General information


Subject type: Mandatory

Coordinator: Adso Fernández Baena

Trimester: Third term

Credits: 4

Teaching staff: 

Ester Bernadó Mansilla

Teaching languages


The subject is taught in English. All assignments, exercises and the exam, as well as the language of communication in class, are done in English.

Skills


Specific skills
  • E14. Lead teams of designers, artists or developers to achieve the specified objectives in the time provided, in a structured manner according to the methodology established for project management.

General competencies
  • G3. Gather and interpret relevant data (usually within their area of ​​study) to make judgments that include reflection on relevant social, scientific, or ethical issues.

  • G4. Communicate information, ideas, problems and solutions to a specialized and non-specialized audience.

Transversal competences
  • T1. Communicate in a third language, preferably English, with an appropriate level of oral and written communication and in accordance with the needs of graduates.

Description


The course introduces the student to the theory and practice of oral and written communication and in a variety of contexts, which can range from writing a formal report to an informal talk with an investor. The student will acquire an understanding of the rules of communication that govern each context and will learn to communicate with maximum effectiveness. The course aims for the student to identify their own communicative style and for the student to develop and adapt it to each context. At the same time, the course aims to improve the student's communication skills to the highest level by exposing students to real and simulated environments.

The subject is contextualized in the area of ​​Production and Business of the Degree in Design and Production of Videogames. The course content begins with an introduction to communication theories, followed by a review of the fundamentals of written, visual and oral communication. It also covers body expression in communication and persuasion and storytelling techniques. The subject has a theoretical-practical nature: the student must put into practice written, oral and corporal communication in different contexts, applying the knowledge acquired in the lectures. The different activities are designed for the student to develop and improve his communication skills. The feedback given to the student by the teacher and other classmates is a key tool to improve the student's communication skills. The subject does not require prior knowledge or subjects, beyond a minimum level of English to be able to communicate orally in this language.

Learning outcomes


At a general level, the course contributes to learning outcomes in the area of ​​Production and Business:

  • E14.2. Exercise leadership skills and team management.
  • E14.3. Contribute to generating a culture of learning, error management, feedback and criticism management.

Specifically, at the end of the course, the student will be able to:

  • Be aware of the importance of communication in all aspects of life and especially in the professional environment (we are always communicating).
  • Be aware of the rules of communication implicit in each context.
  • Identify your own communication style.
  • Improve their communication skills to the maximum.
  • Explain the theory that explains the rules of effective communication.
  • Write and communicate visually in different types of reports.
  • Communicate orally in different contexts, formal and informal.
  • Use storytelling techniques to capture the audience.
  • Use emotional keys to communicate better.
  • Understand the rules of persuasion.
  • Differentiate between persuasion and manipulation.
  • Improve communicative ability in English.

Working methodology


This course is organized in 10 weeks of 4 hours per week. Each week will be dedicated to a special topic. Each topic will be covered with a two-hour master class, followed by a two-hour hands-on session.

The master class is based on:

  • The theory that supports the topic at hand.
  • Examples of written or oral reports.
  • Support tools (such as tools for making visual presentations).
  • Exercises done in class.

The practical session consists of:

  • A definite goal that students must achieve.
  • Students must prepare in advance to achieve that goal.
  • The practice itself.
  • Reflection and feedback session.

The master classes will be done with the whole group of students, while the practical session will be done in small groups so that each student has enough time to practice the designed activity.

The methodology used, both in the master classes and in the practical sessions is based on:

  • Master classes
  • Practical exercises
  • Case study
  • Video capsules
  • Role-playing games
  • Search and critical analysis of articles.

Contents


  1. Fundamentals of communication
    • The importance of communication
    • Communication theory
    • Shooting guard
    • Acts of language
    • Provide feedback
  2. Written communication
    • Types of documents
    • Structure of a written document
    • Bibliographic references
    • Examples of written documents (CVs, cover letters ...)
  3. Visual communication
    • Death for PowerPoint
    • The keys to good visual support
    • The visual tools
    • The presentation of data with visual impact
  4. Oral presentation: contents
    • Types of oral presentations
    • Audience identification and segmentation
    • The message
    • Discourse structure
  5. Oral presentation: form and body language
    • The fear of presenting in public
    • Oral expression
    • Body language
    • Respiration
    • Rhythm
    • Appearance
  6. Storytelling
    • Attention and storytelling
    • Stories and branding
    • Elements of a story
    • The journey of the hero
    • Archetypes
    • “I have a dream” and other shocking speeches
  7. Rhetoric and Persuasion
    • Introduction to rhetoric
    • The theory of persuasion
    • Win-win persuasion
    • Examples

Learning activities


Throughout the course, there will be different practical activities aimed at improving the student's oral and written ability. The activities have different formats:

  • A1-Laboratory practice - Oral skills: exercises and practices that are carried out in small group sessions in class. Specifically, the following exercises are done: oral presentation, listening, networking, feedback and job interview.
  • A2-Individual works - Oral and written communication: activities and exercises that the student carries out at home (or in class) individually. The exercises are: cover letter and resume, lecture.
  • A3-Final exam.

A1. Laboratory practice (small group) - Oral skills

There will be activities in class or at home to work on the skills, especially the oral ones:

  • Oral presentation of oneself
  • Active listening exercise
  • Networking exercises
  • Provide feedback
  • Role playing: conducting a job interview.

These activities aim to develop the skills:

  • T1. Communicate in a third language, as presentations must be made in English.
  • G4. Communicate to specialized and non-specialized audiences (developed in the job interview activity).
  • E14. Lead teams to achieve specified goals (because part of leadership is to persuade and communicate properly to these audiences).

Also, the learning outcomes are developed:

  • E14.2. Exercise leadership skills and team management (developed in the networking activity).
  • E14.3. Contribute to generating a culture of learning, error management, feedback and criticism management (working on the feedback exercise).

A2 - Individual works - Oral and written communication

Individual assignments work on written communication competence as well as oral communication. They require a more intense preparation effort on the part of the student and are done individually:

  • Presentation of a curriculum vitae and cover letter
  • Conference

As with the previous activities, the competences T1, G4 and E14 and the learning outcomes E14.2, E14.3 are worked on. Also, the competition is added:

  • G3. Gather and interpret relevant data (to conduct the lecture, the student must consult various sources and synthesize and select the most relevant data for presentation).

A3 - Final Exam

In the final exam, the student works on the theoretical-practical contents worked on throughout the course. Competences T1, G4, E14.3 are worked on.

Evaluation system


The grade of the subject is calculated:

  • A1- Laboratory practices: 20%
  • A2- Individual works: 40%
  • A3-Final exam: 40%

Most of the activities will be presented in class, with prior preparation by the student. At the beginning of the course, students will know the calendar of these activities along with their deadlines. In most cases, if a student does not present a particular activity in class, there will be no second chance to present. In some special cases, students will be allowed to submit a recorded video or written report where they can practice the missed activity. However, the note will be penalized if it is delivered outside the established deadline. If a student does not attend one of the activities and cannot deliver it, the grade for the activity will be 0. Students need to have at least 4/10 in their activities to pass the course.

To pass the course, students must have at least 4/10 in the exam. Otherwise, the student will have to attend a second exam. Activities cannot be delivered on a second chance.

Class attendance is mandatory. If the student attends less than 80% of the classes without just cause, he will not pass the course, regardless of his performance in the activities or in the exam.

On the other hand, it is important to note that a student has one NP a the final exam or equivalent test, No. you have the right to perform the recovery.

REFERENCES


Basic

Pease, A., & Pease, B. (2017). The Definitive Book of Body Language: How to Read Others' Attitudes By Their Gestures. Pease International.

Watzlawick, P. (2011). Pragmatics of Human Communication. WW Norton & Co.

Cicero. The Speaker (2001). Classics of Greece and Rome. Publishing Alliance.

Berckan, B., Krause, C., Röder, U. (2005). The art of public speaking. How to earn respect with serenity. Barcelona: Integral.

Núñez, A. (2007). You better count it! Stories as communication tools. Storytelling. Barcelona: Active Company.

Kerr, C (2002). Death by Powerpoint: How to Avoid Killing You Presentation and Sucking the Life Out of Your Audience, Your Effective Tip-Kit for the Effective Use of Powerpoint. Execuprov Pr

Studer, J. (1996). Oratory, the art of speaking, lecturing, convincing. Madrid: Editorial El Drac SL

Heinrichs, J. (2007). Thank you for arguing. What Aristotle, Lincoln, and Homer Simpson can teach us about the art of persuasion. New York: Three Rivers Press.

Duarte, N. (2010). Resonate: Present Visual Stories that Transform Audiences. John Wiley and Sons.

Complementary

Carnegie, D. (2016). How to make friends and influence people. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform.

Morris, D. (2016). The naked monkey. Debolsillo.

Heath, C., & Heath, D. (2010). Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Take Hold and Others Come Unstuck, Random House Lcc Us.

Ramon-Cortés, F. (2012). The island of the 5 lighthouses. A tour of the keys to communication. Porch. Atrium.