Author Archives: kh110928

What 3 pieces of advice would you offer a new employee that you are supervising, who has problems with his/her written and oral communication on the job? (Think about what you have read, discussed, and experienced in both Business Communication I and Business Communication II when constructing your advice.)

The first piece of advise I would offer would be to read Munter’s Guide to Managerial Communication: Effective Writing and Speaking. This is a standard and fundamental guide that every person should read, especially those of the younger generation that grew up instant messaging, texting, and otherwise side stepping or avoiding conventional conversation.

The second piece of advice would be to find a business leader/manager/colleague whose communication style you admire and take parts of that style to hone your own.  I think this is effective especially as an entry level employee with limited experience. For instance, for a shy worker he/she may want to observe a colleague who is gregarious and outspoken and see how that person handles meetings and speaking with managers.  There is always something to learn from another person.

Finally, I would advise taking a communications course. My firm offers email writing and leadership/communications classes which we have referred a number of staff members to.  These courses can be very helpful in identifying weak areas and strengthening them. As with anything, practice and experience makes perfect.

What steps has your group taken to prepare for the Group Proposal Presentation? How have roles been assigned? How was the PowerPoint or deck created? How does the presentation differ from the written report? How will you maintain your audience’s attention? What strategies will you use to build credibility and persuade your audience? Which of Mai and Akerson’s leadership communication styles will you use in your presentation? Why?

Unfortunately, I was not present in class on the day the roles were assigned.  However, it appears that Jesse took the lead in dividing the work amongst the group members.  I believe he did a good job – the work assignment seemed fair and everyone was comfortable with their individual parts, no complaints.  Overall to prepare for the Group Proposal Presentation, we distributed a working draft of powerpoint slides with each person tasked to add 1-2 slides discussing their role in the project. Everyone was forthcoming with their different constraints on time and other priorities, so there was an understanding/trust amongst the group that everyone will do their parts well and with enough lead time prior to the presentation.

The presentation was much less detailed and granual than the wirtten report.  The written report went into further budgetary detail and the plan we created for opening a Dress for Success branch in the Bronx.

Personally, to build credibility I went back and reread the Echoing Green case so that I could demonstrate knowledge of the organization during our pitch for funding.  I figured this would show that we did our homeowork on the firm and were interested in a partnership, not just for the money, but because their vision was for the future was in alignment with our own.

I tried to utilize the leader as meaning maker strategy – connecting Echoing Green’s relatively small contribution to the bigger picture of increased employment and therefore enhanced quality of life for women both nationally and internationally and the opportunity to help turn a small nonprofit dependent on grants into a self sustaining organization.

What kind of social entrepreneur project would you like to base your Group Proposal on? Who would the social entrepreneur project benefit? Why is this project important to others? How will you convince funders that your project is worth investing in?

We based our group proposal on the nonprofit organization Dress for Success.  This organization focuses on bettering the socioeconomic positions of disadvantaged women by providing the tools to interview well and attain employment.  This project would benefit women in the South Bronx of New York who are currently unemployed and do not have the means to present themselves competitively for employment.

This project is important for others because it deals with an issue that is pervasive throughout the United States- unemployment. Everyone understands that unemployment is detrimental to society as a whole and has a pervasive effect eventually – whether through an increase in the strain on public resources, civil unrest, higher incidences of crime, etc. Therefore, it’s a probelm that sparks alot of interest and is important to many.

Convincing others that this project is worth investing in should not be that difficult for a number of reasons.

1. We are only asking for a small amount: 45K over 2 years.  This is exactly what Echoing Green is already offereing in grant funding to fellows and social entrepreneur projects.

2. Dress for Success has a unique way to tackle unemployment that requires little financial investment but could yield great returns. The organization provides interview attire and teaches interviewing skills.  Often, it is this bit of polish that impedes an underprivelieged woman from gaining employment, even if they are qualified for the job.  The skills would also be useful while on the job and moving forward in life.

Review the video of your Leader as Communicator Group Presentation. Did you have effective content transitions between speakers? How would you evaluate the group’s body language, and eye contact? What do you think were the strengths of the presentation? What would you have liked to have done differently?

Unfortunately due to a death in the family I was unable to attend class.  Therefore I can not comment on my body language or that of my group.

However I did the in-class Business Meeting simulation with my group relating to the Sloane-Harrison case, so I can discuss that.

Even though the mock business meeting was not a traditionla presentation, I feel some of the main points apply.

Effective content transitions between speakers: Jesse was the manager so he led the meeting.  However he utilized eye contact and effective pausing as cues to me and Yihui that we may interrupt and speak at different moments. This was actually easy for our group because I think we are a good balance of talkers and listeners.

The group’s body language could have been better. In terms of a presentation, it would have been ideal if we were facing the audience.  Yihui had his back to the class and I was obscured from view.  however, as it was a business meeting and less of a presentation it made sense for us to sit in that configuration.  Also, I had to be mindful of what to do with my hands as we learned that crossed arms may indicate a defensive or otherwise negative energy.

Stengths of the presentation: Our group has an ebb and flow style and the balance of personalities are such that we are cognizant of when to  listen and when to speak.  Therefore, interruption and speaking over one another did not occur during the business meeting.  This is a strength as it made the mock meeting appear more realistic and fluent and not disjointed and scripted.

In hindsight I would have liked offered more suggestions to the manager (Jesse) for out to imporve conditions at Sloane-Harrison.

A couple of questions to ponder:  How would I describe my leadership style?  Do I lead by example?  Do I delegate?  Do I rule by consensus?

Honestly, I am still honing my leadership style…at least at work anyway.  I have only had about a year of direct supervisory experience so I am still learning how best to manage a team.  I currently have 3 direct reports but this number is expected to grow over the next couple of months as we build out the department and fill staffing needs.  So considering my style and ways to change or improve are important at this point.

Objectively speaking, I’d say my style is a combination of leading by example, delegation and consensus.   This may sound as if I’m just covering all bases but with a team as small as mine, I feel the manager must be nimble and flexible in order to make the process work.  For instance, I lead by example when it comes to behavior and professionalism.  I’ve found that it’s better to guide employees towards the behavior you want them to exhibit when you are actually taking part in it too.  Therefore, I make sure to come to work on time, dressed appropriately.  On the chance that I am late, I inform everyone and make up my time (even when my boss is not around or doesn’t request me to do so.)  By showing my reports that I follow the same rules as they do, a relationship of trust and respect can develop.

I also delegate when appropriate.  I didn’t always do this because in the past I believed my way was the best way.  But through experience I recognized that ‘there is more than 1 way to skin a cat’ and so I apply that theory and look to delegate tasks to the person with the corresponding skill set.  This reduces my stress but also improves efficiency. 

Lastly, there are often times when crucial decisions need to be made.  Due to the small size of the group it is especially important for everyone to feel heard.  Therefore, I will put certain items to a vote or move forward with the group’s consensus versus making the decision independently.

Working in teams: In business and business school, students are often asked to work in teams. What are some of the challenges faced on team projects? What role does communication play with teams? How important is digital communication with teams?

My biggest challenge with team work is time management.  Especially at Baruch, some students work full time in addition to full class loads whereas other students do not work at all.  This can be challenging when certain members want items completed well in advance, while others won’t have the time to get to an assignment until 2 days before it’s due.  Open communication is what saves the group dynamic.  Personally, if I know I’m swamped with work and unable to get to a project or meet with my group, I let the members know immediately and also offer alternatives so they know I’m invested in the project.  Reliance on digital communication is number 1 for me, but I have been in groups where in person meetings are preferred.  In these cases, I usually compromise by meeting at least once before I insist on virtual meetings and email exchanges.