Wominjeka, welcome, bienvenuto, 欢迎, sugeng rawuh, स्वागत हे, bienvenue, أهلا بك, bienvenida, ようこそ, maligayang pagdating, velkommen

Welcome to Analysing Professional Communication, and to this online orientation you will complete before the first class. In this first part of the orientation you will learn about the approach to studying workplace interactions we will be using - conversation analysis - the assessment requirements during this course, and the topics we will explore in the subject.

The second part of the orientation (Workshop in this module) you will watch a lecture from Professor Liz Stokoe all about how a detailed understanding of how talk works based on evidence from real interactions is useful for professional communication training. Completing the Workshop means you will have a good idea of the approach to learning about communication we will be using, so that you know before we start if this breadth subject is for you!

For much of this course I will be on Dja Dja Wurrung Country. I pay my respects to the Jaara people, and the knowledge of Elders who inform our understanding of the world. A warm welcome to First Nations people in our group, and appreciation for the generosity of Indigenous Australians in sharing knowledge.

If you have not yet read the Uluru Statement from the Heart a link is provided.

In the spirit of sharing knowledge…

So that we can get to know each other a little, we’re going to post an e-introduction and share something useful with the group.

Please upload a very short video of yourself (no more than 15 seconds), telling us your name, the degree you are enrolled in, and one life hack that you thinbk could improve our lives. (e.g. Do you use software to manage your course readings? Have you found a way to keep lemons in the fridge? Is there a place on campus we should really visit?) Please post your e-introduction on the padlet below in alphabetical order (of surname).

Please note this task is a hurdle requirement. Sharing a short e-introduction is one way we will start to build our learning community.

How is the course organised?

8 key topics.

For each topic: (1) Essential reading(s); (2) Seminar; (3) Online Workshop.

Quiz question to complete for each topic.

What will we be learning in this course?

“How rich we are in knowledge, and all that lies around us yet to learn. Billionaires, all of us.”

— Ursula Le Guin, No Time to Spare

What are the assessment tasks?

There are three assessment tasks for this subject, designed to build your knowledge of how talk works, to develop your capacity to critique evidence-based practices in talk-in-interaction, and to apply this evidence to advice for professional communication.

Task 1 is a quiz, to show your understanding of each topic in this subject.

Task 2 and Task 3 allow you to explore a topic that interests you, to identify a particular professional communication problem, explore the research on the topic (Task 2), and create a short training resource for a particular group of professionals (Task 3). For example, you might want to learn more about how psychologists keep their clients onside (ie. affiliation), then prepare a 3 minute talk (for psychologists) explaining how to maintain affiliation with clients.

TASK 1: Quiz on conversation analysis (30%, equivalent 1200 words)

This quiz is made up of eight mini quizzes, one for each topic in the subject. Essentially it's an online exam, but split up throughout the intensive to support your progress and learning. The quiz questions are based on the readings, seminar content and knowledge from workshop activities. The questions are multiple choice, true or false, or fill in the gap. Your answers will be graded throughout the course, so that you can reflect on the content learning as we go. The quiz questions for topic 1 won't count towards your grade, so you can have a practice without any pressure! 30 questions spread across the intensive, 1 point per question.

TASK 2: Annotated bibliography (40%, 1600 words)

For this task you need to identify research relevant to the professional communication problem you have chosen to explore, and choose 4 articles or research chapters to review. Please choose articles published in the EMCA Bibliography. You will write a short review of each paper (ie 300 words), explaining what the research is about, what in particular the findings illustrate about talk-in-interaction, and what these findings mean for our understanding of professional communication. You will have the opportunity to submit a practice review (300 words) for feedback during the course.

TASK 3: Communication training resource (30%, equivalent 1200 words)

This task is an opportunity to share the knowledge you have developed in Task 2. This applied assessment creates the opportunity to share research in conversation analysis for a particular professional audience. You will prepare a three-minute TED-style talk, to share how the research evidence can support professional communication. You will record a video of yourself presenting your talk, then upload for both peer review and grading.

Hurdle requirement

In addition to these three assessment tasks, satisfactory completion of this subject depends on completing all online workshop activities. These activities are not assessed, but provide an opportunity to deepen your understanding of talk-in-interaction (and for Amelia to see your progress!).

Questions about assessment?

Throughout the course, I’ll be updating the Subject and Assignment FAQs daily. If you have a question, look there first. If you don’t dfind the answer, post a new question in the relevant column.

Why is this course based on research in conversation analysis?

Thank you for taking the time to watch and read this orientation content.

Once you’ve completed the workshop activity (watching a lecture by Prof. Liz Stokoe and answering some easy questions), we’ll be ready to launch into the course properly with Topic 1 on Turntaking!

MECM20012 Orientation