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Professor: Mike “Fitz” Fitzgerald

Office: Hariri 483
Phone: 202-687-5208
E-Mail: mjf23@georgetown.edu
Hours: By Appointment

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COURSE / WORKSHOP DESCRIPTION

Effective verbal and written communication skills are key to the success of any manager or
executive as you inform, persuade and LEAD your clients, subordinates, colleagues, and bosses.
This course considers effective communication a key strategic activity for all business leaders.
Understanding the strategic choices you have when communicating, and having the ability to
implement the correct strategy at the proper time is a key learning from this course. The
readings, exercises and assignments will help you capitalize on opportunities by becoming more
effective speakers and LEADERS. You will give planned and impromptu presentations as well
as provide and receive rigorous feedback. This course emphasizes the importance of audience
analysis and the effective use of personal strengths. You will also learn to be more persuasive
using evidence from a variety of sources in order to articulate a position in multiple speaking
scenarios.

COURSE / WORKSHOP OBJECTIVES

This course will help you learn concepts in written and verbal communication that you can
explicitly apply in other core courses as well as in the work world. To that end, faculty in all of
the core courses will hold you responsible for the knowledge and skills you learn in leadership
communication. These requirements will vary, depending on the course, assignment, and
intention of the instructor. You will learn the following skills and strategies to satisfy individual
professor’s requirements for communication fluency, professionalism, and correctness across the
MBA curriculum:

•! Effective verbal presentation skills that can be applied in a variety of business contexts.
•! Knowledge and practice in determining audience needs and situational demands.
•! Knowledge and practice in integrating visuals effectively in speech.
•! Knowledge and practice in organizing, structuring, and articulating a position.
•! Understanding the role of evidence in designing and articulating an argument.
•! Understanding how style, organization, and structure affect decision-making and problem
solving.

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Required Materials:

•! Articles available for download on Blackboard

Optional Materials:
•! Munter, M. (2008). Guide to managerial communication: Effective business writing and
speaking (8th ed.) Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
* Alred, G., Brusaw, C., & Oliu, W. (2009). The business writer’s handbook (9th ed.). New
York: St. Martin’s

COURSE POLICIES

Attendance:
I expect you to come to EVERY CLASS on time and thoroughly prepared. Because this course
requires you to participate EXTENSIVELY in the entire communication process (as speaker,
critic, audience, editor, and interested colleague), attendance contributes significantly to learning.
More than ONE absence will therefore SIGNIFICANTLY affect your final grade. For every
absence more than the allotted ONE – your final grade will be reduced by ½ a letter grade.

DUE TO THE TEAM ORIENTED FOCUS OF THE CLASS - YOU MUST ATTEND
YOUR ASSIGNED SECTION – NO EXCEPTIONS

PLEASE NOTE – THIS IS DIFFERENT FROM LSI – NO SWITCHING SECTIONS

FOR L – COMM

Class Participation (30%)

We learn from our own experiences and from the experiences of others. Thus, a course devoted
to communication requires participation by each class member. Class contributions can include
presentations, summaries, observations integrating concepts and discussion, relevant personal
examples, teamwork, team assignment prep, and of course key questions that contribute to the
learning of ALL. Quality matters more than quantity.

Please be prepared to receive feedback, and to give constructive feedback to others.

Attendance (a prerequisite of participation), quality of impromptu presentations, and successful

completion of non-graded assignments will contribute toward the 30% participation element of
the FINAL course grade.

Timeliness:

ALL assignments must be submitted / completed (a) prior to the class period in which they are
due or (b) in paper copies, as the instructor directs you. Unless prior arrangements have been
made, assignments that are not performed or turned in when due will be penalized at least 1 letter
grade.

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Academic Integrity Policy:

Georgetown and the MSB's official Honor Code of Academic Integrity is as follows:
"MBA students in the McDonough School of Business are expected to maintain high standards
of integrity in pursuit of their education. Fundamental to the principle of independent learning
and professional growth is the requirement of honesty and integrity in the conduct of one's
academic life. Academic dishonesty in any form is a serious offense against our academic
community. Since all individual acts significantly affect the life of the community, we are all
expected to act responsibly and honestly. Lying, cheating and stealing are violations of this
community code. A violation by one member of the MBA community hurts all. It is the
responsibility of every member of the community to maintain these standards and to encourage
others to do so."

It is your responsibility to be familiar with and abide by the Honor Code and the Georgetown /
MSB Student Conduct Policies as a whole (www.georgetown.edu/grad/current/regulations). We
will not tolerate lying, cheating or stealing of any sort. If we at all suspect that you have behaved
in violation of the Honor Code or other Student Conduct Policies, we will pursue the matter
through the prescribed channels; in fact, it our obligation to do so.

The bottom line for you is DO NOT VIOLATE THE HONOR CODE. It is not worth it. You are
here to learn. Remember this especially when you feel stressed, tired, anxious, and overwhelmed.

McDonough Guidelines on Grading:

Please understand that, as a member of McDonough’s faculty, I am required to adhere to the

school’s established Grading Policy. As a core course, this policy reads as follows:
“For each MSB core course, the average GPA for all students taught by a given professor in a
given course in a given semester will not be above 3.3 and the percentage of grades in the A-
range will not be above 35%. The average GPA will be computed across all sections of a given
course taught by a given professor during that semester. Non-standard grades (such as
withdrawal, incomplete, pass-fail, blank, etc.) will not be included in the calculation of the
GPA.”

Re#grade(requests.((Re#grading*does*not*take*place*during*office*hours.*Re#grade(
requests(for(assignments(must(be(made(in*writing,(with(an(explanation(of(why(you(believe(
the(grade(you(received(is(inaccurate.(To(have(your(assignment(re#graded,(hand(your(
written(re#grade(request(along(with(the(original(assignment(before(or(after(class.(If(granted(
(which(is(rare)(a(re#grade(may(result(in(the(same*grade,*a*higher*grade,*or*a*lower*
grade.(Re#grade(requests(may(be(made(no(later(than(one(week(after(the(grade(is(posted(or(
the(assignment(is(returned(to(you.(
Other*notes*on*grading:(
*

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Rank(System.*Your(grade(represents(the(quality(of(your(work(relative(to(that(of(your(
section(members.(This(course(will(be(graded(using(the(MSB(guidelines.(All(assignments(
must(be(completed(in(order(to(pass(the(class.((

Use of Communication Technology in Class:

Unless noted, please do not use computers, ipads, cell phones, or other electronic devices
during class. Violations of this rule WILL lead to a SIGNIFICANT lowering of your class
participation grade. They MUST be turned off prior to the beginning of class.

Electronic Communication:

We will use Blackboard for this course. General course announcements as well as slide decks for
individual class sessions will be posted to Blackboard throughout the semester.

This is a very applied course – it requires energy, enthusiasm and a commitment to your
colleagues.

Work hard and it is fine to have some FUN along the way as well!

Prof Fitz