Learning How to Communicate With Clients

Lesson Content

• Lesson Plan Template:

  CTE Lesson Plan

• CTE Course Info and Benchmark Notes

  
  

  Program Title (as applicable): Television Production Technology

  Course Title: Television Production Technology 4

  Course Number: 8201540

  Career Cluster: Arts, A/V Technology and Communication

  CIP Number: 0610020217

  Course Type: Career Preparatory

  CTE Standard(s) or benchmarks

  22.07 Receive and respond to client comments and feedback

• Unit Outline

  
  

  This lesson is designed to be used with the case study, ”Working with Clients: How to Build a Professional Relationship that Works.” See CPALMS resource ID# 209646.

• Career Connection

  
  

  Students will analyze how communication and collaboration can impact workflow and deadlines throughout the production process. Students will also be working to build a foundation of professionalism by learning how to receive and respond to feedback.

• Learning Objectives

  
  

  Students will be able to:

  • Evaluate modes of communication and collaboration and determine how they can improve communication and collaboration with clients.
  • Respond to the client feedback given in the case study and predict the outcome based on their responses.
  • Create an original communication template to help better understand and meet the needs of a client.

• Prior Knowledge

  
  

  Students should be familiar with:

  • Using online resources to research and evaluate professional templates.
  • A foundational understanding of professionalism.

• Guiding Questions

  
  
  • How do we demonstrate professionalism through verbal and non-verbal communication?
  • How do different communication styles affect the business/client relationship?

• Procedure

  
  
  1. To introduce the lesson, ask the students the following questions to prompt a class discussion.
  • Detail a time you have been asked to do something by a parent, employer, or teacher and after finishing the task or assignment, you were asked or told it was wrong and you needed to do it again.
  • Why did you have to redo it?
  • How did this experience make you feel?
  • How could you avoid this in the future?
  2. Have students read the case study, “Working with Clients: How to Build a Professional Relationship that Works.” See CPALMS resource ID# 209646. Allow students to summarize the reading and demonstrate comprehension by asking questions such as:
  • What dilemma does Arianna face?
  • What led to this dilemma?
  • Who do you think is at fault in this situation?
  3. After reading the case study, the students can use the “Responding to a Professional Problem” attachment to record three possible responses Arianna could give to the problem she is faced with and what the likely outcome of these responses would be. See teacher notes for tips on how to facilitate this activity.
  4. Discuss student responses as well as ways Arianna could have avoided this problem from the beginning by creating a more thorough and direct line of communication with her clients. From email confirmations to contracts, have students research professional templates that can be used to improve communication.
  5. Have students create their own original communication template that they would use in a professional production meeting. See “Original Professional Communication Template Assignment and Rubric” attachment. See Teacher Notes on ways to utilize this activity.
  6. Have students complete the exit question: How does your communication template ensure you will be able to professionally meet your client’s needs or expectations?

• Teacher Notes

  
  
  • Teachers can have students complete the Responding to the Professional Problem attachment on their own or in groups, depending on the level of discussion you hope to generate. The teacher can also move around the groups or students and discuss what outcomes the students foresee occurring and perhaps relaying additional outcomes that the students may not have thought about yet.
  • The Original Professional Communication Template Assignment and Rubric can used as a tool to assess the students understanding of the lesson. Teachers can choose to extend the lesson by having the students do a more thorough job of researching templates online before creating their own.

• Optional

  
  

  Formative Assessment Ideas:

  • By assigning points to the Original Professional Communication Template Assignment Rubric teachers can assign a grade to the communication templates the students create.