About the course
Business communication is pivotal to professional success.
This course, part of the Soft Skills Professional Certificate program, will help you unlock the secrets to business success by understanding workplace culture. You’ll learn how to use language and nonverbal communication to convey shared meanings in face-to-face and remote professional relationships.
You will learn techniques to articulate your business ideas effectively and succinctly to a diverse range of audiences to ensure they understand even the most complex concepts.
In this course there will be a strong focus on business writing, active listening, and communicating your ideas effectively to a particular target audience. We will discuss the impact of assumptions or bias that people may bring to workplace interactions. Learners will apply their knowledge by critiquing real-life business scenarios from the workplace.
Topics will also include:
- Best practices for written communication
- Conducting effective meetings
- Documentation and follow-up techniques
- Best practices for face-to-face, digital, and mediated communication
This course may be audited free of charge. Learners also have the opportunity to earn a verified certificate on completion. Exclusive learning opportunities such as live events hosted by subject matter experts will be available for verified learners.
What you will learn
By the end of the course, you will be able to:
- Critically evaluate your role in workplace interactions
- Employ strategies for active listening
- Ask questions that move conversations forward
- Communicate ideas clearly and succinctly
- Assess needs of clients and colleagues
- Apply best practices for face-to-face and remote communication
About the instructor
Andrea Hickerson, PhD, is the Director of the School of Communication at Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) (US) and an Associate Professor of Journalism. She joined the RIT faculty in 2009, when RIT began its Journalism degree. She teaches undergraduate and graduate courses including Crafting the Message, Communication Law, and Reporting & Writing.
She is the recipient of two grants related to journalism innovation from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. In 2017 she was awarded a National Innovation Corps grant from the National Science Foundation related to entrepreneurship in publishing. In addition to her grant work on journalism innovation and education, Dr. Hickerson conducts research on journalism routines and political communication, specifically as they relate to immigrant and transnational communities. She also regularly contributes content to local media in Rochester, New York.
Dr. Hickerson has a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism and International Relations from Syracuse University; a Master’s degree in Journalism and a Master’s in Middle Eastern Studies from the University of Texas at Austin. She also has a Ph.D. in Communication from the University of Washington.
Duration: 3 weeks, 6 to 8 hours per week
Language: English
Instructor: Andrea Hickerson
Institution: Rochester Institute of Technology (US)
