Graduate
www.dom.edu
Communication
for Leadership
GSLIS 716
Summer, 2008
Monday/Wednesday
6-9PM
Crown 310A
Grayslake
via VTEL
Instructor: Alexis
H. Sarkisian
Office Hours Tuesday
2-6PM
Wednesday
1-6PM
Contact: asarkisian@dom.edu
708.524.6949
Course
Description
(from
GSLIS Bulletin)
Theory, research
and practice of interpersonal and group communication for collaborative
leadership roles: facilitator, coach, catalyst and leader. Includes using a variety of media for
information transfer among groups; communicating a leadership stance, creating
and enrolling others in your vision (advocacy), developing organization support
for your vision (systems literacy) and building skills in interpersonal
communication, group dynamics, negotiations, conflict resolution and asserting
influence.
DOMINICAN
As a Sinsinawa Dominican-sponsored institution,
GSLIS
The mission of the
Graduate School of Library and Information Science is to educate excellent
library and information science professionals.
This education is carried out within the larger context of
Communication
for Leadership
Assumption
Everyone can become a leader in her/his workplace.
Goal
To provide each student with the communication tools to
become a leader
(1)
Course Objectives
Students
will:
·
Observe
examples of effective and ineffective communication and leadership in
themselves and their everyday environment
·
Articulate
observations (through conversations and papers) and relate them to his/her
developing philosophy of communication and collaborative leadership
·
Demonstrate
the ability to assume a variety of leadership roles in class activities
·
Seek
out examples of useful writing and information about communication,
collaboration, and leadership
·
Demonstrate
communication skills for meeting management, negotiation and conflict
resolution in small group interactions
·
Use
communication skills to develop a vision, create support for it, and build a
team to accomplish the vision
·
Explore
an organizational system and identify strategies for improving the environment
for cooperation and collaboration
Course Text
Alessandra, Tony, Ph.D., and Hunsaker,
Phil, Ph.D, Communicating
At Work, Fireside, 1993 (ISBN:
0-671-78855-8) Stocked in the Dominican Bookstore
Communication For Leadership
Requirements
You are expected to participate fully in the class
sessions by reading the assigned material, preparing for discussions, and
facilitating group activities as requested in class. You will be required to bring additional
literature to the attention of the class.
(2)
2. Group Presentation (20%)
For this assignment, the class will be
divided into 4 groups of 3.
You will be asked to assess the total GSLIS
experiences from
start to finish. Each group will function as a SWOT team where
you will be asked to present
your recommendations as to how you would improve and add to the GSLIS
experience using
an organized style of implementation. You will provide you assessment of the
current experience and make your recommendations using a mission statement, goals, activities expected outcomes and a plan for
evaluation.
3. Leadership
Vision Project (30%)
Develop a proposal for a collaborative
project that you begin to implement this semester. Your proposal should be written for the
specific audience who will decide whether the project should be
implemented. It should demonstrate an
understanding of communication styles and the use of collaboration to reach
your desired outcome. It should also reflect accomplishments and outcomes as of
the last day of class.
4. Class Assignments (20%)
Note regarding late assignments:
Assignments are due at the beginning of the class session on the date
indicated. The grade on an assignment
will be lowered one full grade per week when the assignment is received after
the date due.
Academic Honesty and Integrity:
All students of the GSLIS are expected to observe high standards of
academic honesty and integrity. Any
student whose conduct violates such standards may be subject to disciplinary
action as determined by due process.
(GSLIS Bulletin, p. 19)
Note:
Communication for Leadership is taught using the Socratic method of
questioning, and exploration. Each
student as a member of this class is expected to participate, contribute, and
collaborate to make our class time a significant learning experience. From time to time modifications to the weekly
assignments might take place.
Class #1 - July 2, 2008
Introduction
Review Class Requirements
Group Project Discussion and Group Assignments
Vision Leadership Project Proposal and end project
Proposal due July 14
(3)
Discussion of the Communication Model
Begin keeping a journal of communication
experiences that you have
had. You will
write one journal per week. Your journal
should be between 350-500 words single spaced.
Your journal should include a description of your communication
experience, a reflection of the experience and finally an analysis of your
experience based upon what you are learning and have learned in class. Keep in mind the communication model as well
as those activities that reflect a collaborative effort. Your journals will be due on Monday. I will expect a hard copy from those
attending class on the River Forest Campus and those in Grayslake can send
journals via email.
Discussion
Bibliography regarding the
Communication Model
http://www.businessballs.com/mehrabiancommunications.htm
Professor Albert Mehrabian
http://www.class.uidaho.edu/comm101/chapters/selecting_topic/selecting_topic4.htm
Occasion Analysis
http://extension.missouri.edu/explore/comm/cm0109.htm
Developing Effective Communications
http://www.chass.ncsu.edu/ccstm/scmh/model.html
Thinking Strategically
http://www.changethatsrightnow.com/toastmasters.asp
Conquering
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communication_theory
Communication Theory
Class #2
July 9, 2008
Interpersonal Communication
Read Part 1 Communicating
at Work
The 4 styles of communication
Relater
Socializer
Thinker
Director
(4)
Verbal Communication
Read Part 2 Communicating at Work
Listening
What is the difference between listening and hearing?
Asking
Questions
Conflict
Resolution
Class #2 Assignment
A. Write
a 2 page paper about yourself and your particular
style or
combination of styles of communication
B.
Select
an article of interest to you about communication styles or a particular
communication style and include a copy of the article as part of your
assignment.
C.
Work on
group assignment
This assignment will be
collected at the beginning of Class #4, and can be emailed by those in
Grayslake.
Class #3
Lenora Berendt,
Coordinator, Student Placement
Guest Speaker
The process of interviewing for a job requires
excellent communication
and writing skills.
Lenora will discuss best practices in terms of writing,
speaking, and interviewing for jobs.
Work on group projects.
Assignment Due for Class #3
Create a bibliography regarding
best practices for job interviews.
Come to class prepared to present highlights of
your research and to
ask very crucial questions regarding your job search
and interviewing
skills.
Your bibliography and Journal #1 will be collected
by Lenora. Those in
Grayslake can send them via email.
Class #4 July 14, 2008
Non-Verbal Communication
Read Part 3 Communicating
at Work
(5)
A.
Videotape of Kennedy-Nixon Debate
B.
Discussion of non-verbal communication.
What is it?
C.
Review individual and group project
D.
Review
Class
#4 Assignment
A.
Turn in assignment from Class #2
B.
Turn in Journal #2
C.
Turn in your proposal for your Vision
Leadership Project
Class
#5 July 16, 2008
Discussion on Leadership. What is leadership? How is it
defined?
A.
Why is communication so
important as we think of leadership?
B.
How do strong leaders advocate? What is your vision?
C.
Discussion of individual Leadership
Vision Project
Discussion
of your class Group Project Assignment. You can meet in your groups.
Class
#5 Assignment for Class #5
A. Research the concept of
Leadership. Put together your
own
bibliography on the topic. Include in
your bibliography
selections that
are library specific and those that are non-library specific. Come prepared to present your bibliography
and why you built it the way that you did.
B.
Write a two page paper regarding your
thoughts on
leadership. Include in the paper answers to the following
questions? What makes a strong
leader? Are you a leader?
why or why not.
Class
#6 July 21, 2008
Group Communication
Part V Communicating
At Work
The
Learning Organization Peter Sengue
Assigned
http://www.skyrme.com/insights/3lrnorg.htm
What is a Learning Organization? How is it different from the more traditional
management style? What are the strengths
of group work? How would one
develop a
systems approach within a Learning Organization. How do you communicate vision within that system.
(6)
Videotape of the North Suburban Library
System Learning Organization.
Work on Group Projects.
Assignment
for Class #6
Prepare a two-three page paper focusing on how you would
convert your organization into a Learning Organization.
Turn in Journal #3
Class
#7 July 23, 2008
Out
of Class Activity
Meet with a Library Director to discuss his/her thoughts and
attitudes about leadership. What is the
difference between leadership and management?
What role does communication play in leadership?
Assignment
for Class #7 to be turned in at the beginning of Class #8
Write a 500 page paper regarding your interview. Please attach the questions that you
asked. It is important that you answer
the questions as indicated above as well as including a reflection about what
you learned from this interview.
Class
#8
Presentation
of Group Projects
Please
also include a reflection paper as to how you all worked together as a group.
Class
#8 Assignment
Turn in your 4th journal
Class
#9 July 30, 2008
Crucial Conversations What are they and why are they
important?
Managing Change
20, no. 2, Spring 2006
Sarah Robbins, ChangeMasters All
(7)
A series on Librarians who Steered
a Clear Course toward the Twenty-first Century.
Why is change so disliked, and yet so important to having
successful libraries? What were the
skills and the driving force for Maureen in terms of her career? What did she see as some of the more
important aspects of the North Suburban Library System converting to a Learning
Organization?
Select an article on the topic of change management. Be prepared to present the article in class. What role does communication and systems
thinking have when change takes place in an
organization.
Class
#10 August 4
http://www.neflin.org/leadership/
Synergy Program
Video with Susan Lucia Annunzio
Author, Contagious
Success
Discussion of the role of the leader in
a high performing organization.
What is the collaboration model?
How does this information apply to the different types of libraries?
Assignment for Class #10
Turn in Journal #5
Class
#11 August 6, 2008
Presentation
of Final Projects
Grayslake
Class
#12 August 11, 2008
Presentation
of Final Projects
(8)