Academic year/semester: 2025/26/2

ECTS Credits: 3

Available for: Only for the faculty’s students

Lecture hours: 0
Seminarium:0
Practice: 2
Laboratory: 0
Consultation: 0

Prerequisites: -

Course Leader: Dr. Zsuzsanna Balázs

Faculty: Keleti Károly Faculty of Business and Management, 1084 Budapest, Tavaszmező utca 17.

Course Description:
People and communication. The need and necessity of communication. The means of communication. Verbal communication, meta-language. Origin and specificity of non-verbal communication. Tools of non-verbal communication. Relationship between verbal and non-verbal communication. The importance and role of personal space and distance. Authenticity. The role of self-awareness and self-awareness in the communication process. Communicative self-awareness. Impression making, sympathy, empathy. Trust. Caressing equivalents. Communication in an economic context. Organisational culture and communication. Formal and informal communication networks. The relationship between communication and economic efficiency. The role of motivation, manipulation, criticism and praise in the workplace. Conflict, conflict management techniques. Delivering presentations and speeches.

Competences:
-

Topics:
1. Understanding the foundations of business communication
2. Communication traps and harmful communication styles
3. Teamwork: preparing for panel discussions
4. The theory and practice of assertive communication and conflict resolution: Part 1
5. The theory and practice of assertive communication and conflict resolution: Part 2
6. Teamwork: preparing for panel discussions
7. Argumentation techniques and logical fallacies: Part 1
8. Argumentation techniques and logical fallacies: Part 2
9. Building confidence through nonverbal awareness: Part 1
10. Teamwork: preparing for panel discussions
11. Building confidence through nonverbal awareness: Part 2
12. Presentation and evaluation of panel discussions
13. Presentation and evaluation of panel discussions
14. Presentation and evaluation of panel discussions

Assessment: Mid-term assessment based on practice-based assignment. Active participation in class activities and regular class attendance: 50% - Preparing and conducting a panel discussion: 50% - Students work in groups of three or five throughout the semester; - Students choose a discussion topic relating to business, marketing, economics, or management (a list of potential topics is going to be provided); - Selecting roles: one student builds up convincing arguments for the selected topic, another student prepares to challenge them and argue against it; the third party acts as a neutral but active moderator in the discussion, who needs to know the arguments of both sides to guide the debate (guidelines are going to be provided); - A detailed, high-quality progress report must be submitted by the moderator via Moodle by the given deadline; - Presentation of the panel discussion in class (demonstrating assertive communication skills (both verbal and nonverbal) and argumentation techniques discussed in class); - Q&A session (engagement with the audience) after the discussion; - Length of the panel discussion: minimum 10, maximum 15 minutes/team (excluding the Q&A session).

Exam Types:

Oral Exam

Compulsory bibliography: BOVÉE, Courtland L. and John V. THILL. 2021. Business Communication Today. Global Edition. Fifteenth Edition. Harlow, UK: Pearson. COLWILL, Deborah A. 2021. Conflict, Power, and Organisational Change. Routledge. NAVARRO, Joe. 2018. The Dictionary of Body Language: A Field Guide to Human Behavior. HarperCollins. PATERSON, Randy J. 2022. The Assertiveness Workbook. How to Express Your Ideas and Stand Up for Yourself at Work and in Relationships. Second Edition. New Harbinger Publications. SURTI, Jay. 2021. Ultimate Presentations. Second Edition. London and New York: Kogan Page Books.

Recommended bibliography: -

Additional bibliography: -

Additional Information: -