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Q2s Enhanced Pedagogy: Developing Critical Listening Skills In Business School Students To Enhance On-The-Job Performance, Matthew Habich

Q2S Enhancing Pedagogy

A common complaint heard from many business managers and executives is that while recent business school graduates are relatively well-equipped for the technical aspects of their jobs, they often lack critical communication-related skills, thus limiting their organizational effectiveness. This article describes feedback received from a group of Southern California business executives indicating that "active listening" is one of the most important of these communication skills - and one often lacking in recent business school graduates - and offers one classroom exercise that can be used to help students practice this critical communication skill.

Conducting Meetings, Writing Agendas, Drafting Minutes, Liliana Monteil-Doucette

Q2S Enhancing Pedagogy

This is a two-day assignment which encourages students to consider a situation at work where employees are not following proper telephone answering etiquette. The situation could cause the business to lose customers. Therefore, students are instructed to research proper phone etiquette, then prepare an agenda to address the issues and provide guidelines on the correct way to answer phones.

On day two, students will hold a meeting discussing the points on their agenda, take notes, then write the minutes of the meeting.

The assignment walks them through the full process of problem solving, communicating with employees, and producing proper business …