Monthly Archives: June 2013

COMMUNICATION BLOG #5

New employee advice on written and oral communication

1. I would suggest taking two courses at Baruch with Professor Green: Business Communications I and II.
2. I would recommend reading ‘Munter, M (2012) Guide to managerial communication’.
3. I would also recommend reading ‘Mai, R & Akerson, A (2002). The leader as a communicator’.

This will also be discussed in greater detail in our upcoming class discussion.

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COMMUNICATION BLOG #4

Group Proposal Presentation Preparation

Each member of our group brings essential experience and knowledge from their respective industries; Marketing; Finance and Philanthropy, each of which will be a major asset in preparing for our group presentation for our social entrepreneur project. This will be demonstrated in greater detail in our upcoming class discussion.

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COMMUNICATION BLOG #3

Social Entrepreneur Project

Our social entrepreneur group project will focus on creating a preliminary proposal for the setup of a non-profit organization named ‘South Bronx – You can do it’ (SBYCDI). The goal of this organization is to help reduce financial illiteracy in one of New York’s poorest communities, South Bronx.

SBYCDI will provide free financial advice and coaching on managing personal banking, maximizing personal taxation returns, reducing personal debt and working on a limited budget. The project will focus on the community’s residents with incomes on or below the poverty line. Currently this segment represents over 38% of South Bronx’s total population, a significant portion when compared to the nation’s average of 22%.

By targeting local banks, credit unions and community outreach programs to form advertising and sponsorship relationships, SBYCDI aims to become independently sustainable by the end of year two.

Before this happens, we need to raise $200,000 to get the project from the proposal stage to a fully functional service. We hope to achieve our goal by convincing funders that:

• Our project will help people to help them-selves.
• Our efforts can help thousands of people in a short period of time.
• Our services on helping people to overcome the burden of financial strain allowing them to focus building their future.
• The results of our services will have a positive effect on not just adults but also children and the community as whole.

We will use real life examples of financially illiterate residents of the South Bronx to demonstrate the problem and show how our service can have a positive effect on enriching these people’s lives and the lives of people around them.

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Post #5

I have had the issue of training my employees and coaching them on oral and written communication.  I specifically work with engineers and some foreign employees for whom English is their second language.  The first piece of advice I give is to understand the audience.  There are different levels of formality that need to be used in business, and you should always error on the side of more formal.  Second, piece of advice I have given would be when in doubt ask.  It is important for new employees to be aware that they have the support of senior level members of the team, and that they do not have to reinvent the wheel.

Lastly, I have provided them with copies of Munter.  This book provides many of the basics in communication that are simple to understand and implement.  I have found it very useful and given it out to several employees.  I would be glad to discuss my experience with this further in class.

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Blog Post #4

Our team has designated the roles of defining the problem and root cause analysis to one team member, development of the solution and innovation to another and finally the budget to the third member.  Each member of the group will write an executive summary for the overall report, and we will compare and contrast.  The best executive summary or a culmination will be used in the final report.  I welcome the opportunity to discuss this structure with you further outside of class.  Thank you

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Blog 1. Business Leadership Style

I would describe myself as a leader from behind.  I am not always great leading people in the classic sense, I am better at giving be direction on the best strategy or way to  accomplishing goals.   I have a strong ability to bring groups of people together to work on a project and I am good at delegating out tasks to people.    If I could compare myself to a football coach, I would say that I am more of a Bill Belichick type leader that focus on silent strategy and tactics.

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

When it comes to teams during my MBA I have had difficulty dealing with students who dont add value to the team.  I do not like to baby sit other MBA students and have to explain basic business concepts to them.   I like being on teams that have students that know whats going on and take things at a profesional level.  Some times I tool the leadership role and directed the team in every way, and sometimes I took a backseat and let someone else lead the group, as a good leader also knows when to follow.

During my time at Baruch I tried my best not to meet too often with teams and do as much as possible using google docs and other enabling technologies.  A lot of the students waste time with group meetings.  I like to use my time effectively and only meet if it is absolutely necessary.

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Communication Blog #3

BUS 9553

Communication Blog # 3

 

            The group is looking to pursue an anti-smoking campaign to discourage consumers from adopting a smoking habit and encourage those who already smoke to quit.  The social entrepreneur project will attempt to improve overall public health. Research has shown that smoking causes harm to every organ in the body. Furthermore, quitting smoking immediately improves short term and long term health. We believe that the current anti-smoking campaigns do not understand what motivates consumers to smoke.  We believe that it is more effective to discourage consumers from smoking using a more tangible approach, by making smokers pay more for cigarettes.

Prior studies have been performed on the price elasticity of cigarettes. However, none of these studies have been able to significantly change the price of cigarettes. Our pitch to investors will be simple. We believe that by increasing the current price of cigarettes slightly, many consumers will decrease smoking and even more will be reluctant to begin. We will need funding to conduct the necessary research to conduct a survey to validate the results of prior research. We also will need funding to lobby lawmakers to increase the taxes incurred upon purchasing a normal pack of cigarettes.

We can help our nation have a better future.

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Communication Blog 2_Group Presentation Body Language

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.

 

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Communication Blog # 2

Communication Blog # 2 

            After reviewing our Leader as a Communicator Presentation, I think that the group did a great job and explaining storytelling as a leadership communication style.  The group was able to cover the content in a clear and concise manner. Our transitions to the proceeding speaker were effective, but could have been done in a crisper manner. I believe this is a direct result of not having the necessary time to rehearse the presentation several times to ensure smooth transitions. I also believe that our inexperience presenting as a team effects our transitions. Over the course of the semester, our transitions as a group should improve (assuming we are able to keep the team together).

The strengths of the presentation are that the team presented the material with confidence and conviction. All the presenters knew the information that they were expected to present well. I believe that the presenters were able to portray storytelling techniques in a compelling fashion. I also think that the group had strong, confident body language and maintained eye contact through out the presentation.

If I could do anything differently, I would have the group rehearse the presentation more before going in front of the audience. I also think that individually we can improve as speakers. Over the course of the presentation, there were “um” moments and movements of too much body movement. However, overall the group delivered a strong presentation.

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Communication Blog # 1

Lawrence Flugger

Communication Blog # 1

            I prefer to use a participative leadership style. I seek to encourage group members to participate in open discussions. By keeping all members engaged, I believe they are more open to suggestions and more likely to reach a solution that they buy-in to. Typically, I prefer to rule by consensus. However, I like to reserve the right to make a final decision if a consensus cannot be reached.

In business school we are often asked to work in teams to write reports and give presentations. These types of assignments often bring about several challenges. The most common challenge is coordinating time for all group members to meet to work on a task. Often, pieces of the project are completed individually by the group members and then organized for submission at the very end. For this process to work, clear and concise communication is needed. It is important for other group members to know what each other is working on to avoid redundancy and to make future consolidation easier. When communication between members is strong, parts that are prepared individually still sound as if they have a unified voice.

Digital communication is the method of choice for group projects. It is vital to the success of the project. It allows members to communicate with each other on their own schedules and allows for easy exchange of information.  Still, there are some pitfalls to digital communication. Communication via email can be misinterpreted if not prepared properly. It is best to be clear and transparent with other group member in regard to expectations and objectives.

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