Disney Communications Course

While doing my Disney internship, I am also taking a course that meets once a week. The name of the course is Disney Communications Course and it meets every Wednesday from 8:00 am to 12:00 pm. The course is recommeneded by the American Council on Education for 3 semester hours in Communication, Hospitality Management, Business Administration, or Management. The professor, Scott Duncan, is retired from the military and his job now is to mainly focus on teaching as Walt Disney World.

There are many learning objectives involved in the course. They are to describe the importance of of communications theory and application to business success, relate basic theories of communication to the Walt Disney World Resort's business and guest service practices, and identify and practice effective communication techniques in a variety of contexts.

There are many different assignments and evaluations. All students are required to do a communication behavior paper, a 1 minute impromptu speech, a 1-2 minute persuasive speech, a 4-5 minute prepared informative speech, a 3-4 minute entertaining speech, a 1-2 minute extemporaneous speech, an informative research paper, and take a final exam. The communication behavior paper is 1-2 page action plan for applying principles to being a more effective communicator. The informative research paper is a 1-2 page research paper on the topic of the Informative Speech.

Overall, I have found the class to be extremely interesting. We presented our first speeches (persuasive speech) on why the Polynesian is the best family resort at Walt Disney World. I think my communication skills are above average and I think this class will help them to become excellent. One of the most interesting topics we've touched upon has been the idea of listening. Many people confuse communication with simply talking, but the other half (listening) is completely forgotten. We also learned that there are many different types of listeners such as active, passive, and controlling.

The name of our text is Communication in a Changing World by Bethami Dobkin and Roger Pace. We are required to read 3 chapters a week from the text. I find that I learn more from attending the classes, but the text is a good supplement to what we've learned. For example, the last chapter we had to read was how to present a speech. Our professor gave us chocolate and required us to present a 2 minute speech on the spot about the chocolate. I learned more from the chocolate demonstration than from reading the textbook.

This is a link to the course's syllabus for more in-depth information.
http://www.wdwcollegeprogram.com/sap/its/mimes/zh_wdwcp/syllabi/CommunicSyll.pdf