TEAM PROJECT

The Team Project consists of three assignments distributed through the term: Team Work Plan (40 points) -- DUE Week 4 Team Proposal (100 points) -- DUE Week 8 Team Presentation Outline &PowerPoint slides (100 points) -- DUE Week 10 By the end of Week 2, your instructor will assign you to a team and equip you with several communication tools within your online course to accomplish your task. All teams have the same assignment. List the names of all team members on each assignment within the project. You may name your team if you would like. (For example, Jones & Associates.) YOUR PROJECT Visit http://www.tcby.com/ and select the In the News tab at the top right of the website. Read the Win a TCBY store and follow the prompt to the press release. Read the press release. Your teams assignment is to consider each team members home town and its potential as a site for TCBY. Choose the best site, and prepare a written proposal and a presentation outline & slides to persuade TCBY why your team and why your town. should get the store. Although time does not allow us to prepare the video, your proposal and your outline/PowerPoint slides will present your case. Each member will need to become (if not already) a researched expert on your hometown. Share notes among team members and choose which town in your team offers the best site for TCBY, based on what you know and research about TCBY. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Assignment 1. TEAM WORK PLAN DUE: Week 4 A Work Plan is just that: a written document that is particularly important when working in teams. Having a plan on paper assists in the communication between team members because it gets everyone on the same page, leaving nothing to misinterpretation or inaccurate assumptions. Managers frequently require Teams to submit Work Plans (a type of short report) so the manager can director re-direct a project. (Although your team will not be submitting one, a Progress Report often follows a Work Plan. Submitted to the manager at intervals during the project, a Progress Report lets the manager know the status of the teams work on its Work Plan, and notes the accomplishments and any difficulties, so that the manager can guide or assist if necessary. See Ober, p. 529.) Work Plan formats vary with the organization and the project. The information below is what you are required to submit for your Team Project. A Work Plan document guide is also available in Week 4s Assignment folder. Create an attractive document and submit as if your instructor were the manager providing oversight. Use a memo heading and format for your Work Plan. Team Members/Team Name: Purpose of the Communication: Audience Analysis: Activities to Be Completed: List tasks necessary to finish the project

Proposed Methods of Information Collection: Indicate how and where you plan to collect information to answer audience questions to fulfill purpose and accomplish the activities. Group Norms: Indicate how you will communicate, how often & when you will meet. Indicate any other rules your team established to accomplish this project. Activities/Assignments/Completion Date: Chart what tasks need to be completed, who is assigned each, and what the projected completion dates are for each task to finish the project by the due dates. Again, use a memo heading addressed to your instructor. Be sure that you proofread your document before sending. Remember that the entire team is responsible for the effort. Submit the Work Plan using the designated uploading instructions within the Week 4 folder. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Assignment 2. TEAM PROPOSAL DUE: Week 8 The Team Proposal is a 2-page (approximately 650-800 words) persuasive report/proposal to TCBY. (See Ober p.528.) Like many business proposals in the work setting, this one limits the length and sets strict format requirements; in this case length cannot exceed 2 pages. Proposals that exceed two pages will be docked. (In business, settings, proposal format variances would not be accepted!) Format, again as is often the case in business, is pre-determined by the external audience. Format: 2 pages of single-spaced type + title page + transmittal letter + reference page 12-point type-size, New Times Roman or Arial Headings in Boldface, 12 point (No larger) Block, business style, double-space between paragraphsDo not indent One-inch margins, top, bottom, and both sides Third person writing, formal style (no second person you) No need to number pages Proposal Package must include the following parts: Title page, Transmittal Letter, Proposal, and Reference page. Title page (See sample in Ober, p. 519 -- Does not count as part of 2 pages) o Do not use type size larger than 12-14 point type Transmittal letter (See Ober p. 354 -- Does not count as part of 2 pages) o Use block style letter format (Ober, p. 515 style sample) o One-page, single spaced o You can design letterhead if youd like, but not required Proposal (Again, no more than two pages) In two pages, you must answer the question: Why should TCBY choose you? o Every report has an introduction, a body, and a conclusion. The Introduction will include your purpose (direct approach) and briefly stated the 3-4 main criteria that

put you ahead of all the others. Use headings in the body to guide your reader logically from the introductory section, through each criterion, backed by support, to the final actionthat of selecting your team/town. Place your strongest point last; that final point is what the reader remembers. The proposal outline suggestions in Ober pp. 528-533 provide some guidelines. The conclusion is your last chance to remind your audience of what their next action must be. o As a team, plan carefully about how you will organize your proposal to convince the audience of your towns and your teams unique features and benefits. What will set you apart? More importantly, what will your selection mean for TCBY? Remember: the audience is always asking Whats in it for me? (WIFM) o Allow your team plenty of time from draft stage through revision through final proposal. When a proposal requirement limits the length, you have to make difficult decisions to write concisely and succinctly, making every point, every sentence, and every word count. Of course, proofread. If a team gets sloppy or careless about details, business leaders assume those habits run through work ethic as well. Reference Page (Does not count as part of 2 pages) o To add credibility to your proposal, draw on facts, statistics, and other evidence from research and include your references for the readers further reference. o Add a Reference page as the last page in the report. o Use APA format (See Ober appendix, p. 525) o Single space lines of each reference, but double-space between references o Center the word References at top of last page in report Note: When you use the information from research (anything that is not common knowledge) paraphrased in your own words within the report body, you must use in-text citations. Use APA style in-text citations which include author and year of publication. (See Ober, p. 523 or Noodlebib) Keep ethical reporting in mind: You must cite ideas that are not your own--even if you put information from a source entirely into your own words. Any information or ideas derived from another source (including the internet) that are not common knowledge must be cited and attributed. Failure to do so constitutes plagiarism. As standard practice, all reports will be submitted by the instructor to Turnitin.com to check for plagiarism. In most business reporting, direct quotes are rarely, if ever, used. Most of the time all you will need to do is summarize or paraphrase the information from other sources and cite appropriately when you do. Be sure that you proofread your document before sending. Remember that the entire team is responsible for the effort. Submit the Proposal Package using the designated uploading instructions within the Week 8 folder. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Assignment 3. TEAM PRESENTATION OUTLINE & POWERPOINT SLIDES DUE: Week 10 Suppose that your proposal to TCBY was so successful, the TCBY management group would like to meet your team face-to-face before making their final selection. Now, your team must decide how to package a face-to-face presentation, aided by PowerPoint slides, which could be delivered to the TCBY management group. Your Team assignment has two parts: Presentation Outline PowerPoint Slides Presentation Outline: Create an outline of your presentation notes. Using Obers sample on pp. 414-417 and Munter-Chapter #4, collaborate with your team members to prepare a Presentation Outline for your presentation to the management group. As part of your teams outline include the following: Write out your introduction Write out transitions between main points o (Obers sample does not include transitionsSee Munter, p. 64) Write out your closing Indicate where slides will appear Indicate if you will use any other visual aids (Not required) Assign and indicate on the outline who on the team will present which parts PowerPoint Slides: To aid your face-to-face presentation, you will prepare 6-8 PowerPoint slides. Consider the elements of good design that Munter discusses and the resources in the Week 10 folder (PowerPoint student tutorial and PowerPoint Aid handout.) Make sure to include the following: Title slide Preview slide Additional Body slides to convince audience (but do not exceed the 8 slide limit) Closing slide Follow the guidelines of effective slide preparation. Remember that photos and information that are copyrighted must be acknowledgedand that includes company logos. NOTE: A small print citation is an exception to the type size rules of PowerPoint. Place the source and date at the bottom corner of the slide in very small type; the full reference information could be acknowledged in the presentation handouts, and in this case, the reference page of your proposal.) Proofread-Proofread-Proofread. Remember that the entire team is responsible for the effort. Submit the Outline and Slides no later than midnight Monday of Week 10 using the designated uploading instructions within the Week 10 folder.