Foundations of Business Communication

This unit introduces core principles and skills of effective business communication for office administration, emphasizing verbal and nonverbal strategies, channel selection, active listening, audience analysis, feedback, conflict navigation, and professional presence. It builds on prior foundational workplace competencies and prepares learners to apply communication techniques in presentations, interviews, team settings, intercultural contexts, and while using emerging tools such as generative AI.

Learning Objectives

• Analyze communication models, channel richness, and nonverbal cues to select and justify the most effective communication channels for specific workplace scenarios
• Apply active listening, strategic questioning, and reciprocity techniques to demonstrate comprehension, extract information, and de-escalate or manage simulated workplace conflicts
• Demonstrate audience and stakeholder analysis by designing concise informative or persuasive messages (including interview and presentation contexts) tailored to intercultural and situational needs
• Evaluate ethical and practical considerations related to self-disclosure, professional personal-branding, feedback, and the use of generative AI; produce actionable guidelines for appropriate workplace use