CMN 410: Workplace Communication Technology

Conner McDonald

The modern day workplace is full of technology, but what exactly does that mean for the way we work? Or how we communicate? Does technology change how we work or, is it just a different way of doing the same thing? Is it the tech that causes change, or how people use it? And how, for the love of God, can email be used in a way that isn’t annoying?

Wonder no more because CMN410 is here to answer all these questions and more.

Workplace Communication Technology taught by William Barley is an excellent course for anyone who will be working in an office environment.

The course provides you with the knowledge to understand not just how technology is used to communicate in an organization, but why it’s used that way. This style of thinking is very useful when trying to understand how to best communicate with your colleagues or be a team leader.

The theories that are taught in this class also have some more direct applications to advertising. The course uses a very broad definition of technology so a wide variety of situations are discussed. Additionally, this approach means that the concepts in this class can be used to think about other situations, including advertising and public relations.

Workplace communications technology is studying how and why people adopt things for their own purposes at work. Which, when you think about it broadly, isn’t all too different from trying to understand how to get the general public to do the same.

Overall there is a lot to be learned here regardless of major. I would recommend this course to anyone who is seeking management and leadership roles in their future career. Being able to successfully implement new tech and increase efficiency as a team leader will always be a marketable skill, and the things you’ll learn about effectively using email will stick with you throughout your life.