An engineering leader spends a majority of their day interacting with others. Indeed, studies repeatedly point to the impact communication skills have on the ability of managerial leaders to succeed or fail. Too often, individuals move into managerial leadership roles without an awareness of the need to improve in this area. This course focuses on interpersonal skills such as listening, counseling, non-verbals, mentoring, coaching, building trust, and providing feedback.
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This course can be taken for academic credit as part of CU Boulder’s Master of Engineering in Engineering Management (ME-EM) degree offered on the Coursera platform. The ME-EM is designed to help engineers, scientists, and technical professionals move into leadership and management roles in the engineering and technical sectors. With performance-based admissions and no application process, the ME-EM is ideal for individuals with a broad range of undergraduate education and/or professional experience.
What You Will Learn
- Compare and contrast examples of successful and unsuccessful communication in business, industry, and government.
- Understand and apply common forms of leader-communication.
- Understand and synthesize methods for establishing organizational vision and building trust through effective communication.
Syllabus
WEEK 1
The Importance of Effective Communication in Today's Business Environment
This module is an overview of engineering communication and a primer for the topics that will be discussed in this course. As you begin, it is important to remember that communication is the "vehicle" for all human endeavors. That is especially true for technical communication. A exceptional technical communicator is, by default, a better manager and leader. And, in the end, that is where we're headed!
WEEK 2
Interpersonal Communication Skills: Listening, Counseling, and Others
Listening, speaking, writing: all are means of not only transmitting information but also direction and motivation. As with most skills, the challenge is in the details. And, that is where this module will take us!
WEEK 3
Communicating To Build Trust In an Organization
I would offer that trust between you and your technical team may be gained through the way that you communicate; that is, through calm presentation of ideas with a tone of voice and manner of speaking that inspires in others nothing but an intense desire to excel!
WEEK 4
Providing and Receiving Feedback
Giving and receiving feedback is perceived by many as one of the most challenging aspects of management and leadership. It doesn't have to be that way. Let's explore why this task can be an enjoyable opportunity!
