Lakisha’s application process has built support for her candidacy in a strategic, meaningful way. She asked probing questions to gain insight into the department, job, and the individuals who were involved in the hiring process. This allows her to arrive for the interview with solid support and a firm knowledge base from which to draw in answering the interviewers’ questions. 

NEW JOB OPPORTUNITY INTERVIEW 

Every new job opportunity represents a chance to improve your professional position. Strategic communication is critical to make the best first impression, navigate the screening and recruiting process, and secure the job through an interview (or series of them). If you choose this scenario, you’ll need to create both a written and a verbal (audio or video) communication. These elements should explain why you are the right person for the job while addressing the types of questions interviewers might ask.  

Things to Consider 

· Do you follow the latest job listings relative to your area of expertise and industry? 

· Do you have an interview opportunity or position in mind for which you would like to apply? 

· Do your research, write a cover letter, and prepare for an interview that highlights your skill set. How can you bring value to the company? How would you prepare for the initial and follow-up interviews? 

Case Study Example — New Job Opportunity 

Brandon is not satisfied in his finance job with a non-profit organization. He wants to move to a fast-growth start-up business. His methodical online searching has yielded what seems like a great opportunity in a new technology firm locally. He is further encouraged when he learns that a former colleague is already working there. 

Brandon considers how best to reach out to his former colleague. He re-members that she is an active LinkedIn member and decides first to send her a message through the site. He tells her of his interest in the company and the position, asks a few probing questions about the department, and then spends time reviewing the company website and researching the firm online. Using sites like Glassdoor.com, he learns a great deal about the company’s culture, its current areas of focus, and even salary ranges and typical interview questions. 

After several days without news, Brandon follows up with his former colleague. Knowing that she has welcomed calls in the past, he makes a quick phone call to her to affirm his interest in the company. Brandon’s coworker provides him with great insights into the firm and sends an email to a manager in the department where Brandon wants to work. She personally recommends Brandon to this manager. 

In the meantime, Brandon carefully drafts a cover letter, updates his resume, and completes the online application. He begins preparing for interview questions, listing questions he has about the company, and brainstorming the best way to present himself to meet the possible needs of the company. In this way, he will arrive for the interview fully prepared to make his best, most confident presentation. 

PITCHING A PROJECT IDEA 

Pitching a business, problem/solution, project, making proposals, and other presentations that seek the audience’s approval, support, and buy-in represents a very real strategic communication challenge. The success or failure of your pitch relies directly on how you make that pitch and how persuasive your message proves to be. If you choose this scenario, you’ll need to create both a written and a verbal (audio or video) communication. These elements should address what your pitch is, how your pitch will be delivered, and what will (hopefully) make that pitch successful. 

Things to Consider 

· What is it you are pitching? What is your key message? Who is your audience?

· What challenges exist that could prevent you from securing an approval? Are there challenges that are out of your control? Are there some that you could influence? 

· Whose support would make your pitch more likely to succeed? How can you approach these personnel to secure their buy-in prior to your pitch?

· Do pitches of this type have a history of success or failure where your audience is concerned? 

· What is the most effective channel for delivering your pitch? 

Case Study Example — Constructing an Effective Project Proposal 

Max is the marketing coordinator at a very successful construction firm. He believes that the company’s website is out of date and does not accurately represent or market the construction firm to its customers, subcontractors, vendors, and employees. 

Max wants the executive team, including his own manager, to ap- prove a new website project and its budget. This project will be led by Max. 

Max has also learned that his predecessor, the former marketing coordinator for the construction firm, proposed the same thing to the executive team two years ago. The team voted no at the time. Determined to achieve a different outcome, Max intends to have the new website approved and funded by management. It is his under- standing that the former marketing team misrepresented figures on the potential success of the website. He believes this fact can be used to persuade management concerning the benefits of his plan. 

Max develops a communications plan for accomplishing this objective. He first drafts an email to the executive team participants, asking for a meeting in a way that he hopes will bring them to that meeting with open minds. He then creates a list of bullet points for a preliminary in-person conversation with his boss. The goal of the conversation is to make sure his boss is onboard with his plan and learn what his boss thinks would make for a successful presentation to the executive team. 

Finally, Max scripts his presentation to the executive team, persuading them to approve and fund the website project using compelling supporting information. He intends to rehearse his presentation until he knows it backward and forward. He will deliver the presentation with confidence, secure in the knowledge that he is fully prepared for any arguments the executive team might make, any questions they might ask, and any criticism they might offer regarding his plan.  

MINI TED TALK

TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, and Design. TED Talks were started in 1984, and according to a discussion of its organization on the TED website, it is a “nonprofit devoted to spreading ideas, usually in the form of short, powerful talks (18 minutes or less)…and today covers almost all topics — from science to business to global issues — in more than 100 languages” (“Our Organization,” 2021, para 2).TED talks are based on the power to change people’s ideas about a variety of topics by presenting information and a strong call to action at the end. In your mini TED Talk (your video for Assignment 3, Week 10 is a 5 minute video), you will develop an idea of your choice that presents research and findings in an innovative way that informs and moves your audience to take action. You will need to discuss your topic with your professor. 

Things to Consider  

· Have something worth saying. 

· Spark your listeners’ curiosity by opening with a personal story. 

· Keep it simple and introduce new information logically. 

· Give people a reason to care about your topic. 

· End your talk with a story and a call for action (“So You Want to Give a TED Talk?,” 2016). 

Case Study Example — Mini TED Talk

Pat is extremely interested in animal rights. She volunteers at an animal shelter and has rescued and fostered a variety of dogs for many years. She volunteers at her local animal shelter and is concerned that the conditions at the shelter have been deteriorating over the past year. Pat decides to become active in trying to raise awareness for her local shelter, by giving a mini TED talk about it. She hopes to raise awareness about the need to provide for local animal shelters. After a successful talk, she hopes to start a fundraising campaign for her local shelter. Pat understands that in order to get her TED Talk approved to be presented at a local TED Organization, she will have to work hard to get this right and talk about why people should volunteer and donate to local shelters.
 

Pat goes to the TED Talk website to see what is required in a TED Talk. She also looks at a variety of articles about how to do research for and present a TED Talk. She decides that she needs to do a good deal of research and writing before she can apply for giving the talk. Because the animal shelter means the world to her, Pat is willing to do whatever it takes to develop an engaging talk that will inform and wow her audience, moving them to understand the importance of local shelters and how to support them through volunteering and donations. 

She understands that she will need a jaw-dropping beginning, possibly a story, good research in the middle, and a call to action at the end. Pat also understands that her TED talk cannot be a direct pitch for her shelter, but a discussion of the hard work of maintaining any animal shelter, the importance they bring to communities, and why people should support them. 

References

Our organization. (2021). TED. https://www.ted.com/about/our-organization

So you want to give a TED talk? (2016, August 12). A Sharp Eye. https://www.asharpeye.com/want-give-ted-talk/