Lal Bahadur Shastri Institute of Management, Delhi

Course Title: Business Communication Course Code: GEN 102

Academic Area: General Management Course Category: Core Course
Course Prerequisite: Course Credits: 3
Academic Session: 2023-24 Approved on:
Program: PGDM (All) Facilitators: Dr. Darshna Banker
Trimester- I

Introduction
Communication is the way management gets its job done and good managers should be good
communicators. Present day business world demands that the executives are not only highly skilled but
also more articulate than any other professionals. In line with this scenario, the course will aim at
exposing the students to the basics of communication fundamentals. It will help students hone up their
receptive (listening and reading) as well as expressive (written and oral) communication skills. The
students will be involved in writing and presenting a report directed towards a real audience based on a
problem, situation, or need at a particular company or organization. The report, the final document in a
series of assignments, records primary and secondary research, draws conclusions based on that
research, and offers useful recommendations based on the specific needs of global company. The course
also aims at exposing students to real-life situations in managing meetings, successful employment
strategies, cross-cultural, interpersonal, and ethical communication issues.

The objective of the course is to demonstrate improved interpersonal communication skills. To design
and communicate effective formal and informal messages and write effective reports. To improve
critical thinking, persuasion and influencing skills. To organize, conduct and participate in meetings
effectively. To develop sensitivity to cross-cultural Communication and learn to communicate ethically.
To make effective business presentations with balanced visual support.

Course Outcomes
On Completion of PGDM (General) Program graduates will be able to:
1. Use Verbal and Non-Verbal communication in effective manner.
2. Applying listening, and critical thinking skills for better interpersonal relations.
3. Demonstrate understanding of persuasive and sincere business messages & report writing.
4. Prepare for common cross-cultural and ethical communication challenges.

Course Contents
Module Session Topic and Special Reading
I 1 Communication Foundations
Process, Components, Barriers.
Chapter-1 Textbook (BTR)

2 7 C’s of Effective Communication

1
 Chapter-5 Textbook (BTR)

Readings in the Poly copy

1. Getting the Attention, You Need
2. Barriers & Gateways to Communication
3. Good Communication that Blocks Learning
4. Communication Breakdown
5. What Will You Say When Disaster Strikes?

3 Non-Verbal Communication
Meta-communication and Paralanguage, body language, the language
of Silence, Posture, Time & Space.
Chapter-2 Textbook (BTR)

Readings in the Poly copy

1. The Power of Body Language
2. Read the Hidden Codes

Role Play
1. Read my Actions

4 Listening & Developing Critical Thinking

Readings in the Poly copy

1. Handling Q & A: The Five Kinds of Listening
2. Active Listening
3. Are You Listening to Me?
4. Critical Thinking

Role Play
1. Active Listening

II 5 Communication Ethics
Chapter-1 Textbook (BTR)

6-7 The Writing Process

Three steps; Audience Analysis, Strategic Model of Communication.
The Appearance and Design of Different Business Messages:
Direct/Indirect.

2
 Chapters-4, 5, 6 Textbook (BTR)

Readings in the Poly copy

1. Business E-Mail: Guidelines for Users
2. Minto Principle: How to Structure What You Write
3. Audience Analysis
4. Harnessing the Science of Persuasion
5. How to Influence People

Case Study
1. Dashman Company. Richard S. Meriam, Franklin E. Folts,
George F.F. Lombard. HBS.

III 8 Different Business Messages

Letters/Memo, E-mail, IM, WhatsApp etiquettes.

Chapters-7, 8, 9 Textbook (BTR)

Readings in the Poly copy

1. How to Write a Perfectly Good Memo
2. Effective Writing: A Brief Manual of Style

Case Study
1. When East Doesn’t Meet West? Richard Epstein. Duke Law
and Technology Review.

IV 9 Report Writing
Content & Structure.
Chapter-13, 14, 15 Textbook (BTR)

Readings in the Poly copy:

1. Orientation to Business Reports

V 10 Productive Meeting Strategies

Chapter-2 Textbook (BTR)

Readings in the Poly copy

1. Holding Your Own in Meetings, But Working as a Team
2. Are your meetings like this?
11 Mid Term Test (1.5 Hrs. duration, Total Marks 20)
VI 12-13 Job Application Process & Interview Process

3
 Writing resumes, Information gathering/ Reference checking before
interview, cracking GD, Interview, Follow-up.
Chapter-18, 19 Textbook (BTR)

Readings in the Poly copy

1. Interview and Personality Communications

VII 14 Cross-Cultural Communication

Chapter-3 Textbook (BTR)

Readings in the Poly copy

1. Techniques of Cross-Cultural Communication
2. Working on Common Cross-Cultural-Communication
Challenges
3. Cross-Cultural Communication: The Lewis Model

Case Study
1. Case: Riding the Celtic Tiger

VIII 15-16 Interpersonal Communication Strategies

Managing conflict, assertive communication, constructive feedback,
art of introduction, business etiquettes.
Chapter-2 Textbook (BTR)

Readings in the Poly copy

1. Managing Interpersonal Feedback

Role Play
1. Saying What Needs to be Said

Case Study
1. All the Wrong Moves

IX 17 Designing Visual Communication

Visual Aid, Oral presentation; seating arrangement.
Chapter-17 Textbook (BTR)

Readings in the Poly Copy

1. Principles of Effective Oral Business Presentations
2. Getting the Most from Your Presentation

4
 18-19 Project Presentations

20 Presentation Feedback and Wrapping up the Course by facilitator

*Note: This is a preliminary schedule and may change due to class needs.

Instructional Methods
The sessions will be a blend of interactive lectures and discussions and will be supplemented by case
discussions and exercises. Role Play activities will be conducted inside the classroom to impart the
knowledge of practical situations at workplaces and how students can tackle these situations through
effective communication. The students will be asked to make presentations on the topics and the
instructor will guide them on the selection of content, effective delivery, Body Language, and public
speaking. Through the process of preparing business reports, the students will learn the techniques of
effective, plagiarism-free writing and presentation. Students should study the relevant chapters, articles
and cases indicated under the topic and come prepared for discussion in the class.

Recommended Readings
Suggested Text
Bovee, Courtland, Thill, John and Raina, Roshan. Business Communication Today (13th edition).
New Delhi: Pearson Education Asia.

Additional References
1. Cees, B, Riel, Van and Fombrun, Charles. Essentials of Corporate Communication. London:
Routledge.
2. Murphy, Herta, Hildebrandt, Herbert, Thomas, Jane. Effective Business Communication (7th
edition). New Delhi: Tata McGraw-Hill.
3. Lesikar, R.V., Petit, John, D. Business Communication. New Delhi: AITB
4. Collins, Sandra, D. Communication in a Virtual Organisation. New Delhi: Cengage.

Assessment Plan
Specific Assessment Weight Course Outcomes to be Assessed
Method (flexible)
CO-1 CO-2 CO-3 CO-3
Report Writing and ✓
10% ✓ ✓ ✓
Presentation
Cases Studies/Role Play 10% ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Negative and Persuasive ✓
10% ✓ ✓ ✓
Message Writing
Strategic Model of ✓
10% ✓ ✓ ✓
Communication Exercise
Mid Term Examination 20 % ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
End Term Examination 40% ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
* Details for each of the assessment component shall be shared in class.