Additional resources
The intent with this business communications course is for instructors to select and use the elements and resources that work best for them. In support of this perspective, we have provided additional resources (that are not actively incorporated into this course) in case they may be useful or of interest.
These additional resources are grouped together by topic in the index below. Click on a link to be taken to the corresponding resource (in this book or elsewhere, if it is external).
Audience analysis
- Questions to ask during an audience analysis (H5P)
- Test your knowledge about CMAPP / audience analysis (H5P)
- Analyzing audiences and scenarios (H5P)
- Context hunt activity
- Guess the audience activity
- Audience-centered messages discussion activity
Bad news messages (direct approach and indirect approach)
Business communication cases/scenarios
Communication skills
- An external article about 5 Excellent Communication Skills Introverts Didn’t Know They Had
- An external article about what to do if you are emailing while angry
Document formatting
- Tips for formatting emails, memos, and document headings (H5P)
- Gestalt theory scavenger hunt activity
Employment communications (including cover letters and resumes)
- Employment skills analysis activity
- Writing a cover letter activity
- LinkedIn lightning round activity
Grammar, writing mechanics (including style, tone, and concision), and writing process
- Paragraphing (H5P)
- Formal and informal tone (H5P)
- Parts of speech and revision (H5P)
- Connecting words and ideas (H5P)
- Punctuation and sentence focuses (H5P)
- Plain language and concision (H5P)
- What would the teacher say activity
- Paragraph sort activity
- The writer’s eye activity
- Bulwer Lytton competition activity
- Word connotation activity
- Writing process activity
- Style and tone field trip activity
- Question of the day activity
- Writing audience-centred messages activity
Icebreakers and wrap-ups
- Course syllabus scavenger hunt activity
- Dear Future Me activity
- Captain Communicator Personas activity
Intercultural communication
Oral communication
Persuasive messages
- Storytelling activity
- Deductive reasoning murder mystery activity
- Can you tell? Goodwill vs Disguised promotion messages activity
Reports
- Open-ended question bingo activity
- Primary or secondary activity
- Creation of multi-level outlines activity
- Report treasure hunt activity
- Report sort activity
- Report remix activity
Researching, evaluating, and documenting sources (source use)
- An external site where students can learn to tell the difference between fake news and real news
- Citing sources (video)
- An external video about three paraphrasing techniques
- Information literacy hunt activity
- Practicing paraphrasing and direct quoting activity
- Citation highlighting activity
- Dear Abby activity
Routine and negative news messages
