INTRODUCTION TO BUSINESS COMMUNICATION
Introduction to Business Communication provides members with the opportunity to demonstrate knowledge around introductory competencies in communication. This competitive event consists of an objective test. It aims to inspire members to learn about the process of sharing information in and outside of a company.
Event Overview
Division: High School (9th & 10th graders only)
Event Type: Individual
Event Category: Objective Test, 100-multiple choice questions (breakdown of question by competencies below)
Objective Test Time: 50 minutes
NACE Connections: Career & Self-Development
Equipment Competitor Must Provide: Pencil
Objective Test Competencies
· Grammar
· Punctuation and Capitalization
· Spelling
· Proofreading & Editing
· Word Definition and Usage
· Oral Communication Concepts
· Reading Comprehension
District
Check with your District leadership for District-specific competition information.
State
Eligibility
· FBLA membership dues are paid by 11:59 pm Eastern Time on December 1 of the current program year.
· Members may compete in an event at the State Leadership Conference (SLC) more than once if they have not previously placed in the top 10 of that event at the National Leadership Conference (NLC). If a member places in the top 10 of an event at the NLC, they are no longer eligible to compete in that event.
· Members must be registered for the SLC and pay the state conference registration fee in order to participate in competitive events.
· Members must stay in an official FBLA hotel to be eligible to compete.
· Each district may be represented by participant(s) based on the Florida FBLA scaled quota system found on the Florida FBLA website.
· Each member can only compete in one individual/team event and one chapter event (American Enterprise Project, Community Service Project, Local Chapter Annual Business Report, Partnership with Business Project).
· If competitors are late for an objective test, they may be either disqualified or permitted to begin late with no extension of the time as scheduled.
· Participants must adhere to the Florida FBLA dress code established by the Florida Board of Directors or they will not be permitted to participate in the competitive event.
Recognition
· The number of competitors will determine the number of winners. The maximum number of winners for each competitive event is 5.
Event Administration
· This event is an objective test administered at the SLC.
· No reference or study materials may be brought to the testing site.
· No calculators may be brought into the testing site.
Tie Breaker
· Ties are broken by comparing the correct number of answers to the last 10 questions on the test. If a tie remains, answers to the last 20 questions on the test will be reviewed to determine the winner. If a tie remains, the competitor who completed the test in a shorter amount of time will place higher.
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
· FBLA meets the criteria specified in the Americans with Disabilities Act for all competitors with accommodations submitted through the conference registration system by the registration deadline.
Penalty Points
· Competitors may be disqualified if they violate the Competitive Event Guidelines or the Honor Code.
Electronic Devices
· All electronic devices such as cell phones and watches of any type are not to be brought to the testing site.
National
Be sure to see the National guidelines at https://www.fbla.org/divisions/fbla/fbla-competitive-events/
Study Guide: Competencies and Tasks
A. Grammar
1. Describe and identify the eight parts of speech in context sentences.
2. Identify the difference between adverbs and adjectives.
3. Identify the categories of pronouns and uses of reflexive pronouns.
4. Identify features of prepositions and uses of prepositional phrases.
5. Identify types of conjunctions.
6. Use a verb that correctly agrees with the subject of a sentence.
7. Describe the types of verbs and demonstrate the six tenses.
8. Use irregular verbs and their different forms properly and distinguish between transitive and intransitive verbs.
9. Identify subjects, predicates, verbs, adverbs, pronouns, direct and indirect objects, and prepositional and infinitive phrases in sentences.
10. Select pronouns properly and use them correctly in a sentence.
11. Correctly use a possessive noun in a sentence.
12. Create the plural form of a noun.
13. Identify and correct misplaced and dangling modifiers.
14. Describe and write the four kinds of sentences—declarative, interrogative, imperative, and exclamatory.
15. Recognize types of sentence fragments, run-on sentences, and double negatives.
16. Recognize and correct problems in grammar and usage including, but not limited to, completeness, agreement, reference, and form.
17. Write clear, descriptive sentences in a variety of sentence patterns (e.g., simple, compound, complex, and compound-complex).
18. Write logical, coherent phrases, sentences, and paragraphs, incorporating correct spelling, grammar, and punctuation.
B. Punctuation and Capitalization
1. Determine appropriate use of periods, question marks, and exclamation points.
2. Explain the use of commas, colons, and semicolons.
3. Recognize and correct problems in punctuation including, but not limited to, commas, semicolons, and apostrophes.
4. Use apostrophes to indicate contractions and possessive constructions.
5. Use quotation marks to set off the words of a speaker or writer and to set off titles of short works and use punctuation with quotation marks.
6. Define the grammatical rules that govern the use of special punctuation marks such as the dash, hyphen, and parentheses.
7. Use appropriately ellipsis, italics, and underlining.
8. Identify how to capitalize sentences, proper nouns, abbreviations, adjectives, and titles correctly.
9. Write and use numbers according to standard practice in a sentence.
C. Spelling
1. Illustrate the ability to correctly spell the words regularly used in writing.
2. Illustrate the ability to use a dictionary and thesaurus as an aid to spelling, pronunciation, and meaning.
3. Identify prefixes and suffixes.
4. Explain plural spelling rules.
5. Apply spelling rules to homonyms and commonly confusing words such as effect and affect.
6. Find silent letters in a word.
7. Recognize letter patterns in words.
8. Demonstrate application of spelling rules such as i before e, silent e, words ending in y, etc.
D. Proofreading & Editing
1. Proofread a paragraph and identify spelling, grammatical, and punctuation errors.
2. Proofread written communications with errors, using proofreader’s marks.
3. Compare drafts to final documents and make editorial changes.
4. Proofread and edit business documents to ensure they are clear, correct, concise, complete, consistent, and courteous.
5. Review sentence structure and the style of writing.
6. Review and edit for the effectiveness of word choices.
E. Word Definition and Usage
1. Deduce the meanings of words and idiomatic phrases.
2. Recognize how word selection and usage affects communication.
3. Recognize slang, jargon, and clichés.
4. Recognize common errors in word usage.
5. Use proper sentence structure.
6. Illustrate the proper way to divide words.
7. Identify homophones.
8. Create new words using root words.
9. Illustrate the ability to use a dictionary and thesaurus as an aid to spelling, pronunciation, and meaning.
10. Use contextual clues to recognize word meaning.
F. Oral Communication Concepts
1. Use bias-free language (e.g., gender, race, religion, physical challenges, and sexual orientation)
2. Illustrate sensitivity to audience needs and desires.
3. Differentiate between pronunciation and enunciation.
4. Correctly choose and pronounce words used in verbal communication.
5. Provide a clear description of a simple system or process or give clear, concise directions.
6. Use proper techniques to make an oral presentation.
7. Express opinions and discuss issues positively and tactfully.
8. Identify major listening barriers and effective active listening techniques.
9. Ask questions to clarify information.
10. Interpret nonverbal cues in messages.
11. Follow spoken directions.
12. Listen objectively and record major points of a speaker’s message.
G. Reading Comprehension
1. Read and follow directions.
2. Demonstrate reading comprehension by restating or summarizing.
3. Differentiate between fact and opinion.
4. Determine if a text is descriptive, informative, instructional, or persuasive.
5. Summarize the important points of a document.
6. Identify and explain enhancements such as graphs, charts, tables, and illustrations/photographs for visual impact.
7. Interpret information from articles, manuals, etc.
8. Select the appropriate reading method (e.g., skimming, scanning, speed-reading, and in-depth reading) for a particular situation.
9. Identify factors that affect readability of text (e.g., sentence length, word selection, and type size).
10. Investigate the need for various reading skills in the workplace such as reading for information, summarization, drawing conclusions, making judgments, and following directions.
11. Evaluate the quality and reliability of source information.
12. Analyze information presented in a variety of formats such as tables, lists, and figures.
13. Use note-taking skills that incorporate critical listening and reading techniques.