MGMT 100 B107 WORK

A lot of our information is gleaned from facial expressions. Our first impressions are often formed based on facial expressions. This should be an interesting Forum. There are two parts to the forum and two opportunities to practice uploading images (Trust me, it gets easier!)Part 1

1. Select a photo of two people interacting (can be from the Internet or your own collection) and upload it to the Forum. You must upload the photo to get credit for this assignment if you have trouble you can also attach it. Answer the following questions:

a. Describe the person's facial expressions. Do they match up with any of the descriptions of the emotions of facial communications shown in your lesson for this week (find under Week 3 content)? Did the other person in the picture have a similar expression? 

b. Why are non-verbal communications so important to a manager? Can you think of any barriers that you have ever seen? 

c. How do cultural differences affect non-verbal communication? Have you ever experienced any cultural differences in non-verbal communication? What were they and were you aware that they existed?

Part 2

1. Select a Disney, Pixar, or any other animated character based on one word and consider what nonverbal behavior of that character prompted you to think of that character. 

a. Use words that would describe the character traits illustrated like bold, coy, aloof, authoritarian, respected, dismissive etc. Find a picture of that character to display with your discussion post.

b. What non-verbal cues did this character exhibit most to you? Be specific, i.e., facial, eyes, hand gestures, stance, distance etc. 

c. Is this character relatable to you? Why? Do others think so?

d. What would you change about this character?

e. Do others think you remind them of this character?

Let's have some fun! 

Class, this week we focus on your research paper and getting some thoughts on it written down. This forum will help you get ideas and maybe defeat any writer's block.  

I think that you will find the following video quite enjoyable and hope it helps to stimulate some thoughts for your paper.  

The following video by Mr. Guy Kawasaki (early Apple marketing executive) is on his new book "Enchantment". This is a very high-tech, business-focused brief, but the concepts apply to retail, military, government or any other organizations. This video gives the meat and potatoes of his book and provides relevant strategies for working with others.

What was the highlight of the video to you?

Can you take any lessons from this?

How will it affect you working with others? 

View this 

1. Discuss your idea for the research paper to include an outline and reason why the topic is important to you. Make sure you go to the assignment instructions and look at what the expectations/rubrics are for the paper. 

Last week we saw a TED talk by Guy Kawaski on Enchantment. In one area of his talk, he covered some great tips on how to effectively use presentations.  This week we'll take a look at another presentation, this time by  . 

Did you ever why some TED talks go viral? Or why do some seem to be better than others? Are communication signals contagious? Vanessa Van Edwards reveals some very interesting insights in this area.  Take note of how she describes the use of hands and gestures that we use as well as conversation starters (and killers as well).

Think about some of the hints offered the next time you engage with others. After the video and during this week, I'd really like each of you to incorporate some of her ideas into your daily life and see if there are any changes.   These can be practical exercises of Human Relations.

Questions to answer in this week's discussion.

1. What was the most enlightening part of the talk? What really stood out to you? 

2. Have you ever done any of the conversation killers that she discussed? 

3. What specific actions would you take to utilize some of her recommendations?  

4. If you changed anything about yourself this week based on her talk what were some of your observations? 

Make sure your answers utilize applicable course material, concepts, and terminology.

Yes, another exercise in Human Relations, the manager with a disgruntled employee. We see disgruntled employees in the military, civil service and the business world. You cannot escape them, but this class may help you think about ways to deal with them. The reading assignment is good, and often your peer replies will be very interesting.  Enjoy!1. You have just been hired by Yummy Juicy, a national corporation that sells organic juices at most major retail stores. You have been hired as the West Coast Distribution Manager. After about five weeks on the job, you get the following email:

Sir/Ma'am,  

You are hurting this company. You have continued to try to force all of us to change our ways and follow procedures that are no good. I am not sure why you got the job. You trained us on the new procedures, which wasted hours of our time. Don't bother to reply to this email, I know nothing will change.

R/ 

Bob (disgruntled employee) 

 

2. Complete the following: a. Develop an email response. Use the three-step process for being assertive. Bob is one of your first-line supervisors and has been with the company for 20 years. Mary, another supervisor tells you that Bob is just trying to bully you and that most other supervisors love the new processes. (I realize many of you would call Bob into your office, but for this assignment, you must generate the email).

b. Do you find it difficult to be assertive in your own life (personal and professional)? Why or why not? 

c. What are the risks of being assertive with Bob? Make sure you utilize common course terminology when explaining the risks.

3. Mary comes to you later in the day and says, "Boss, Bob is trying to negotiate with you, he has a target in mind, and is not flexible, so his limit is not much different than his target." Explain what Mary is talking about (explain, in your OWN words, the concepts of targets and limits during negotiations). 

1. First Peer Reply: What specifically won't work in your peer's email to Bob? Make a recommendation on how to reword (or use another approach). This reply is due by THURSDAY at 11:59 EST.  

2. Second/Third Peer Reply: Become Bob, negotiate with "boss (your peer)," and make them see your point of view. Utilize course material in your reply. The reply should be formatted as an email (don't actually send email). This reply is due by SUNDAY at 11:55 EST.

Class, road trips, space exploration, and teams, what could go wrong?  Another forum to explore some concepts, please make sure to complete both parts. 

Part 1:

Have you ever gone along with a bad decision and tried to figure out later why you did? Well, don't be so hard on yourself, it is a phenomenon called Group Think or the Abilene Paradox. Our text covers it well but attached to this forum you will find two great links that discuss each. Please read them in preparation for this forum.

After reading viewing the links answer the following questions.

1. What is the difference (in your words) between groupthink and the Abilene Paradox?

2. Which do you think it is easier to fall into and why?

3. If you were leading a group and saw signs of Groupthink how would you handle it?

4. Are there any personal examples of any of these (Groupthink, Abilene Paradox, etc) decision blunders that you have been a part of and realize now?   

Part 2:

A large portion of our working lives is spent working in Teams.  How we communicate with our team members is crucial to the success (or failure) of the team.  In this week's lesson, we looked at the Ego states (parent, adult, and child). We all know that effective teams operate in the Adult-Adult realm of conversation and feedback, however, sometimes a rift can occur and cause us to operate from a higher or lower level with each other. Then there are other ways to look at team dynamics. 

In the video below Charles Duhigg discusses how Google builds the most effective teams.  

 

Think back to some teams that you have been on that were especially dysfunctional or effective.  Did they follow the team dynamics favored by Google or were they more directive in nature? What made them work (or not work)?

Class, this is a two-part forum. Part 1 draws on information in Chapter 12 of authors Narissa, Puntanunt-Carter and Thweatt, Interpersonal Communication: A Mindful Approach to Relationships.

Part I

Based on the reading this week in the lessons take a look at the following questions. Social media platforms provide individuals with increased opportunities to engage in online discussions. 

How does social mediated communication benefit interpersonal communication? 

How does it harm interpersonal communication?

How does your relationship with the person you are communicating with (or the lack of such a relationship) impact your social mediated communication style? How does the anonymity of social mediated communication impact communication styles? 

How has social mediated communication impacted society as a whole? More specifically, how has social media impacted society? 

How do past social mediated interactions influence your future decisions concerning mediated communication? 

What factors do you consider when posting something on social media? 

What aspects of netiquette do you practice the most when communicating online? 

Part II

Please share an example of something you learned in the classroom and were able to apply to a current situation in your life. Also, include any parting thoughts on the course or classmates. Make sure to reply to two other students as well! 

Take care and best of luck in your academic future!

You are expected to participate during the current week's discussion. Contact your instructor in cases of emergency or uncontrollable circumstances.

Week 3: Non-Verbal Communication Essay

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Instructions

This is a paper on non-verbal communication and what we can learn from it. You are to write a 3 page paper (not including title and reference pages so a total of 5 pages) in proper APA 7th Edition format. For your paper, please take a look at the videos and article presented that are linked below. Pay particular attention to the video and article, as you watch/read, take notes on some of the topics presented that interest you. This is a short paper, think of it as a warm-up for your longer paper due in Week 7.  Requirements for this assignment: Your paper should utilize appropriate course material that we have covered in regards to non-verbal communication.  Ensure you address the following topics in your paper: Pick three areas of interest from the article or video and discuss why you find it interesting, if you have seen any personal examples of it (i.e., someone who covers their mouth while talking, specific gender non-verbals, cultural differences). This paper should be fun, I would suggest that you read/watch the materials as soon as possible and then start observing others around you for some non-verbal clues. Remember your paper must include (all in proper APA 7th edition format):Page 1 = Cover Page Pages = 2-4 = Body (3 pages a minimum discussion of non-verbal areas of interest) Page 5 = Reference Page Make sure to use two additional resources from APUS online library or internet (Google Scholar is a great source) Wikipedia, or similar sites are NOT acceptable sources for this paper

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Week 5: PowerPoint Project

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Instructions

Topic: Teaching Effective Presentation Skills   Instructions:  This project requires you to develop a PowerPoint slide presentation for use as a training tool with managers and supervisors on how to prepare an effective presentation. As you move up through the workforce you will at some point be required to give a briefing or presentation to others. Hopefully, one day you will also have to the opportunity to develop one of your worker's speaking and presentation skills. There is great satisfaction in taking a nervous employee, helping them to develop their presentation, coaching them on delivery and then watching them knock it out of the park! With this in mind, your presentation should briefly outline (i.e., no more than 2-3 slides) how to start a presentation (that is attention-getting steps) an and overview for the audience. You should focus the majority of your presentation (i.e., 8-10 slides) on what makes an effective presentation. Factors to consider in all forms of communication–Who is your audience? What is your message? Are you trying to persuade? Inform? The Week 5, Lesson 1 has a lot of great information to get you started, as well as the Forum in Week 4 (the Guy Kawasaki TED Talk).  Here are some guidelines to get you started: You are going to brief a small group of newly graduated APUS Business Students on how to present an effective presentation. Your audience ages are anywhere from 20-60 years of age, with various business backgrounds, military experience, and even some small business owners.  There should be an introduction slide, a topic overview slide, 8-10 slides on presentation techniques, a conclusion slide and lastly a reference slide. Use the "notes" feature of PowerPoint to list your talking points on each slide for me to read what you would actually be saying. Submission Instructions: IMPORTANT!   Save and submit your work as a PowerPoint Presentation with speaker notes Your grade will be based upon your ability to follow assignment instructions, research conducted, the effectiveness of the training proposed, critical thinking and analysis, and APA 7th edition format.Please support your ideas, arguments, and opinions with independent research, include at least  three (3) supporting references or sources   ( do NOT use your textbook as one of the three required references, or encyclopedias, Wikipedia, unknown, undated, or anonymous sources, such as brief articles from websites) , include a reference section (i.e., 1-2 slides), and cite all sources properly in the text of each slide, in accordance with the 7th edition of the APA manual. Helpful Tips I encourage you to go online to Purdue OWL, or Excelsior OWL, which have writing labs for students. Look up PowerPoint presentations in APA format in the search box. These websites will have helpful tips on best practices. TED talks are also another great source for good information.  References:

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Week 7: Final Paper

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Instructions

You are to write no longer than a 7 page paper in proper APA 7th Edition format. For your paper, you will create a fictional character for a movie. The character should be in a management position. Your paper should utilize appropriate course material (and from your own research).  Ensure you address the following topics in your paper:Describe the personality of your character (this is to help the reader understand the challenges your leader faces).How did your character develop their management traits?Identify three management traits that the leader possesses, and explain why they are necessary to a successful manager.How you can develop each skill or trait in your own life? Training, education, experience, etc. – but be specific (if you create goals they should be SMART).What are the possible disadvantages of having these traits?How have you seen the selected traits utilized effectively in your own experiences in life?How can you market the traits (for this I would like to see resume bullets for each of the traits)? – Put yourself in your character's shoes, as if they were writing a resume.How do you relate to your character? Could you be managed by him/her/it?The paper must include (all in proper APA 7th edition format):Cover Page Body Reference Page Two additional resources from APUS online library Two additional resources from the internet Wikipedia or similar sites are NOT acceptable sources for this paper

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