BILKENT UNIVERSITY

FACULTY OF ART, DESIGN & ARCHITECTURE

DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNICATION AND DESIGN
COMD 358 – PROFESSIONAL COMMUNICATION
Fall 2023

Course Coordinator:
Emel Özdora
[email protected]

Instructor:
Boran Aksoy
[email protected]

OFFICE HOURS: By appointment via e-mail

OFFICE: FC-204

PURPOSE & COURSE DESCRIPTION

The goal of the Professional Communication course is to help students from all kinds of academic disciplines to
learn about, effectively practice, and ultimately develop professional communication skills and experience
that will be useful in both their professional careers and social interactions in interpersonal
situations. It will also expand their ability to engage in teamwork and design professional presentations, better
preparing them for their future careers.

Students will learn and practice written, oral, and visual communication skills to help them expand
their ability to communicate and interact more professionally, with improved writing, editing,
listening, speaking, and presentation skills. Coursework includes preparing resumes, cover letters, thank
you letters, and inquiry emails professionally, professional listening and note-taking assignments such as
meeting notes and listening summary exercises, speaking assignments such as persuasive speeches,
developing arguments and elevator speeches, as well as preparing professional communication projects in
groups, and delivering presentations through adopting documents to particular needs and audiences.

COURSE OBJECTIVES
● Demonstrate the ability to present work effectively to target audiences
● Show professional and ethical responsibility
● Produce effective and innovative visual, written, and oral communication materials
● Demonstrate advanced computer and communication technology skills
● Advance their project development and presentation skills.
● Develop and use written and spoken language and communication skills necessary for effective
communication
● Use professional language accurately and appropriately according to the relevant context
● Evaluate different types of communication within an organizational context
● Choose the right medium of visual aids in presentations that will t the audience

COURSE TEXTBOOK
Beebe, S. A., & Mottet, T. P. (2016). Business and professional communication: Principles and skills for
leadership (3rd ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson.
Available in the library – Reserve desk, also as an ebook at Meteksan. Please check.

COURSE FORMAT
Please do the required readings, research, and homework before coming to class as this class will
bene t from your contributions and discussions during class hours.
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 COURSE REQUIREMENTS
In-class participation & Assignments 25% (4 assignments worth 5 points + 5 pts participation)
Homework 25% (5 homework worth 5 points each)
Midterm Exam 25%
Communication Project 25% (15% written report, 10% presentation)

(1) Midterm Exam (25%). Your ability to understand the principles and strategies of professional
communication and what we have learned in this class. The midterm exam is a way to assess your grasp of this
foundational knowledge.

(2) Communication Project - Teamwork: Oral and Written Reports (25% total = 15% written report +
10% for the presentation). The class will be divided into teams and each team will prepare a professional
communication project for a product or an initiative of their choice. The team will be responsible for a written
submission of a communication plan and a 15-minute oral presentation of the campaign. This project is a group
e ort and each student will be evaluated by his or her peers.
A detailed assignment sheet, communication campaign topics, and sample peer evaluation sheet will be
provided.

(3) In-class participation and Assignments (25%). Students will be rewarded for their attendance and
participation in class activities and assignments. These will either be group or individual assignments as well as
the Instructor’s evaluation of the active participation of the student in class discussions.

(4) Homework (25%). Students will be rewarded for their successful completion of homework assignments
throughout the semester.

FINAL GRADES are non-negotiable and determined according to the following scale:
A+: 100, A: 99-94, A-: 93-90, B+: 89-87, B: 86-83, B-: 82-80,
C+: 79-77, C: 76-73, C-: 72-70, D+: 69-67, D: 66-60, F: 59 and below
FZ = Attendance below 70% -OR- a grade average below 50% before the nal paper is due.

ATTENDANCE POLICY & ABSENCES

Class meets three hours a week. Attendance is required and roll will be taken each class.
If you need to miss a class, you have to let me know in advance. You can send an email prior to the class. You
can miss up to four hours of class, and you need to send an email for each. If you miss more than 4 hours of
class, points will be deducted from your participation grade. This is non-negotiable. Students are required to
attend class and take the attendance policy seriously.

MAKE-UPS AND LATE ASSIGNMENTS

There will be no make-up exams or deadline extensions. Exceptions can be considered only in cases of
extraordinary, documented circumstances, as determined by the instructor.

ACADEMIC HONESTY
The work you submit must be your own work and it must be created for this class. You have to attribute any
direct or paraphrased material from any other source, including Web sites. You cannot turn in anything that you
wrote for another class, at an internship, or in another academic or professional setting. Incidents of academic
dishonesty will be reported to the department administration. An academic honesty offense is de ned as the act
of lying, cheating, or stealing academic information so that one gains academic advantage. Examples of
violations of academic honesty: Cheating, Plagiarism, Bribery, Misrepresentation, Conspiracy, and
Fabrication.
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 Modules and Weekly Activities for the Professional Communication Course

Week 1 Module 1. Class introduction and requirements for the semester

(15 Sept) Professional and
e ective writing
Week 2 Understanding communication process, practices, and
(18-24 Sept) ethics
In Class Assignment 1: Ethics Credo (5 pts)

Week 3 Learning about Types of Communication

(25 Sept - 1 Oct) Homework 1: Find an example of “Professional
Communication” (5 pts)

Week 4 Being aware of how you communicate at work,

(2-8 Oct) organizational culture and social skills
Assignment 2: Writing a Professional Inquiry Email for a
New Homework Proposal for This Course (5 pts)

Week 5 Verbal & Non-Verbal Messages E ectively:

(16-22 Oct) Working on professional writing materials including Resume,
Cover Letter, Thank You Letter, and Inquiry Emails
Delivering e ective individual speeches - practice week
Homework 2: Evelator Pitch for your Dream Job (5 pts)

Week 6 Interviewing Principles and Skills

(23-29 Oct) Homework 3 & 4: CV & Cover Letter preparation + Set-up
Linkedin (10 pts)

Week 7 Module 2. Listening, Understanding, and Responding

(30 Oct - 5 Nov) E ective listening, Practicing pro cient listening skills to communicate
public speaking and e ectively in personal and professional environments
communicating Assignment 3: CV and Cover Letter Peer-Feedback (5
your ideas in pts)
interpersonal
Week 8 settings Teams and Managing Relationships
(6-12 Nov) Homework 5: Keep a Listening Journal (5 pts)

Week 9 Catch-up & Midterm Review

(13-19 Nov) MIDTERM WEEK

Week 10 Module 3. E ective Groupwork and Managing Meetings

(20-26 Nov) Presenting Setting Up Project Teams & Team Ground Rules
professionally and
Week 11 e ectively Professionalism and Work Skills
(27 Nov - 3 Dec)

Week 12 Delivering E ective Presentations: Using IT, Media and Data

(4-10 Dec) Visualization to Enhance Presentation E ectiveness
Developing Team Communication Skills, Social and
Leadership Skills for Career Advancement
Assignment 4: Excellent Presenter Evaluation (5 pts)

Week 13 Delivering E ective Presentations

(11-17 Dec)

Week 14 Presentation Rehearsals and Final Presentation Week

(19 Dec)
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