thought leadership exercise

COM 510 Business Communication Assignments

How to Submit Assignments: Click on the links in the Facebook Course Group to submit Assignments 1 and 2 through the Blackboard Student App (you must be signed into Blackboard). You may also submit the assignments directly through the Blackboard course shell via the Blackboard Student App or a laptop/desktop. **Note that Assignment 3 should be submitted directly in Facebook (details below under Assignment 3).

Week 7: Assignment 2: Practice Thought Leadership Exercise

Instructions We’ve discussed the importance of personal branding and establishing yourself as an expert or go-to person in your chosen field or profession. There are several ways that this can be accomplished. Writing thought leadership articles is one such method, and a fantastic way to showcase your innovative thinking and expertise within your industry. This exercise will give you a chance to practice doing just that. For this assignment, you’ll practice writing your own brief Thought Leadership piece, or article. You get to choose the topic so pick something that is relevant to your personal brand/career, and that you can share with others. You can approach it from a number of angles. You can identify or propose a solution to a business issue, discuss industry trends, or suggest an idea/innovation that you feel is important. Begin by brainstorming about your current business, or a business that you hope to get into. Think about the trends that you’re seeing, and what type of challenges or opportunities that you’ve encountered or that are occurring within the industry. Choose an issue (or two) that you believe will have a significant impact on the companies or clients in this space, and then research and write about it. Consider what you want to emphasize, and the point you wish to convey. Be sure to use intriguing stories and relevant data and examples to support your sentiment. To complete the article, use the following format (1-2 pages in length) in the provided template. Practice Thought Leadership Exercise

I. Catchy Title/Hook

II. Introduction of the Idea or Problem- 1 paragraph

III. Body/Discussion of the Idea or Problem – 2-3 paragraphs including supporting statistics/data and

stories (focus on and outline 2-3 main ideas or points)

IV. Conclusion/Recommendations- 1 paragraph

V. References- must be included in the form of a reference page (APA format suggested)

Formatting Requirements for this assignment are as follows:

• Typed in a Word document

Double spaced using font size 12

• References must be included in the form of a reference page (APA format suggested)

• Use the provide template which includes a cover page with your name, assignment name, course title, and the date.

• Your thought leadership exercise should be no more than 2 pages in length (excluding the cover page and

COM 510 Business Communication Assignments

references).

Looking for Inspiration?

Here are some links to Thought Leadership articles by Jon and others:

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/imagineering-jon-steinberg?trk=mp-reader-card

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/end-sales-jon-steinberg?trk=mp-reader-card

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/risk-doing-something-versus-nothing-jon-steinberg?trk=mp-reader-card

https://www.entrepreneur.com/topic/thought-leadership

https://medium.com/@MelisOnCheddar/the-new-native-seller-189e91e1c376

Assignment 2 Grading Rubric (195 points)

Unsatisfactory

0%

Partially Satisfactory

50%

Satisfactory

75%

Proficient

95%

Exceeds Requirements

100%

Catchy Title/Hook

10%

Did not complete any of the requirements for this section.

Met some of the requirements for this section.

Met most of the requirements for this section.

Met all of the requirements for this section.

Went above and beyond the requirements for this section.

Introduction of the Idea or Problem

20%

Did not complete any of the requirements for this section.

Met some of the requirements for this section.

Met most of the requirements for this section.

Met all of the requirements for this section.

Went above and beyond the requirements for this section.

Body/ Discussion of the Idea or Problem

30%

Did not complete any of the requirements for this section.

Met some of the requirements for this section.

Met most of the requirements for this section.

Met all of the requirements for this section.

Went above and beyond the requirements for this section.

Supporting Data/Stories 10%

Did not complete any of the requirements for this section.

Met some of the requirements for this section.

Met most of the requirements for this section.

Met all of the requirements for this section.

Went above and beyond the requirements for this section.

COM 510 Business Communication Assignments

Conclusion/ Recommendatio ns

20%

Does not have a professional format and/or does not include all topics.

Has inconsistencies in terms of professional format and topics.

There are a few inconsistencies in terms of professional format and topics.

The format is professional and all required topics are included.

The presentation is exemplary. It is presented professionally and goes above and beyond the required

Clarity, Logic and Writing Mechanics

5%

There are numerous errors in terms of clarity, logic, format and writing. It's difficult to understand and doesn't flow well.

There are errors in terms of clarity, logic, format and writing.

There are a few errors in terms of clarity, logic, format and writing.

There are minimal errors in terms of clarity, logic, format and writing

No errors related to clarity, logic, format and writing.

References

5%

Did not provide References.

Provided a Reference page which was Inaccurate/ Incomplete and/or Sources weren't cited in the article/exercise.

Reference page was mostly accurate/compl ete and sources were cited for the most part.

Reference page was accurate/ complete with references cited consistently.

Reference page was complete with more than 5 references cited consistently.

COURSE DELIVERY

This course will be delivered primarily on Facebook. Upon enrollment, your professor will invite you to join the Facebook Course Group associated with this course. You will need the Facebook app to access this course on your mobile device. If you don’t already have it, find the steps to download the Facebook Mobile App here: https://www.facebook.com/mobile.

There will also be a corresponding Black Board course shell which you will utilize to check your Grades, Submit Assignments 1 and 2 and complete your weekly High Growth Thinking exercises via the Blackboard Student App or desktop version. Find the steps to download the Black Board Student App here: https://help.blackboard.com/Bb_Student/Quick_Start Your professor will also post links in Facebook to take you directly to these items in the Blackboard Course via the BB Student App.

Microsoft Office Installation

This course requires the use of Microsoft Office. Strayer University provides Microsoft Office (for PC and Mac) to students at no cost for use on their personal computers. Download instructions are located in iCampus.