Communication Skills for Business Professionals

Phillip Cenere is Associate Dean, Honours Coordinator and Senior Lecturer and Course Coordinator (Public Relations) at Notre Dame University, School of Business. Phillip previously worked as a features journalist and critic for multimedia and trade publications and taught across a range of business and communication subjects at The University of Wollongong, Macquarie University and The University of Technology, Sydney. Phillip is Managing Director of Engines of Success, a consultancy venture providing business and communications coaching. He advises senior executives on corporate governance and stakeholder engagement and serves as a director on boards and committees. He is a Member of the Public Relations Institute of Australia. Rob Gill's experience draws from a background of public affairs, communications and education. Before taking up his teaching role at Swinburne University, Victoria, in November 2007, Rob had spent ten years working in communications and public relations roles for corporations, state government public service and private enterprise. Prior to this, Rob spent fifteen years in secondary and primary education, including seven years teaching internationally. Rob is part of the Public Relations (PR) academic team responsible for PR majors offered through the Bachelor of Social Science, Bachelor of Communications and the Bachelor of Business degrees. After completing a Bachelor's degree in journalism, Celeste completed her cadetship at a regional newspaper. She then joined the Queensland Police Service and served as a police officer for 14 years. She completed a Masters of Professional Communication in 2000 and began lecturing part time in journalism, public relations and professional communication, in addition to police work. Celeste became a full time academic in 2011 at Central Queensland University. This move allowed Celeste to complete her Ph.D. studies in the field of community policing and communication. Her research interests include organisational communication, organisational culture and policing history. In 2012, she was voted by the students as one of the University's best lecturers, receiving a Student Voice Award. Celeste is a member of the Public Relations Institute of Australia. Before moving to academia, Michael Lewis spent twenty-five years in the computer industry, in a variety of technical, support, and management positions. He then ran his own consultancy in business communication for ten years, joining Macquarie University in 2001, initially to teach business communication and academic writing; he also lectured in theoretical linguistics, and was convenor of Macquarie's postgraduate programs in editing and publishing, before retiring at the end of 2013. His doctoral research project was an exploration of persuasion strategies in letters of complaint, and responses, in the computer industry. He served several terms in the positions of President and Secretary of the Australian Society for Technical Communication (NSW), and President and Vice President of the Society of Editors (NSW); he also served as a director of Australia's Institute of Professional Editors. He remains a Professional Member of the Society of Editors (NSW) and is a Life Member of the Australian Systemic-Functional Linguistics Association.

Part I. Understanding Communication: 1. Introduction: communication in organisations; 2. Organisations: structure and culture; 3. Communication as a process; 4. Understanding the audience; 5. Persuasion and influence; 6. Negotiation and conflict management; 7. Working in groups; 8. Intercultural communication; Part II. Communicating in Organisations: 9. Communicating as business professionals; 10. Research and channel selection; 11. Reports and proposals; 12. Correspondence: letters, memos, emails; 13. Writing for the web; 14. Oral presentations; 15. Meetings.