Business Communication: A Problem-Solving Approach Chapter 1: Solving Communication Problems in the Workplace Teaching Suggestions Much of the information you will cover at the beginning of the semester is routine—introduction of yourself, office hours, course requirements, operating policies, and other business. In addition, you will probably want to introduce the subject matter of the course. Chapter 1 contains such an introduction, so you may want to start by summarizing its contents and adding illustrations from your knowledge and experience. Your overall goals should be to convince the students that workplace communication is important in business and to their personal advancement in business; to alert them to current challenges facing business communicators; to convey basic facts about the business-communication environment; and to bring out that business communication, as a problem-solving activity, requires analysis, creativity, and judgment (there are no magic formulas). If you want to add some interest to this first meeting, try assigning a message to be written in class (but not for a grade). Make the problem a difficult one—a refusal or other bad-news situation requiring tactful handling. Without instructions on such problems, most of the students will write messages that are flawed. Save these messages until you cover this problem in the course and then give the messages back. When the students see their early writing specimens and compare them with their current work, they’ll see the progress they have made. Also, the exercise is good for a few laughs, especially if you have some students read their original messages aloud to the class. Another idea is to present a sample message (perhaps one from a real business) and, going over each part in detail, discuss the many decisions that went into the writing of the message. For example, the writer had to decide first even whether or not to write; then he/she needed to decide what genre (or form) of message this would be, how formal to make it, how to address the reader, what to say, how to organize the contents, where to put the paragraph breaks, which wording would be best in each place, and so on. This exercise reinforces the key point that good business communication is good decision making—as well as the point that preparing any message of importance will require time, care, and revision. Still another possibility is the “message makeover” exercise. Present a poorly written message from a real organization, with identifying details removed. A negative message is often the most relatable and entertaining to students. (One option is a memo announcing layoffs.) This also gives you the opportunity to discuss the importance of choosing the correct medium for the message. Ask students what problems