Congratulations to all students on completing another semester!  The spring may non have been without its challenges, just students can now await forward to their summer plans, and graduates can celebrate their achievements while preparing for a memorable transition to the workplace.  We thought at present would be the perfect time to reflect on the leap semester.  RCBC Communication Consultants each wrote a response to the following questions:

    • What were some highlights and challenges of this semester?
    • What can you look forward to in the summer and/or autumn?

Communication Consultant, Julia Mancuso

Julia Mancuso (Finance, '24)

Spring 2022 semester led to new highlights and challenges throughout the last few months. As the warm weather emerged and the mask mandate disappeared, it felt swell to be dorsum in the classroom and be with my peers. Additionally, taking more concern core classes this semester led to new interests in addition to a challenging academic schedule that certainly tested my endurance. As a Finance major and Psychology minor, I was academically engaged taking a wide multifariousness of classes for my interests.

This semester, I was able to aid in the implementation of the Women in Concern conference in person, which was a true feat! It was rewarding to plan the conference in addition to attending the event besides. I had the opportunity to network with Lehigh professionals and women in business who spoke about their experiences in the ever-changing business earth. I look forward to the Fall 2022 semester and am excited by the endless possibilities and opportunities that the futurity holds!

Communication Consultant, Grace Kwon Grace Kwon (Finance, '23)

I of the main highlights of this spring semester was definitely the warm weather. After months of cold and dark weather, it was really nice to see the sun these by couple of weeks. Besides, due to the pandemic, I (forth with many other juniors) take not experienced a full jump semester on campus, and so now that I accept nigh experienced a full semester, I really enjoyed information technology and really liked seeing all the flowers bloom on campus.

Also, some other highlight related to my academics is learning more about the finance field through my finance classes. Compared to final semester, I experience like I have definitely obtained more than financial cognition and learned more about topics that I was always interested in knowing more about. Although these courses were one of my highlights, classes, in general, were likewise i of my biggest challenges this semester. Due to my want to perform well in all my classes, I found myself being stressed out and overwhelmed at times. Yet, I practise think I accept learned to improve manage my stress and time during this semester.

For the side by side fall semester, I am most looking frontwards to existence a senior! Information technology feels like yesterday that I was a freshman in college, so becoming a senior is heady, yet nerve-racking. I am likewise looking forrard to creating more memories with my friends side by side semester, and having fun earlier nosotros all graduate in the leap!

Communication Consultant, Xinyi Cui Xinyi Cui (Accounting and BIS, '22)

As a senior, I never expected to take then many events this semester, and to exist honest, life afterwards the pandemic has become much more colorful. At first, it was actually an award to have a big dinner with the Accounting professors and other Accounting students who share similar experiences at Lehigh. Likewise it'southward great to endeavor different mental wellness programs similar plant therapy and the new Headspace app. About importantly, graduation is coming and should exist the most memorable function of my 2022 Spring!

Beyond graduation, I really await frontwards to a trip to Federal republic of germany this summertime to explore a different country and civilization, as well as exercise my language skills. It was hard to imagine that I would be able to extend my studies postal service-graduation in Germany, only now I'thou really savoring this awesome opportunity! Meanwhile, since I'g graduating from Lehigh in May, I am starting a new affiliate in the fall, and confront a large change in my identity – from student to employee – which is both exciting and nervus-racking. Overall, I merely want to say best wishes to all 2022 graduates!

Many thanks for a groovy spring semester to our readers and those who visited our heart!  Feel free to share your own reflections in the comments below.

Get information and resources about our center at The Philip Rauch Centre for Business Communication.

New year's day, new plans, new beginnings–those are the themes of the spring semester. Some will graduate this semester, some will interview for internships, and all of us will find new possibilities to pursue correct here at Lehigh. Our outset article of the 2022 is defended to our plans, hopes, and dreams for the semester alee. RCBC Advice Consultants each wrote a response to this question: What are y'all most excited about in the semester ahead?

Grace Kwon (Finance, '23)

In the semester ahead, I am well-nigh excited about getting a fresh start. After wintertime break (a calendar month of de-stressing, relaxing, and getting more hours of slumber), I believe that I volition have a fresher, ready-to-go mindset for the adjacent semester. I am especially excited for my new classes, professors, and classmates, as I look forward to meeting new people every semester. For side by side spring, in detail, I will exist taking ii finance classes, which will permit me to gain more knowledge in the finance field and learn more nearly what finance has to offer. Learning about new topics has always excited me, so I am particularly looking forward to taking these two classes forth with my other courses this upcoming spring.

Julia Mancuso (Finance, '24)

Afterwards a refreshing and recharging winter break, I am excited to begin taking some of my kickoff major-related classes. As a Finance major, I am interested in learning more nearly the existent world global finance perspective. In addition to my excitement for my classes next semester, I also look forward to getting more than involved with a new campus organization that aligns with my interests!

Ross Bell (Direction Consulting, '23)

The manner businesses are run–and the way we alive our lives–changed in 2021. Every bit we continue to plough the corner on the pandemic, I am eager to detect our new, post-pandemic earth. Volition business travel become obsolete? Will employees continue to quit their jobs in record-breaking droves? How volition the recruitment of talent alter at present that locations have go irrelevant? Next semester, I am looking forward to answering all of these important questions and how our world continues to change.

Xinyi Cui (Accounting and BIS, '22)

When I think nigh the next semester, my brain is filled with graduation. I tin can never believe how fast fourth dimension passes. To a certain extent, I am excited because my life will move into a new stage, which I accept never experienced earlier. But I am as well hesitant and afraid since in that location are so many uncertainties. Professional life will be very unlike from college, so how should I better prepare for this transition? In Spring 2022 I hope I can effigy out the answer while having a less tight schedule, which will enable me to have a breath before starting my job.

What are you looking forrad to?

Nosotros invite you to reflect on your aspirations for the spring semester. Writing down your plans, goals, and hopes is the start step to making them a reality! The second step is to share them with others. When we communicate to others about what we desire for our lives, we gain ii things: support from those who care about us and resolve within ourselves. Attempt it!

Go information and resource about our center at The Philip Rauch Heart for Business Communication.

By Communication Consultant Julia Mancuso (Finance, '24)

Supporting Students in a Tutoring AtmosphereYou may have heard the advice that, when one is working to help an individual, information technology is important to "Get on their level." I of import strategy for getting on the same level is to sit next to one another, elbow-to-elbow, a strategy we use in the Rauch Center. When i is straight on the level of those who they are assisting, in both a literal and figurative sense, studies evidence a higher success rate. In Maximize The Bear upon of Seating Formations, research has shown that the location of where you are seated compared to that of your analogue tin enhance collaboration. Sitting adjacent to one some other in a corner-similar position decreases "territorial sectionalisation" and increases a sense of cooperation among both individuals.

The psychological perspective of getting on the same level can play a role in emotional or academic support. At the Rauch Center for Business Communication, student tutors are set and available to assist students in business core classes. Through a multifaceted approach, RCBC tutors assist with assignments ranging from professional emails to finish-of-semester papers. As a team, we focus on both the consignment equally a whole and the specific editing strategies we can teach students. With an individualized arroyo on the same level with our users, RCBC tutors provide guidance and a learning experience that improves students' writing.

A tutor sitting next to the individual whom they are profitable is associated with a greater learning experience. At a rounded tabular array in the RCBC, students are encouraged to ask questions and learn new writing strategies. Whether information technology exist through a dynamic conversation or collaborative editing, RCBC tutors provide assist to students every step of the style.

Join us at the Rauch Center for Business organization Communication for in-person or virtual help today! Find us on the third floor of the Rauch Building. For more information regarding our services and hours of operation, follow this link:
 https://business.lehigh.edu/centers/philip-rauch-center-for-business organization-communication !

Get information and resources about our heart at The Philip Rauch Heart for Business Communication.

Parts of this article were adapted from the following sources:

https://westsidetoastmasters.com/resources/book_of_body_language/chap17.html

https://world wide web.csteachingtips.org/tip/get-centre-level-when-working-students-who-are-working-their-seats-rather-standing-above-them

By Communication Consultant Grace Kwon (Finance, '23)

Xinyi Cui Communication ConsultantXinyi Cui: Xinyi Cui is one of the current communication consultants at the Rauch Center for Business Communications who has been working at the center for iii years at present. As a new communication consultant, I had the opportunity to interview her and gain a better insight into how communication consultants serve Lehigh's College of Business concern undergraduates. Hither is what she had to say:

(The interview has been slightly edited for brevity and clarity.)

1. First, to start off the interview, I want to inquire y'all: what made you desire to work as a communication consultant?

The Rauch Business Eye for Communications was really just starting to offering the consultants programme, and then I thought it would exist a good opportunity to apply for this communication consultant position that they were offering. I thought that this chore would be the perfect opportunity for me to offer my new, innovative ideas. Likewise, business communications, in general, is a huge bargain, and so as a business student, I wanted to contribute my efforts and help other students. After working here at the middle for three years now, I believe that I have made a lot of contributions, one being writing web log manufactures, which are great resources for business students! I as well simply finished an internship every bit a marketing research intern that was heavily related to business communications, so I practice recall that this internship demonstrates how I've personally benefited from the role.

2. When you began working this job, what did you expect to leave of it?

In the beginning, I honestly did not take any expectations since the heart was quite new. At first, I thought it was like to the writing centers hither on campus, but afterwards on, afterward working this job, I have realized that it is quite dissimilar. Forth with this, I expected to be able to apply my leadership skills to this job, whether this be thinking of new ideas for projects, executing these projects, etc.

3. How do yous think communication consultants at RCBC have helped students?

First, nosotros help a lot of first-year business students with their assignments/projects for their introductory business courses (e.1000. BUS 001, BUS 003). While working here, I have realized that one of the challenges the freshman and sophomores have is not knowing what the audience is exactly looking for. Communication consultants are able to help students better understand what the audience exactly wants. Also, since we (the consultants) take more experience with writing, presentations, etc., nosotros can help the freshmen and sophomores with the cognition that we accept accumulated over the years.

4. How accept you inverse as a communication consultant from year one to year 3?

In year 1, I did not have a lot of experience with tutoring, and so I was super nervous most becoming a tutor/peer advisor for other students. English is not my native language, so I was honestly non confident that I could finer help others. However, now in twelvemonth 3, subsequently profitable students with their writing, I believe that I accept helped them more than I expected I could. More specifically, I call back I am best at helping students construction their essays in an organized manner and guiding them on how to thoroughly answer all the questions in the prompt. Overall, I am definitely more confident now than I was in year 1.

5. What has been your favorite role of working at RCBC?

My favorite function of working here has been bringing in new projection ideas and making these ideas into a reality. The coordinator and director hither at the Heart have assisted me with bringing these ideas into life/something tangible. Too, some other favorite part is talking with other business students; I especially bask talking and interacting with the students who frequently visit the center.

6. What has been your favorite projection thus far?

My favorite project has been creating the visualization guides. In these guides, we take written about topics such as how to make a PowerPoint. Before writing about this topic, I had to research beforehand, and by researching, I have learned, myself, what a "expert" PowerPoint entails. Past writing nearly this topic and providing it as a resource for others, I have noticed that I am not only helping others, merely also helping myself.

7. Take yous faced any challenges working this job, and how did you overcome these challenges?

A claiming that I am currently facing is regarding the current projection most the "Job Keywords Dictionary." Since I have never learned the coding language that is required for this project, it has been a challenging chore. Although I am not completely finished with this project, I have been trying my best. Additionally, a general challenge working every bit a consultant is that dissimilar students have their ain different bug regarding their assignments. For me, I have an idea in my listen of what a "perfect" essay looks similar; however, some students who come in for consultations do non accept the same idea as I do. To overcome this challenge, I have made an endeavour to understand the students' ideas and assist them every bit much as possible.

8. What have you specifically learned from doing this job for the past 3 years?

From doing this job, I accept learned the importance of storytelling. This may be a cultural difference, but in Mandarin, when you write an analysis, it is more focused on having a core thought and writing near unlike perspectives–these ideas don't necessarily have to be connected with each other. Still, in English, you have to connect each statement in each paragraph, so I have realized the importance of making sure all these ideas connect for the sake of storytelling.

Get data and resources well-nigh our center at The Philip Rauch Center for Business organisation Communication.

Past Communication Consultant Duy Nguyen (Accounting and BIS, '22)

Writing transferAs communication consultants at Rauch Center of Business Communication , we aim to provide meaningful assistance to fellow business students. We try to achieve this by using our agreement of the various difficulties our peers encounter during the writing process in general, or throughout a particular class'south procession. One of the devices that have proven beneficial not only during our consultations merely as well to students' individual practice, is the use of writing transfer .

Widely adopted across a number of disciplines including educational psychology, rhetoric, and composition, writing transfer is defined in many unlike means. In the context of collegiate writing, writing transfer refers to the ability to use, adapt, repurpose, and transform what one has learned in new settings . Essentially, prior knowledge and skills are connected and serve to develop or supplement what we are currently working on. The concepts of transfer are not notwithstanding commonly known by people who don't study writing instruction. Acquiring a meliorate understanding of transfer would aid us exist aware of how we rely on similar skills across different writing tasks.

When previous experience and knowledge are brought to bear within a new context, writers tin can place the areas in which they take loftier confidence. Non only could such information exist reapplied in the new assignment, it could besides aid writers navigate unknown, notwithstanding similar, domains. On the other hand, we tin can also recognize where there is room for improvement when we lean on our prior learning to and work on inadequate sections in our documents.

As suggested by Madeline Crozier from the University of Tennessee Knoxville , at that place are two ways through which a writer could better facilitate the process of writing transfer.

I could get-go past request transfer-oriented questions , which are expected to conjure up prior learning and lay the basis for further development of the project. Such questions include "Have I had experience with this type of assignment?" and "How did I arroyo my previous projects, and could I apply those approaches in this state of affairs?"

Secondly, we can utilize the Dec model wherein writers follow three steps to integrate writing transfer into their work. We first observe , identifying connections between prior noesis and the new situation. Amid such connections, nosotros elect one , choosing the almost appropriate to utilise to the current work. The final footstep is to connect , transferring the knowledge from the previous situation to the current writing task.

Reflecting on our existing knowledge and skills by request transfer-oriented questions and using the December model will let us to accelerate our improvements as writers. At the RCBC , nosotros always get to know students first in order to build a foundation for making connections before jumping to work. Our communication consultants tin can help our peers to refine specific assignments and to leverage the power of writing transfer.

Get data and resources nearly our center at The Philip Rauch Center for Business Communication.

Past Communication Consultant Carolyn Reagan (Undeclared, '23)

What to Expect at RCBCAfter scheduling your appointment at RCBC through our website, you may be wondering how to best set up. The following article will give you an thought of what to expect during your engagement.

Because of the ongoing COVID-nineteen Pandemic, all appointments are being conducted online through Zoom. However, prior to the pandemic, nosotros offered in-person appointments on the third floor of the Rauch Business organization Centre. We promise to resume in-person operations as soon as it is safe. In the concurrently, Zoom proves to be an incredibly helpful tool. Below are some steps to consider prior to your date:

  1. Following scheduling your appointment, you will receive your corresponding Zoom link through electronic mail. We recommend that you leave a curt description of what you want to work on during your engagement (eg. course, assignment) and then log on near 5 minutes before your scheduled engagement. You may wait a brusk time in the waiting room, specially if some other educatee'south appointment is ending.
  2. Exist sure to come prepared with all necessary material for a productive date. Accept ready your current typhoon, the assignment prompt, and any applicable rubrics or materials provided by your professor. Oftentimes, we may be familiar with your assignment, specially because we more often than not run into repeating assignments or we might take taken the same class during our time at Lehigh!
  3. Consider emailing (inrcbc@lehigh.edu) your draft and assignment alee of your appointment; this way, we are able to fully familiarize ourselves with your work and the nature of the consignment'due south requirements and instructions.

During the actual appointment, it is our priority that yous feel as comfortable equally possible. Nosotros hope that you are as open equally possible about how you currently experience about your assignment, and what we tin can do to help you. Be sure to let us know what office of the assignment you desire to focus on. We can work on grammer, organization, content, and more than! During the meeting, we are very flexible! Sometimes our meetings involve using the "Shared screen" option on Zoom, other times they include exercise presentations, or just a simple questions and answers session! Nearly frequently, nosotros utilize Google Drive (Google Docs, Slides, etc.) to engage in a meaningful discussion near sentence structure, arrangement, give-and-take choice, and assignment requirements.

Though nosotros primarily piece of work on written and academic assignments, we have besides helped students with their resumes, Pecha Kucha presentations, and interview skills! Because the Communication Consultants correspond a range of majors and schoolhouse years, we typically have the preparation and feel to support whatever kind of advice related assignment.

Following your consultation, we volition send yous a completely bearding survey to provide feedback on your experience with RCBC; there, we encourage you to share your experience with our center so that nosotros tin can keep to better our offerings. It is also worth noting that if you lot are unable to book a Zoom consultation due to scheduling conflicts, we are able to provide feedback over email. Simply send united states your draft, assignment, and rubric to our address (inrcbc@lehigh.edu). In the email, let us know what help you need, and we will respond with detailed feedback, ordinarily in under 24 hours during the week (longer for papers submitted during the weekends and holidays). If you have whatever other questions before your appointment, experience free to email u.s.a.. We hope to be a helpful resource to you during your time at Lehigh!

Become information and resource about our center at The Philip Rauch Middle for Business organisation Communication.

By Advice Consultant Xinyi Cui (Accounting and BIS, '22)

Empathy in the core of communication processEmpathy—"the ability to understand and share the feelings of another"—plays an integral function in the advice process. Empathy applies to advice because it can be a powerful tool in moving and inspiring the people around us. To have empathy in communication, we take to stand up in our audience's shoes to empathize their needs and emotions. Notwithstanding, doing so can be difficult because nosotros have to understand our ain emotions in the kickoff place, which might require u.s. to confront potent feelings such equally pain, pressure level, and loneliness. When nosotros are trying to communicate in a stressful or high-stakes setting, such every bit creating a report for a course or providing analysis and recommendations in a professional person setting, our own emotions sometimes brand information technology difficult to sympathize the perspectives of the people with whom nosotros are trying to communicate. That'southward why it is important to share your work in progress with someone y'all trust before you plow information technology in.

As staff members in the Rauch Centre for Business Advice, our responsibility is to take on the student perspective and guide students to go through the communication process. We practice our best to sympathise the needs and feelings of those who ask for assistance, especially because everyone has such unique life experiences. Nevertheless, past being true and listening, we can build a stiff connection. To better develop the relationship between the consultants and advisees, we brand sure to offer praise, statements of encouragement, and expressions of business organization with the aim to reinforce the student's feeling of ownership and control.

Furthermore, because nosotros are as well students, we can better sympathise the needs of our clients, as many of them reflect our own. However, it is important to balance between these 2 identities when we practise our jobs. Every bit emotional laborers, we are learning more than every twenty-four hour period through direct experience and practice. At RCBC, we are committed to maintaining a communication middle that places empathy at the cadre of our work.

Get data and resource about our center at The Philip Rauch Middle for Concern Communication.

Photo by Jessica Da Rosa on Unsplash

By Communication Consultant Carolyn Simmet (Management and Supply Chain Management, '21)

Social identities largely affect our literacy. The mode nosotros write, read, and comprehend are all uniquely dependent on our cultural backgrounds and identities. Our way and voice is shaped past our personalities and impacts our grammatical and rhetorical choices. To acknowledge these differences based on social identities is one thing, but to empathise and use our differences as an reward in writing is another.

Adam Daut, a graduate pupil at Arizona Country University, explores how social identities play a key role in our writing. He presents a multifariousness of methods to help writers and tutors incorporate our selves into our writing and other linguistic work at the National Conference on Peer Tutoring in Writing. 2 of these methods include creating a social identity map and writing our own literacy narratives.

Social Identity Map

I way nosotros can ensure we are using our differences in our writing is past creating a social identity map. You can do this by making a big circumvolve around your first and last proper noun on a canvass of paper. Then, you start drawing lines exterior of the big circle to smaller circles with descriptive characteristics written within. These characteristics could include: religion, education, gender, socioeconomic status, class, sexual orientation, political amalgamation, and then on. From there, yous can keep to draw lines outward to elaborate on the labeled identities. For case, you can depict a line from religion to explicate your beliefs, or from gender to preferred pronouns, or from didactics to the different places studied and the degrees received. You lot tin talk with a peer or a tutor virtually how your writing reflects your identities; the insights y'all proceeds will assistance you lot develop your voice and communicate more authentically.

Literacy Narratives

Another style nosotros tin can limited ourselves through our writing is by creating our own literacy narratives. To write a literacy narrative, write about your experiences with reading, writing, and communicating. When did y'all learn to read and write? What important lessons accept you learned about literacy? How do you apply literacy and communication? Writing our ain literacy narratives allows us to create relationships through our writing and self reflection. Sharing literacy narratives with fellow writers or a tutor can lead to group discussion and personal development. Literacy narratives help us understand what straight impacts our thoughts and writing, which helps us learn what we do and do not similar.

At the RCBC, we can best assistance with writing when we accept the time to sympathise yous every bit an individual. We tin practise this by getting to know our students prior to jumping into work. We can also do this by looking at our unique names or creating a social identity map for ourselves and our students. We prioritize providing unique guidance to each private that utilizes our services. Rather than providing the same suggestions and advice to each student, nosotros ensure each pupil'southward writing style is emphasized. After all, the ways we write are unique and impacted past our social identities.

Get data and resources near our heart at The Philip Rauch Eye for Business concern Advice.

By Communication Consultant Lili Tang (Accounting and BIS, '22) Introducing the RCBC

As a business student at Lehigh, have yous ever wondered where to go when you are concerned most your papers, projects and presentations; or when y'all are worried nigh your cover letters, resume, and other questions? Well, the RCBC is open to every business concern educatee, and our consultants are here to help you address those concerns.

If y'all don't know much about united states, the RCBC, The Philip Rauch Eye for Business concern Communication, provides curricular and co-curricular support to Lehigh business undergraduates.

Typically, during our normal consultation hours, yous are welcome to come to our center for any concerns you accept, whether or non they are almost your courses. We will talk near the questions and work on them together. As ane of the consultants, I will provide feedback and suggestions and answer any follow upward questions you may have. However, if coming to the center is not user-friendly for you lot during normal hours, yous may also email us.

Due to electric current COVID-19, we are besides prepared to support your online learning experiences! You lot could easily schedule a Zoom appointment with one of our consultants during consultation hours, or simply email us near your questions!

No affair how far we are, the RCBC is always here for you.

Go information and resources nigh our center at The Philip Rauch Center for Business Communication.