WORKPLACE
COMMUNICATION I
COURSE MODULE
Norma aida Abdullah
Wan nur’ashiqin Wan MohaMad
Sithaletchemy S Krishnaiyer
Harieza Hussin
COURSE SYNOPSIS
This course is designed for students who have passed the compulsory 2- or 4-unit
English language courses. The course equips students with both oral and written
communication skills to meet the needs of the workplace. It provides opportunities for
students to use the language in given situations and adopts a learner-centred approach
and is interactive in nature.
COURSE OUTCOMES
COURSE EVALUATION
1 Progress Meeting 35
a. Meeting 20 8
b. Project Portfolio 10
c. Conferencing 5 6
2 Poster Presentation 40
a. Oral presentation 20 14
b. Poster 15
12
c. Conferencing 5
3 Reflection 15 13 - 14
4 10
Participation
2 – 14
a) Online Participation 5
13 - 14
b) Group Participation 5
THE PREMISE
AN OVERVIEW
This course is all about one project that you will undertake together with your team
members. Let’s start with the right footing.
In completing the task, you will have series of discussions. Be smart. Use the class
hour to accomplish as much weekly assignment as possible. This is feasible if you do
sufficient preparation before coming to class. Be efficient. Be responsible and be fair
to your team.
This course is experiential in nature. But we can’t learn much from experience unless
we reflect upon it. This is why the reflection (15%) component is included as part of
the course evaluation. It is for you to be aware of your learning
experience and record it in a structured manner for you to evaluate
how much you have understood the learning process, the value of
the experience and if you need to do anything differently in the
future.
The end product of this project is a poster (15%) printed on A1 size paper. As an
overview, the major subheadings for the poster are:
We really hope you’ll enjoy the journey while doing this course and reap the benefits
as intended.
COURSE SCHEDULE
Poster
Presentation
Poster (W14)
Preparation • Tell, inform
Fieldwork* (W11-W13) and show
(W9-W10) • The story where
Progress • Data • Information necessary
Meeting Collection Ranking
Problem- (W8) • Data Analysis • Prioriti-
Solution Fit • Project zation
Problem & (W5-W7) Review
Solution • Conferencing
• Project • Group
Course Identification • Problem- Progress Participation
Induction (W3-W4) Solution Fit • What's Next? Assessment
(W1-W2) • Brainstorm • Key
• The Power of • Select • Practice
Resources
Mind • Why3x • Key Partners
• The Premise How3x • Key
• Deep • NGT & Activities
Listening Common • Poster Layout
• Course Interest • Conferencing
Briefing • Research
• Course Solution &
Objectives Share
• The Game • NGT &
Plan Common
Ground
ACTIVITY FLOW
Course Overview
• Course Overview *Go through the Worksheets
• Course Schedule *Study Group Participation Form to
• Activity Flow understand your role as a team player
• The Module at a Glance
Identify Problem
• Brainstorm & list problems (Ind)
• Select three & Describe (Ind)
• Share with team (Group) *Record all meetings in Worksheet A
• W3xH3x Technique *Start compiling Portfolio
• List & NGT (Group)
• Your Solution (Ind)
• Research
Select Solution
• Share solution with team (Group)
*Continue compiling Portfolio
• List, Cluster & NGT
• Describe group solution
Problem-Solution Fit
• Identify client, their pains and gains
• Match proposed solution to the pains and gains *Compile Portfolio
• List Key Resources, Partners, and Activities
• Prepare early draft of your poster layout
• Conferencing session before progress meeting evaluation
Progress Meeting Evaluation (20%)
• Evaluation (progress meeting)
• Submit Project Portfolio (10%)
Field Work
• Tools for data collection
*Start thinking about Reflection (Appendix 1)
• Data colection & analysis
*
Poster Preparation
• Tell your story in text and diagrams
• Research Poster
*Work on / write final Reflection (Appendix 1)
• Printed on A1
Poster Presentation Evaluation (20%)
• Group Presentation of Project (20-25 mins per group)
• Submit Poster (15%)
• Submit Reflection - Appendix 1 (15%)
• Submit Group Participation - Appendix 2 (5%)
WORKSHEET A
PROGRESS RECORD (Group Work)
*All these should be documented and compiled in your group project portfolio.
WORKSHEET B
BRAINSTORM the PROBLEMS (Individual)
1. What are the problems faced by students / graduates / youths / community / others that require immediate solution?”
List down in the table below a total of at least 25 (you need to do some mind gymnastics) problems that you care about:
WORKSHEET C
DESCRIPTIONS OF SELECTED PROBLEMS (Individual)
Choose three (3) problems from the above list and describe them briefly in the space
below. Your description should indicate how the problem is a problem.
a.
b.
c.
Pin up your
individual Silently read all your
Worksheet C on the team members' When done, sit in a
wall together with write-ups on the circle.
your other team wall.
members.
Take turns to
conduct W3xH3x as Take turns to
a member present verbally share your
Cluster and classify
his/her problem. individual chosen
the keywords.
problem with your
Record the team members
keywords.
WORKSHEET D
SELECTING THE PROBLEM TO SOLVE (Group Work)
Carry out Nominal Group Technique (NGT) with your team. Rank the problem listed: each member has a total of six points to rank the best
three problems based on each member’s choice ~ the most important gets 3 points, the least gets 1. The problem with the highest points should
be the choice the group has collectively agreed to work on as your class project.
Total 6 6 6 6 6 6
*You may start using your name initial for recording purpose; i.e., A.J. for Aida Jasmin,
©Wan Nur’ashiqin Wan Mohamad Page 13
INTERNAL CIRCULATION ONLY
LMCE2012 Workplace Communication I
Semester 2 Session 2017/2018
WORKSHEET E
PROPOSE A SOLUTION (Individual)
1. What do you think are the solutions to the problem your group has collectively
chosen?
2. Please conduct some research to find out.
3. Take one or combined solution that you think is the most viable to solve the
problem.
4. Describe the solution in the space below.
WORKSHEET F
WORKSHEET G
SELECTING THE SOLUTION (Group Work)
Total
Idea #
1
10
Total 6 6 6 6 6 6
Proposed
Solution Client
* Client refers to the people for whom the proposed solution is intended. They are the
people affected by the problem.
Example
A. Client Side
What are tasks to perform What difficulty they face? What outcomes and benefits
/accomplish? • Wait a long time do clients want?
• Call taxi • Overcharged by taxi • Easy mode of payment
• Give directions • Unsafe driver • Taxi to arrive on time
• Find taxi • Compete with other • Professional driver
• Pay customers
What problems to solve? What are the undesired costs What are the positive
• Getting a taxi to reach / situations? emotions required / desired /
destination on time • Wasting time expected?
• Available taxi to where • Dangerous • Happy
customer wants to go • Pay extra • Satisfied
What are need to satisfy? What are the negative What are the savings
• Need to reach my destination emotions they experience? required / desired /
without being cheated • Irritation expected?
• Anger • Saves time
• Frustration
C. Problem-Solution Fit
3. Now, let’s see if you have a problem-solution fit. Meaning, you need to check if
your proposed solution match your intended client.
4. Arrange your responses as shown in the diagram below and match the pain
relievers to pains and gain creators to gains
4. If the benefits (pain relievers and gains creators) your solution offer do not match
the needs of the client, then you need to reiterate (repeat) the process. You may
step back to re-examine the proposed solution or even go back to the problem
you are trying to offer solution.
1. Customer Segment:________________________________________________________________________________________________
What are tasks to perform What difficulty they face? What outcomes and benefits do
/accomplish? clients want?
What problems to solve? What are the undesired costs / What are the positive emotions
situations? required / desired / expected?
What are need to satisfy? What are the negative emotions What are the savings required /
they experience? desired / expected?
Problem-Solution Fit
When your solution fits the problem, work on the plans to carry out to get your solution off the ground.
*The list may grow as you advance into solid solution to your proposed problem. Keep all evidence of reading materials, fact finding notes,
communication, activities, etc that you use while carrying out your plan as listed. Remember to attach all the evidence when submitting your
project portfolio.
YOUR POSTER DRAFT (The Box below is scaled down from A1 size). Your poster can be in portrait or landscape layout.
Always write about yourself and your experiences (although you can
involve other people).
VOCABULARY HELP
The following are just a few suggestions for words and phrases that might be useful
in reflective writing. Using any of these words and phrases will not in itself make you
a good reflective writer, of course!
We are not suggesting specific vocabulary for any descriptive elements of your
reflective writing, because the range of possible events, ideas or objects on which you
might be required to reflect is so great.
Events, of course, are nearly always described using the past tense.
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
3. EVALUATE (OUTCOME)
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
APPENDIX 1
REFLECTION – PROJECT (15 %)
“We do not learn from experience... we learn from reflecting on experience”
– John Dewey
There is ONLY one reflection to be handed in. The questions in italics only serve as a
guide to help you direct your thoughts in writing your answers.
1. Description
What happened?
How did you
react?
2. Interpretation
3. Outcome
APPENDIX 2
Score Key
Name of
team members
(Evaluators)
Descriptors
1. My peer actively
contributed knowledge ideas 0 1 2 3 4 0 1 2 3 4 0 1 2 3 4 0 1 2 3 4 0 1 2 3 4
to the project.
3. My peer respectfully
participated in all group 0 1 2 3 4 0 1 2 3 4 0 1 2 3 4 0 1 2 3 4 0 1 2 3 4
discussions.
5% = (n/20)
The poster falls under Research Poster category, which is different from Information
Poster. Here is the summary:
LENGTH OF
5-10 minutes 20 - 25 minutes
PRESENTATION:
AMOUNT OF TEXT: Limit of 300 – 800 words Twice more, but still concise
SIZE / SPACE
A0 (3 x 4 feet)* A1 (2 x 3 feet)
AVAILABLE:
*However, taking into consideration the cost of an AO size poster, for the purpose of
this course, the poster can be printed on A1 size. One of the cheapest printers in Bangi
is Purple Print. Do check them out in Google.
You may consider combining some of the subheadings, depending on the “story” that
you would like to convey to your audience.
https://youtu.be/vMSaFUrk-FA
http://guides.nyu.edu/posters
https://youtu.be/hgUK2rTINck
http://shc.stanford.edu/sites/default/files/Designing%20your%20Poster%20-
%20Tips%20on%20Visual%20Storytelling.pdf
Reference
2. Marescal, P., Guercio, A., & Stanganelli, L. 2012. ETCplus: A Project for the
Creation of Innovative Universities. Proceedings of the VII Workshop of the
Eclipse Italian Community (Eclipse-IT 12), At Pozzuoli (NA) , IT, September
20-21, 2012
4. Osterwalder, A., Pigneur, Y., Clark, T., & Smith, A. 2010. Business model
generation: a handbook for visionaries, game changers, and challengers.
Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons
5. Osterwalder, A., Pigneur, Y., Bernarda, G., Smith, A., & Papadakos, T. 2014
Value Proposition Design: How to Create Products and Services Customers
Want. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons
7. World Economic Forum. 2016. The Future of Jobs. Report 18 January 2016.
https://www.weforum.org/reports/the-future-of-jobs