PM520: Professional Communication for the I'T' Project Manager

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PM520Professional Communication for the I.T.
Project Manager

• Steven D. Birmingham

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Review of Class 5

• Professional dress
• Good-looking documents
• Common mistakes in business document formatting
• Finishing touches

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The Power of Words

• If you dont have a word for it, you cant think
  about it.

--Janice Ford, 1987
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Echoes...

• April 11, 1970 - Apollo 13 was launched from Cape
  Kennedy at 213 p.m. Fifty-six hours into the
  flight an oxygen tank exploded in the service
  module. Astronaut John L. Swigert saw a warning
  light that accompanied the bang and said...

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The Power of Words

• English vocabulary...is related to the level of
  occupation attained.
• It seems clear that most intelligence tests are
  primarily measures of verbal ability
• Vocabulary level is a useful predictor of
  academic ability, even for courses like Chemistry
  that do not emphasize language usage (p. 16).

Bowker, R. (1981). English vocabulary manual.
New York Johnson OConnor Research Foundation.
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However...

• Brevity is the key to style... (Strunk and
  White)
• Simple words work best. (Lampton)

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Gettysburg Address
The Only Known Photograph of President Lincoln at
the dedication of the Civil War cemetery at
Gettysburg, PA, November 19, 1863. National
Archives
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Use Em

• Your thoughts?
• Agreed!
• Thanks. Thank you.
• Likely
• If you agree...
• Kindly
• Dear
• Thank you for your time and efforts
• I appreciate
• Excellent
• Outstanding
• Appropriate
• I look forward...
• Can you think of a way...
• I need your help

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Lose Em

• See lists in Strunk and White, and Bullspotters
  Guide

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Plugin to Check Documents

• http//www.fightthebull.com/bullfighter/

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Assignments

• Read Ober, pgs. 514-519 (Oral presentations)
• Read Ronald Reagans address on behalf of Senator
  Barry Goldwater Rendezvous with Destiny October
  27, 1964. Answer the following questions
• 1. What verbal structures (from class 4 or
  others) does he employ?
• 2. What are the powerful words he uses?
• 3. Why is this speech considered one of Reagans
  greatest?
• 4. Use the communication model (from class 1) to
  analyze the speech. What is the stimulus? Who is
  the audience, etc...
• Download and print one of your favorite speeches
  and bring to class to discuss.