Week 4 Assignment 1: Team Outline Exercise

Required Resources

Read/review the following resources for this activity:

• Textbook: Chapter 8, 11
• Lesson
• Link (Word doc): Week 4 Assignment 1 Template (Use this template to complete the assignment.)

Introduction

It is time for us to turn our attention to outlines, organization, and topic choice. This week has two separate assignments that will be submitted. Assignment 1 is the Team Outline Exercise, which involves group work and which will prepare you for Assignment 2, an individual assignment that will start you on the road to completing your Week 7 PowerPoint presentation.

Instructions Part 1: Outline

This week, you will have an opportunity to work in a team and to put into practice many of the communication strategies about which we are learning. Your instructor has already assigned you to a group of team members. You need to solve a communication business problem outline together by the end of the week. Note: You must engage early in the week so that you have time to work together as a group. Remember, what makes a group a team is a shared common goal, and this team will be no exception. In this case, your shared goal is to create and deliver an A+ solution to a communication business outline.

The following is a list of ideas that were brainstormed in a meeting with your company employees. The company needs to include all these ideas in an all-company presentation, but the list is very disorganized right now. What would be the best way to sort these ideas into some sequence of main points with sub points?

With your assigned team, unscramble the following statements to create a logical outline for an upcoming business presentation. Use standard outline format as described in your textbook.

• Ensure that the language is used correctly.
• Speaker credibility influences how listeners feel about the speaker.
• Character is the quality of being honest, trustworthy, and showing goodwill.
• Deliver the speech with confidence.
• Credibility is an extremely important factor in determining speaker effectiveness.
• Connect the audience to the topic.
• Practice your delivery.
• Verbally cite personal subject knowledge.
• Present error-free written materials.
• Credibility has three primary characteristics: the three Cs.
• Ensure that typographical errors are eliminated.
• Charisma is the quality of being assertive, confident, and enthusiastic.
• Speaker credibility influences the listener's ability to learn or to believe.
• Demonstrate expertise.
• Verbally cite expert sources.
• Connect yourself to the topic.

• Plan your delivery.
• Ensure that facts are correct.
• Competence is the quality of being an expert and being intelligent.
• Connect with the audience on a personal level.
• Establish common ground.
• Credibility is established in four ways.

All team members must collaborate in the group discussion and submit the same version of the outline. Please put the names of your group members who participated in this exercise on the title page under your name. Each member must submit the final group project for their grade.

Part 2: Reflection

As part of your individual submission, reflect on the group process. Was there miscommunication? Were there any listening barriers? How did the group handle it?