Course Description
Course Details
If you often find yourself at a loss for words or lack confidence in your communication abilities, you'll appreciate this course. With the help of a patient instructor and a supportive community of your fellow students, you'll work step by step through the process of becoming a great conversationalist. You'll learn to use communication to build rapport and create environments of trust, warmth, and respect. Become more confident, create a great first impression, get along well with others, and create more and better personal and professional relationships.
How It Works
This course is fully online, you require internet access and an email account. The course duration is 6 weeks, followed by a 2-week period to complete the final exam (online, open book). Lessons are released on Wednesdays and Fridays of each week, for a total of 12. You are not required to be online at any specific time. In addition to the specific lesson content, there is a discussion board with each lesson and often there is an optional assignment to apply the learning. Following each lesson, there is a short multiple choice quiz. Your score on these quizzes does not count towards the final mark but completing these helps solidify your learning as well as prepare you for the final exam. The final exam is an open-book, multiple choice exam and you need to achieve a minimum of 65% on the final exam to pass the course. There is only one opportunity to pass the exam. A certificate of completion from WatSPEED is available within four weeks of successful completion of each course and can be accessed in your student portal. Many of the Ed2Go courses are eligible towards the various online certificates offered by WatSPEED.
Syllabus
Lesson 1 - Introduction to the Keys to Effective Communication. In our first lesson, you'll learn the qualities that make someone a great communicator. I'll teach you the five components of achievable goals and how to create win-win situations. You'll benefit from setting your own communication goals in clear steps that are easy to reach. You'll be able to apply the new skills you learn to your own life, and I'll be right here to guide you in the Discussion Area to help you build your confidence and learn to communicate more powerfully.
Lesson 2 - Rapport. Building rapport is the first great key to effective communication. Great communicators know how to get and keep rapport with others. In today's lesson, you'll learn how to build rapport with almost anyone. The potent tools are easy to understand and use. And after this lesson, you'll become a better listener and know how to keep respect alive in your conversations. You'll also learn the art of reflective listening, and I'll give you lots of examples and stories of how others turned frustrating communications into successful ones.
Lesson 3 - Pacing, Linking and Leading. Today you'll learn how to pace and lead your conversations toward win-win outcomes. You'll learn how to contain a conversation, keeping it on track and moving toward your goals. You'll understand how and when to use different styles of communication, and you'll learn how to contain a conversation so things go smoothly. Interrupting gracefully and breaking rapport are skills you'll learn to use in uncomfortable situations. I'll give you lots of examples on how this works so you'll learn quickly.
Lesson 4 - Mastering Learning Styles. In this lesson, you'll master the three learning and communication styles. You'll uncover your own learning style and learn to spot the communication style of others. These skills will help you share your views with anyone, even those you previously found difficult to communicate with. You'll learn how your brain works, and we'll go through an exercise to help you mobilize your brain power. This lesson is always a student favorite!
Lesson 5 - Regaining Lost Rapport. Today, you'll learn some great ways to regain lost rapport and keep conversations positive. When we lose rapport, disagreements flourish, but a skilled communicator can regain lost rapport. You'll also learn how to acquire flexibility in your communication style, enabling you to stay in great rapport with all types of people.
Lesson 6 - Mastering Motivation. In this lesson, you'll learn some useful motivation strategies. People motivate toward pleasure and away from pain. When you understand how to motivate yourself and others, you get more done. So today, you'll find out how to inspire coworkers and family members toward mutual outcomes. As you master your motivation skills, other things fall into place. Relationships heal and communication improves. You'll develop a strong sixth sense about the people you come in contact with. These practical hands on skills are something you can use for the rest of your life.
Lesson 7 - Group Presentations. Today, we'll explore presentation skills. An effective presenter knows how to communicate fluently and has a sense of the atmosphere in a room. An effective presenter creates win-wins so that everyone is happy with the outcome. After finishing this lesson, you'll understand how to use first-, second- and third-person perspective to increase your awareness and understanding. I'll also show you ways to feel comfortable in many kinds of group situations.
Lesson 8 - Communication in Leadership and Teamwork. Imagine that you're a part of a team in which the leadership is genuine. Imagine knowing how to step into the shoes of a true leader. In today's lesson, we'll explore leadership and teamwork. You'll learn how to build a great work or family team where each team member gives one another equal value and respect. You'll see how a great leader can elicit and set the goals for his or her team and develop the vision for the group. The leader uses the knowledge and capabilities of each person, and places team members so each person performs optimally. Effective leaders inspire, guide, and bring out the best in each and all.
Lesson 9 - Communication with Children. In today's lesson, you'll learn how to communicate effectively with children. Guiding children is a huge responsibility. Children are very open, and our words go in deeply. You'll learn why the early years of a child's life are so important. This information is relevant at any age, but especially important with young children. Information about brain development and early literacy dovetails beautifully with the other wonderful things you'll learn in this course.
Lesson 10 - Subconscious Communication. Your subconscious mind is your deeper mind, it's the part of your mind that's beneath your conscious awareness. When you understand how to talk to your subconscious, you understand how to work with yourself and others to create greater success. In today's lesson, you'll find out how to use affirmations effectively. You'll understand how your subconscious mind works, and you'll learn more about non-verbal communication, which is 96% of communication. I'll also teach you how to apply the strategies to your personal situations.
Lesson 11 - Managing Stressful Communication and Anger. Anger is one of the biggest stumbling blocks to healthy relationships. Learning to manage and control your anger makes you a more powerful communicator and keeps goodwill strong. In this lesson, we'll focus on tools to use when you're stressed or angry. You'll understand how to manage transition times so that change is graceful. You'll learn how to hold efficient, productive, and fun family meetings. Family meetings reduce the stress in your home and increase the communication among the members of your household. You'll also find out how to apply these techniques to any group.
Lesson 12 - Review of the Keys to Effective Communication. In each of our lessons, the material has been building up to this point, and today is the grand finale. In our final lesson today, we'll pull together and review everything you've learned. We'll go back and take a look at your communication goals to see how far you've come, and you'll set new goals to help you effectively apply your skills to your life after the course. You'll gain further insight, enabling you to move past your stuck spots and into being a very effective communicator. You'll use these strategies for the rest of your life!
