Virtual University of Pakistan

Teaching Schedule

Semester
Chapter
Week/ Topics to be covered Book
No.
Lecture
Week 1
1. Communication
¾ Importance of
Communication
¾ Process of Communication
ƒ Idea
ƒ Encoding
ƒ Channel
ƒ Decoding
ƒ Feedback
¾ Noise

2. Levels of Communication
¾ Intrapersonal
Communication
¾ Important Characteristics
of Intrapersonal
communication
ƒ Frame of Reference
ƒ Creativity
ƒ Self Talk
ƒ Risk taking Behavior

3. Interpersonal Communication
¾ Behavior and Interpersonal
Communication
¾ The Contextual View
¾ The Developmental View
¾ Functions of Interpersonal
Communication

Week 2
4. Communication in the
Organization
¾ Guiding Principles
¾ Mediated
Communication

Page 1 of 11
 ¾ Person to Group
Communication
¾ Mass Communication
¾ Downward
Communication
¾ Upward Communication
¾ Lateral Communication

5. Communication Destination
¾ Internal Communication
¾ External Communication
¾ Benefits of
Communication to
Employees
¾ Benefits of
Communication to the
Organization
¾ Communication solves all
problems

6. Listening
¾ Process of Listening
¾ Levels of Listening
¾ Types of Listening
¾ Listening Characteristics
¾
Assignment 1
Week 3
7. Improving your Listening Skills
¾ Tips to become a better
Listener
ƒ Don’t Talk Listen
ƒ Keep an open mind
ƒ Don’t jump to
conclusion
ƒ Ask Questions
ƒ Don’t get distracted
ƒ Use your brain power
ƒ Provide Feedback

8. Non Verbal Communication

¾ Types of non verbal
communication
ƒ Appearance
ƒ Facial expressions
ƒ Eye Contact
ƒ Gestures

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 ƒ Touching
ƒ Posture

ƒ Characteristics of
voice

9. Barriers of Communication
¾ Over communication
¾ Conflicting information
¾ Language differences
¾ Interests and Attitudes
¾ Tendency to Evaluate
Week 4
10. Barriers of
Communication(continued)
¾ Badly expressed message
¾ Loss in Transmission
¾ Poor Retention
¾ Inattentive Listening
¾ Differing Status
¾ Prejudices
¾ “I” attitude
¾ Resistance to change
¾ Refutations and
Arguments

11. Overcoming Communication

Barriers
¾ Listener Barriers
¾ Sender Message Barriers
¾ Physical Barriers

12. Speech
¾ Audience Analysis
¾ Demographic Factors
¾ Distraction

Assignment 2
Week 5
13. Selecting a Topic
¾ Guidelines for selecting a
Topic
¾ Rules of finding a Topic
ƒ Researching your Topic
ƒ Gathering Material
ƒ Periodical Indexes

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14. Thesis Statement
¾ Defining Thesis Statement
¾ Purpose of Thesis
¾ Appropriateness of thesis
¾ Scope of the Thesis
¾ Correctness of Thesis
¾ Development of Thesis
ƒ Clarity
ƒ Logical
ƒ Equal in Value
ƒ Central to Issue

15. Introduction of Speech

¾ Purpose of Introduction
ƒ Getting attention
ƒ Introduce the Thesis
ƒ Adapting to
audience
ƒ Establishing rapport
with audience

Week 6
16. Body of Speech
¾ Construct an Outline
¾ Organizational Patterns
ƒ Spatial
ƒ Chronological
ƒ Topical
ƒ Logical
¾ Concluding the Speech
ƒ Summary
ƒ Quotation, summary
or example
ƒ Statement of
personal Intention
ƒ Call to Action

17. Modes of Delivery

¾ Reading from Manuscript
¾ Presenting from Memory
¾ Speaking
extemporaneously
¾ Impromptu speech

18. Strategic Oral Delivery

¾ Vocal Cues

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 ƒ Pitch
ƒ Volume
ƒ Rate
ƒ Tone
ƒ Speech Patterns
ƒ Articulation
ƒ Filters
ƒ Pauses
ƒ Accented Speech
¾ Visual Cues
¾ Avoid Distracting Factors

Assignment 3
Week 7
19. Making a Good Speech
¾ Guidelines for making
good speech
¾ Overcoming stage freight
¾ Types of Speech
ƒ Informative speech
ƒ Persuasive speech
ƒ Ceremonial speech

20. Handling Questions and

Answers
¾ Anticipating
¾ Answering
¾ Revising
¾ Rehearsing
¾ Inviting Questions &
comments

21. Responding Questions &

Answers
¾ Essentials for effective
Response
ƒ Listen
ƒ Discern
ƒ Affirm
ƒ Answer
¾ Appropriate Disruptive
Responses
¾ Disruptive incidents
¾ Disruptive behavior

Assignment 4

Page 5 of 11
Week 8
22. Significance of the Setting
¾ Psychological Reasons
¾ Perceptual Reasons
¾ Speaker concentration
¾ Complementary
characteristics
¾ Seating consideration and
room Arrangements
¾ Types of seating
arrangement

MID TERM EXAM

Week 9
MID TERM EXAM
23. Visual Aids
¾ Why visual aid in
necessary?
¾ Popularly used Visual Aids
ƒ Computer based
presentation
ƒ Video
ƒ 35mm Slides

24. Visual Aids(continued)

¾ Overhead Transparencies
¾ Flip Charts
¾ White boards
¾ Handouts
¾ Guidelines for choosing and
creating visual aids

Assignment 5
Week 10
25. Group Communication
¾ Defining group meeting
¾ Steps involved in group
formation
¾ Problem solving phases of a
group
¾ Purpose of group meeting
¾ Group decision making
¾ Styles of group leadership
¾ Procedure of a group
meeting

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26. Elements of Effective written
Communication
¾ Defining Courtesy
¾ Guidelines for courteous
Writing
ƒ Exclude irritating
expressions
ƒ Include meaningful
apologies
ƒ Include courteous
wording
ƒ Respond in timely
manner
ƒ Positive wording
ƒ Bias free language

27. Elements of Effective written

Communication(continued)
¾ Characteristics of
correctness
ƒ Right level of language
ƒ Accuracy of words
ƒ Correct grammar
ƒ Check spelling
¾ Conciseness
¾ How to achieve
conciseness
¾ How to achieve Clarity
Week 11
28. Elements of Effective written
Communication(continued)
¾ How to achieve
concreteness
ƒ Include specific
information
ƒ Use active verbs
ƒ Use vivid, image
building words
¾ Guidelines for achieving
Completeness
ƒ Provide all necessary
information.
ƒ Answer all questions
asked.
ƒ Give something extra,
when desirable

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29. Preparing for Effective
Business Writing
¾ Stages of effective writing
¾ Planning stage
ƒ Determine your purpose
ƒ Consider your reader
ƒ Choose your Ideas
ƒ Determine the
Appropriate content

30. Preparing for Effective

Business Writing(continued)
¾ Organizing Stage
¾ Method of Developing
topic
ƒ Direct method
ƒ Indirect Method
¾ Determine the appropriate
order

Assignment 6
Week 12
31. Preparing for Effective
Business Writing(continued)
¾ Drafting Stage
ƒ Developing opening
paragraph
ƒ Essentials of ending
paragraph
ƒ Body composition
ƒ Editing Stage
32. Parts of Business Letters
¾ Essential Parts
¾ Specimen Letter
¾ Non essential Parts
¾ Heading- Letterhead
¾ Salutations
¾ Signature Area
¾ Addressee Notation
¾ Subject line
¾ Mailing Notation
¾ Copying Notation

33. Direct Request Letters

¾ Strategy for Routine
Request
¾ Types of Direct-inquiry

Page 8 of 11
 Letters
ƒ About Products or
services
ƒ About People

Week 13
34. Direct Request Letters
(Continued)
¾ Requesting information
about a person
¾ Indirect inquiry Letters
¾ Claim Letters
ƒ Qualities of a claim
letter
ƒ Structure of a claim
letter

35. Direct Request Letters

(Continued)
¾ Letters of Invitation
¾ Reservation letters
¾ Letters requesting favors

36. Good Newsletters

¾ Types of good Newsletters
ƒ Letters replying to
inquiries, extending
credits,
ƒ Letters granting
adjustments
ƒ Letters acknowledging
orders
ƒ Letters granting favors
ƒ Letters of
congratulation
ƒ Letters accepting
invitations
¾ Characteristics of good
Newsletter

Assignment 7
Week 14
37. Disappointing Newsletters
¾ Strategies for
Disappointing Newsletters
¾ Essentials of effective

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 disappointing letters
ƒ Creating an audience
centered tone
ƒ Meeting reader’s
needs & expectations
ƒ Begin with Buffer

38. Disappointing
Newsletters(continued)
¾ Follow with Reasons
¾ Techniques of Refusal
¾ Refusing request for
information

39. Disappointing
Newsletters(continued)
¾ Refusal request for a Favor
¾ Refusing a Refund
¾ Refusing a Claim
¾ Rejecting job application
¾ Do’s & Don’ts of
disappointing messages

Week 15
40. Writing Persuasive Message
¾ Planning persuasive
message
¾ Developing persuasive
message
¾ Strategies for persuasive
messages
ƒ Framing your
arguments
ƒ Balancing emotional
and logical appeals

41. Writing Persuasive Message

(Continued)
¾ Avoid faulty Logic
¾ Reinforce your Position
¾ Dealing with Resistance

42. Writing Persuasive Message

(Continued)
¾ The Sales Letter
¾ Collection Letter
¾ Memoranda and Short

Page 10 of 11
 Reports
¾ What is a memo?
¾ Memorandum Reports

Assignment 8
Week 16
43. Writing Resume
¾ Fallacies & Facts about
Resume
¾ Qualities of good Resume
¾ What do you have to
offer?
¾ Essential elements of
Resume
¾ Chronological Resume

44. Writing Resume (continued)

¾ The Functional Resume
¾ Interviewing
ƒ Getting Ready
ƒ Thinking ahead about
questions
ƒ Making a good
impression
¾ People with high EQ
45. Overview
¾ Tips for effective planning
in Communication
ƒ Think Smartly
ƒ Listen Actively
ƒ Speak Effectively
ƒ Write Purposefully
ƒ Live Happily

FINAL TERM EXAM

** Assignment schedule can be changed.

** Pop quizzes or Graded MDB can be announced at short notice by the
instructor.

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