Strategic Business Communication

Instructor Information

• Course Coordinator: Dr. Audrey Kessler (Associate Teaching Professor of Business Communication)
• Section Instructors: Listed for each section in AlkimiHub. Your section instructor's office hours and office are posted in your Canvas course page.
• Email: akessler@university.alkimi.ai
• Office: Tidewell Hall 326
• Coordinator Office Hours:
  • Wednesday & Friday: 3:00–4:30 p.m. (In person, Tidewell Hall 326)
  • Thursday: 11:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m. (Virtual via Zoom; link posted in Canvas)
  • Also available by appointment.

Course Description

Audience analysis, professional correspondence, executive summaries, data-driven reports, persuasive presentations, and team communication for business settings, with individual coaching on writing and speaking. COMM 210 prepares future business leaders to communicate complex managerial, financial, and strategic information clearly and persuasively across modern organizational channels. Students practice crafting concise executive correspondence, synthesizing quantitative data into decision-oriented analytical reports, and delivering professional oral presentations with confidence. Through structured peer workshops and personalized coaching, the course develops strategic audience adaptation, ethical business messaging, crisis communication skills, and collaborative team communication habits essential in corporate workplaces.

Prerequisites

ENGL 101.

Measurable Student Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of COMM 210, students will be able to:

1. Analyze Audiences and Business Contexts: Evaluate organizational audiences, purposes, and cultural contexts to select appropriate communication channels and strategic rhetorical framing.
2. Compose Executive Business Documents: Write clear, concise memos, letters, executive summaries, and formal analytical reports adhering to professional business formatting and ethical standards.
3. Visualize Quantitative Business Data: Transform complex business data into intuitive, accurate charts, graphs, and tables integrated smoothly into written and oral deliverables.
4. Deliver Persuasive Oral Presentations: Design professional slide decks and deliver compelling, extemporaneous business presentations both individually and in collaborative teams.
5. Manage Team Communication and Crisis Scenarios: Facilitate productive peer coaching, manage interpersonal team dynamics, and formulate strategic communication responses to organizational crises.

Required Course Materials & Approximate Costs

1. Courtland L. Bovee and John V. Thill. Business Communication Today. 15th ed., Pearson, 2021. Approx. $45 digital rental, $90 print purchase.
2. Alkimi Business Communication Style Guide and Case Packet. Free digital access provided on Canvas.
3. Total estimated cost: $45 to $90.

Generative AI Policy (AI Level 2: AI Permitted with Disclosure for Specified Tasks)

In accordance with Alkimi University Academic Policies (Student Handbook §5.8), COMM 210 operates under AI Level 2.

• What is permitted: You may use generative AI tools to brainstorm audience personas, outline presentation slide structures, and check grammar or readability on early drafts of written assignments.
• What is prohibited: You may not submit AI-generated text as your own writing, generate executive summaries or report bodies using AI, or use AI tools to generate presentation speaking scripts.
• Disclosure: All submitted reports and presentations must include a formal AI statement specifying any AI tools consulted during planning or editing, or explicitly certifying that no AI tools were used.

Grading Components and Weights

• Professional Correspondence Suite: 15% (Due Friday, September 18 at 11:59 p.m.)
• Executive Summary & Analytical Business Report: 20% (Due Friday, October 23 at 11:59 p.m.)
• Individual Persuasive Presentation: 15% (In class during week 11 (week of November 2))
• Team Strategic Communication Briefing: 15% (In class during week 14 (week of November 23))
• Communication Workshops & Peer Coaching: 15% (Weekly writing drills, slide critiques, and active participation in workshop coaching sessions)
• Strategic Business Communication Final Portfolio: 20% (Due Monday, December 14, 2026 at 11:59 p.m.)

Grading Scale (Alkimi University Standard)

• A: 93–100% | A-: 90–92%
• B+: 87–89% | B: 83–86% | B-: 80–82%
• C+: 77–79% | C: 73–76% | C-: 70–72%
• D+: 67–69% | D: 60–66% | F: Below 60%
• Extra credit: No individual extra credit assignments are offered in COMM 210. Students achieve success through dedicated participation in peer review workshops and iterative revision.

Course Schedule (Fall 2026)

All sections follow this common weekly schedule. Section meeting days vary, so dates are shown by week; your section instructor posts exact class dates in Canvas.

Course Policies

Attendance Policy

Because COMM 210 relies heavily on interactive workshops, speaking simulations, and collaborative peer coaching, regular attendance is mandatory. You are permitted two unexcused absences without penalty; additional unexcused absences reduce your final grade by one third of a letter grade. Missing more than five class sessions will result in failure of the course. Students who miss the first two class meetings without notifying the instructor may be dropped. Students may miss class for religious observance without penalty if they notify the instructor in writing within the first two weeks of the semester (by Wednesday, September 9, 2026). Absences for university-sponsored activities (athletics, performances, conferences) are excused with a letter from the sponsoring office at least one week in advance.

Late Work Policy

Major written deliverables and presentation slide decks lose 10% for each calendar day they are late and cannot be submitted more than three days past the deadline. In-class presentations cannot be rescheduled except in cases of documented illness or university-approved emergencies.

Final Exam Policy

COMM 210 has no final examination. The strategic business communication final portfolio takes its place. Nothing is due on Reading Day (Thursday, December 10, 2026).