IIMB Managerial Communication 1&2 PGP 2021-23 / Course Description

INDIAN INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT BANGALORE

PGP 2021-23 / All Sections

Managerial Communication 1 & 2

COURSE DESCRIPTION

Instructor Contact Information

Sections Instructors Email

B,D,E Dr Deepti Ganapathy deepti.ganapathy@iimb.ac.in

Course Structure and Credits

The two Managerial Communication courses, though spread over two terms, are treated as a single
integrated learning experience, spanning the first and second terms of the first year of the PGP programme.
The credits assigned to the course in each term is 1.5, making it a total of three credits for the whole course
across two terms. The performance of each student will be graded over the duration of each term.

Course Overview: Managerial Communication 1 & 2

Course Objectives:
Communication is at the core of every manager’s functioning. The ability to analyse problems, develop
creative solutions for them, and to communicate them effectively is undoubtedly the most important skill
sets for a manager.

The Managerial Communication courses aim to:

1. Provide an exposure to and practice of the techniques of Written, Oral and Interpersonal
Communication in the managerial or business context.
2. Sharpen analytical communication skills related to everyday business life and its demands.
3. Enable experiential learning and improvement of communication ability through class
exercises and presentation workshops.

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IIMB Managerial Communication 1&2 PGP 2021-23 / Course Description

The MC 1 & 2 courses are anchored on three cornerstones:

1. Basic skills – The Communication Process, Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening
2. Mental skills – Analysis and Synthesis
3. Applied skills – Written, Oral and Interpersonal communication in typical business settings,
including online and digital media.

Course Pre-requisites
It is assumed that incoming PGP students have adequate skills in written and spoken English. The
Managerial Communication courses are not intended to improve knowledge of the language or grammar.
Students are also expected to be familiar with the use of Microsoft Word and PowerPoint - software that
will be used in assignments and presentations.

Course Philosophy, Content and Delivery

The course is structured as a series of blended classroom sessions (online and offline) and communication
workshops. The student is expected to participate in in-class discussions and exercises, either individually
or as part of a team.

Teaching methodologies used will include case-based exercises, in-class discussions and activity, video-
based input and such like. The course also incorporates learning through individual as well as small-group
assignments; while some of these assignments are graded, others are not.

In order to provide greater participation as well as individual attention, some of the workshops will be held
in smaller groups (each section broken up into two or three groups). Such grouping will be done by your
instructor.

The course content is broadly classified into three categories – General/Interpersonal communication,
Written Communication and Oral Communication. While the first (General/Interpersonal communication)
would find place in both the terms, the other two have been distinctly slotted term-wise - Written
communication will be covered in Term 1 and Oral/Spoken communication will be covered in Term 2.

Assignments & Submissions

Assignments

There will be three graded assignments in Managerial Communication 1 (Term 1), all in the domain of written
communication. These will take the form of a Mid-term examination (weightage 40%), group assignment
(20%) and an End-term examination (weightage 40%).

Managerial Communication 2 (Term 2) will also have three graded assignments wherein students will be
required to make oral presentations on pre-assigned topics. These will take the form of an individual
presentation (weightage 20%), an individual presentation in lieu of the Mid-term examination (weightage
40%), and a group presentation (weightage 40%) in lieu of an End-term examination (weightage 40%).

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IIMB Managerial Communication 1&2 PGP 2021-23 / Course Description

Submissions

In your professional career you will be required to adhere strictly to tight and often non-negotiable time
deadlines, and Managerial Communication submissions are based on this philosophy.
Written assignments:
All written assignments will be within specified word limits, as given in the general guidelines below, or as
instructed. Exceeding stipulated word lengths will also result in a reduction in one sub-grade.

The Mid-Term and End-Term examinations in MC1 are written assignments (as mentioned earlier in this
section) held in a hall/classroom. The exam paper has to be completed and submitted within the specified
period. Specific instructions/briefs for these will be given prior to the assignment. There are a set of clear
guidelines for in-hall examinations issued by PGP Office that need to be strictly adhered to.

Oral Assignments:
These are to be delivered as per the time schedule specified by your instructor. Re-scheduling of
assignment delivery will be considered only if the student manager has secured leave of absence from the
PGP Office. In the case of team assignments, all members of the group must be present in class at the time
of delivery.

In all cases, you will be required to submit to your instructor soft copies or videos of the presentations which
will form part of the submission.

Ethics and Plagiarism

Communication is a competency that you need to develop as an individual. As such, your learning comes
from doing your assignments yourself.

Unless otherwise indicated, all assignments must be completed individually, upholding the highest level of
ethics. Non-adherence to course and Institute policies will result in substantial reduction of grades. Based
on the severity of the offense, plagiarism will result in a ‘U’ grade for that assignment, or even the course.

Downloading/copying of material from the Internet, textbooks, other previously published material,
or assignments done by earlier PGP students will be considered plagiarism, and treated as
unethical conduct, and all of them will be penalized severely.

Text, Readings and Cases

There is no single prescribed text for this course. Several relevant and interesting articles on effective
managerial communication have been included in the folder loaded onto Moodle.

There are many relevant books and writings on the topic in the Library such as Business Communication
(Lehman and Dufrene) and you are advised to refer to these. Several copies of the book titled Business
Communication – Making Connections in a Digital World (Lesikar, et.al.) are available in the Library. This
book specifically is recommended for its depth and coverage of written business communication, and you
are encouraged to borrow and refer to it.

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IIMB Managerial Communication 1&2 PGP 2021-23 / Course Description

Attendance Policy
The PGP Office stipulates clear guidelines for minimum attendance that must be strictly adhered to.

However, in keeping with the nature of the subject, it is crucial that you attend all the sessions, as learning
happens through interaction, practice and observation. Managerial Communication is not a subject that can
be memorised.

With regard to teamwork and presentations, you are required to be present when your team is presenting;
the team will be penalised if all the members are not present, especially in graded assignments. The only
exception is if you have secured prior leave of absence from the PGP Office.

Evaluation Scheme
Assignments have different weights, depending on their importance and complexity. The scheme of grading
is given below. This may be subject to change.

Managerial Communication 1 (Term 1): 1.5 Credits

• Assignment 1: Mid-Term Written Examination 40%

• Assignment 2: Written Group Assignment 20%
• Assignment 3: End-term Written Examination 40%

Managerial Communication 2 (Term 2): 1.5 Credits

• Assignment 1: Individual Presentation 20%

• Assignment 2: Individual Presentation 40%
• Assignment 3: Team Presentation 40%

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