Project Presentation

Each group will give a presentation about the website project they have been working on.

Just as your project has been a group effort, your presentation should be as well.  Each group member MUST have a speakingpart and the presentation should flow well between each speaker.  Plan very clear transitions between each speaker.  Such as, “Now that I have shown you how the data supports this project, I will turn it over to Mary who will discuss some concerns we had on this project.”

Your website will be your visual aid, so organize your speaking parts on who will show and speak to what part.  The demonstration of the website is a very important part of this presentation, so practice with that.  You may use a title slide with your group name, members’ names and titles, etc.

Remember your professionalism…..dress in business casual, use great eye contact, speak up, stay professional while your other group members are speaking ( don’t lean on wall) and direct your attention to them.  Remember to explain any technical jargon that you may use.  Be prepared for Q&A afterwards.

Each group will turn in one typed coped of the outline to me the day of your presentation.

Here is the template for the outline you need to use:

Introduction (Group member________________)

I.  Attention Getter (use a unique way to introduce the project)

II.  Listener Relevance (Justify the value of the topic and connect to audience)

III.  Speaker Credibility (this is where you introduce your group and members)

IV.  Thesis Statement (state the goal of the presentation)

V.  Preview (map out the main points of the presentation)

Transition (move listeners clearly to first main point)

Body

I.  Main Point One (Group Member_______________)

Listener Relevance link:

A.

B.

Transition (hit main points covered and preview next point)

II.  Main Point Two (Group Member _______________)

Listener Relevance link:

A.

B.

Transition (hit main points covered and preview next point)

Use as many Main Points as needed not to exceed five.

Conclusion (Group Member______________)

I.  Restate thesis

II.  Summarize main points

III.  Clincher (tie back to attention getter)

IV, Invite feedback/questions

Stranded in the Desert

1. Magnetic Compass
2. A piece of heavy-duty-, light-blue canvas, 20 sq ft in size
3. Book, “Plants of the Desert”
4. Rearview Mirror
5. Large knife
6. Flashlight
7. One jacket per person
8. One transparent, plastic ground cloth (6×4 ft) per person
9. A .38 caliber loaded pistol
10. One 2-quart plastic canteen of water per person
11. An accurate map of the area
12. A large box of kitchen matches

Ethical Constructive Feedback

After you have had the opportunity to work with your critique partner, take a few minutes to write a reflection blog with the following questions in mind:

Who was your partner and what was their project?
Did you feel that having the sandwich method helped your critiquing efforts?
In which role did you feel the most/least comfortable; being evaluated or in the role of the evaluator?
What did you learn from interacting with your partner?
What do your feel were your strengths / weaknesses as an evaluator?
What would you do differently next time you found yourself in an ethical constructive feedback situation?
Add in overall reflections you may have of your feedback situation.
Please write your blog asap so that your reflections are fresh in your mind!

Sales Speech

You each will give a 3-5 min presentation to “sell” yourselves to your classmates for placement in to groups for next semester. You will prepare a typed, formal outline for the speech that will be turned in on your blog the day right you speak (Dec. 1st). I have provided a template below that you are to use to create that outline. For your visual aid, you will create a power point with no more than four (4) slides. As you present your speeches, your classmates will take notes as part of their own grade. 

Please use the following preparation outline:

Introduction:

I. Attention Getter: (Tell us something that will immediately grab our attention)

II. Listener Relevance: (Tell us why we should listen to this presentation)

III. Speaker Credibility: (What research/personal experience make you credible on this topic) 

IV. Thesis Statement: (In one sentence, what is the goal of your speech?) 

V. Preview: (Tell us specifically and concisely, in order, what your main points will be.) 

Transition: (Take us to the first main point)

Body:

I. Main Point One:

Listener Relevance Link: (Tell us how this point connects to us)

A.

1.

2.

B.

1.

2.

Transition: (Take us to the second main point)

II. Main Point Two:

Listener Relevance Link: (Tell us how this point connects to us)

A.

1.

2.

B.

1.

2.

Transition:(Take us to the conclusion)

Conclusion:

I. Restate Thesis (Restate the main idea of the presentation)

II. Main Point Summary (Explicitly review the main points you talked about)

III. Clincher (Refer back to attention getter)

Elevator Pitch

Due November 5th

On your blogs, write a good first draft of your Elevator Pitches. Do research as to what you may want to include and what angle you may to follow. 

Remember—-Keep it short, 30-60 seconds, be sure your goal is identifiable, use interesting words to describe yourself and what you do and finish with a hook or question to make them think. You want to leave a memorable impression.

Good Luck!

Elevator Pitch

Due November 5th

On your blogs, write a good first draft of your Elevator Pitches. Do research as to what you may want to include and what angle you may to follow.

Remember—-Keep it short, 30-60 seconds, be sure your goal is identifiable, use interesting words to describe yourself and what you do and finish with a hook or question to make them think. You want to leave a memorable impression.

Good Luck!

Cultural Analysis Assignment

Posted on October 13, 2020

Assignment: Cultural analysis of IT Minor Class

Format: Typed, Double spaced, Include opening paragraph, Body, Closing paragraph, turned in on your blog.

Organizations are created to accomplish goals. In the process of working toward those goals, a culture develops. A culture is the character and personality of your organization. It’s what makes your organization unique and is the sum of its values, traditions, beliefs, interactions, behaviors and attitudes.

A part of your project experience will be to identify and describe the culture of the organization with which you are working. We are going to use this class for practice in identifying the elements of an organization’s culture.

Most of us are at least subconsciously aware of the culture of any group or organization of which we are members. Several of the elements are discovered by participation within the group while others are realized through observation. Some of the major elements of culture are:

Rites, ceremonies and rituals ( Rites of passage)
Fairy tales, myths, stories and legends (Stories passed down)
Heroes (Idealized founders, etc.)
Language (What style is used)
Humor and play (Reduce tension, build rapport, share positive feelings)
Rules (The code that must be followed)
Metaphors (may be used to break down issues, etc.)
Physical setting (Physical environment)
Stories (Specific stories told or passed down)
Values (Behaviors that do not change)

To understand the “cultural identification” process USE THIS CLASS as an example. From the 10 elements above, CHOOSE 5 and describe this class in those terms. You will need to include examples for each element.

***Remember to use examples to support your element choices. This is often the most forgotten part of this assignment.

Organizational Culture Assignment

Assignment: Cultural analysis of IT Minor Class

Format: Typed, Double spaced, Include opening paragraph, Body, Closing paragraph, turned in on your blog.

Organizations are created to accomplish goals. In the process of working toward those goals, a culture develops. A culture is the character and personality of your organization. It’s what makes your organization unique and is the sum of its values, traditions, beliefs, interactions, behaviors and attitudes.

A part of your project experience will be to identify and describe the culture of the organization with which you are working. We are going to use this class for practice in identifying the elements of an organization’s culture.

Most of us are at least subconsciously aware of the culture of any group or organization of which we are members. Several of the elements are discovered by participation within the group while others are realized through observation. Some of the major elements of culture are:

Rites, ceremonies and rituals ( Rites of passage)
Fairy tales, myths, stories and legends (Stories passed down)
Heroes (Idealized founders, etc.)
Language (What style is used)
Humor and play (Reduce tension, build rapport, share positive feelings)
Rules (The code that must be followed)
Metaphors (may be used to break down issues, etc.)
Physical setting (Physical environment)
Stories (Specific stories told or passed down)
Values (Behaviors that do not change)

To understand the “cultural identification” process USE THIS CLASS as an example. From the 10 elements above, CHOOSE 5 and describe this class in those terms. You will need to include examples for each element.

***Remember to use examples to support your element choices. This is often the most forgotten part of this assignment.

Active Listening-Case Study

Active Listening – a Case Study

Paul Denvir
The power of active listening was once demonstrated to me by a colleague with whom I worked in a previous company. Mark had been responsible for coordinating the training of a group of senior managers from the European subsidiaries of a large US high-tech company. The training had gone very well and the MD of the UK company told Mark he was so convinced that he wanted to use us to carry out work in the UK. The MD (as was his wont) made this decision without consulting his three senior divisional sales managers. They were told after the decision had been made and were given a fait accompli.
I was appointed as the consultant for the UK group and the day arrived when we had to carry out our first research into the UK client company. I picked up Mark in the morning and as we drove to the client’s HQ he expressed his concern that the divisional sales managers might be somewhat hostile toward us due to the autocratic way in which the project had been decided.
As Mark had all of the connections and knowledge of the client organisation, it was agreed that he would take the lead in the three meetings we had scheduled (one with each of the sales managers). I would take a fairly low-key role.
The first meeting was at 10 o’clock. The atmosphere was almost icy. My colleague sat opposite the sales manager who was jacketed and in position behind his large desk. I sat slightly behind and to one side of Mark. It would have been easy for Mark to hide behindthe MD’s decision and to take the line that it was a fait accompli for us all therefore we had better just get on with it. He didn’t. He made every effort to really listen to what the first sales manager had to say. He demonstrated this through active listening. He summarised regularly to make sure that he had understood and to demonstrate that he wanted to understand.
From time to time he reflected the feelings and concerns of the sales manager – demonstrating that he understood how the sales manager felt about the various subjects we discussed. Expressions such as ‘So how you see it is…’ and ‘So your feelings are…’ were a regular feature of the meeting.
After about 30 minutes the atmosphere had changed significantly. Mark and the sales manager were physically closer together. The sales manager drew diagrams and small charts on his pad to explain things which Mark was clearly interested in. Mark had to move into such a position that he could see. The sales manager was by this stage quite comfortable with this. The body language which had started as rather formal and stilted became more expansive and relaxed.
At the end of an hour and a half there had clearly been a meeting of minds and one opponent was now open to our involvement – if not yet an advocate.
The second meeting was a re-run of the first. A defensive and totally unconvinced person at the start was ‘converted’ over the next 90 minutes.
We had lunch and Mark and I met with the third of the sales managers. Though not quite as ‘stiff’ as his other two colleagues, he would have proved a tough nut for most people. The ‘magic’ of active listening worked again. In the late afternoon we were on our way back down the motorway with the UK client’s most influential people supporting the training which their people were to receive and believing that those who were going to carry it out really understood what was needed and why.
After a few minutes in the car I turned to Mark and asked him a question. He did not reply. The reason was simple. He was asleep. He was mentally exhausted from the three meetings. For the best part of five hours he had turned up his active listening skills to a very high pitch. That requires motivation, effort and mental stamina.
A scarce skill
Almost everyone who understands what active listening is, wants to become good at it. However, few people work on developing it to any level of proficiency. We may be wrong but we believe that one reason why really good active listening is such a scarce skill is that it does require such a lot of mental energy. It is all too easy to nod and say, ‘Yeah, I understand.’
The rarest and finest of skills all take work to master. It is only by application and practice that we will improve. A theoretical understanding of the skill is only the beginning.
Most importantly the benefits of active listening will only be fully delivered if we approach the skill as one that is designed to help us help others. If we see active listening as a technique to enable us to manipulate and gain advantage we should not be surprised if people ‘spot the technique’ and see us as behaving in an unnatural and false way. Instead of building empathy and trust, the application of the skills as a pure technique will erode the very things we seek to build.

Meyer-Briggs Type Indicator

 After thinking about the different areas and their functions, answer the following questions on your blog:

1.  Based on what you have learned about your MBTI profile, what do you need/expect in your work environment?
2. What type of leader do you expect to be and how does this profile reflect that?
3. When working on a team/in a group, how do you think knowing the other people’s profiles would change the group interactions?