Communicating successfully depends on effective use of communication strategies and behaviors.
Words, facial and body movements, tone of voice, even clothing and situation, all form an intricate symbol system that must be quickly translated by those who want to communicate.

It has been said that there is no communication unless a mutual sharing of meaning takes place. It has also been said that one cannot NOT communicate. These two ideas seem to oppose one another, but they are two sides of the same coin. A smile can have many meanings. And so can silence.

This course will show you how to manage the conscious and unconscious codes of meaning we send to each other and to respond with appropriate codes in turn.

This course explains and explores concepts of verbal and nonverbal expression including personal style, listening, relationship dynamics, self-esteem, conflict management, and cultural and gender communication differences.

Examples, graphics, and theoretical models help clarify communication topics and simplify the process for effective communication in family, personal, and professional situations.

Communicating is necessary. Knowing how to do it well is personally satisfying and professionally wise.

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Syllabus:

All courses run for six weeks, with a two-week grace period at the end. Two lessons are released each week for the six-week duration of the course. You do not have to be present when the lesson is released, but you must complete each lesson within two weeks of its release.

A new section of each course starts on the second or third Wednesday of each month. If enrolling in a series of two or more courses, please be sure to space the start date for each course at least two months apart.

Week One

Wednesday - Lesson 01

In this lesson, we'll explore two detailed models that explain the complex nature of communication. You'll learn how words, the situation, what's going on in the heads of those communicating, and even environment are all connected—and that they all change from one communication event to the next. I'll explain a way to think about and use language that will help you more effectively avoid misunderstandings.

Friday - Lesson 02

Have you ever been in a situation where you don't know whether to say less, say more, or say nothing? In this lesson, you'll learn seven premises of communication that will help you through those times. Have you ever felt shy, apprehensive, or reluctant about communicating? This lesson will help you understand that reluctance and offer you two strategies for improving communication competence.

Week Two

Wednesday - Lesson 03

In this lesson, you'll learn how our individual emotions, beliefs, attitudes, and values as well as self-esteem and group belonging influence how we communicate. You'll also explore how we all seek gratification of specific human needs through the unique and complicated communication process.

Friday - Lesson 04

In this lesson, I'll show you how language affects reasoning abilities. You'll learn about constructing useful word maps that benefit your decision making as well as strategies you can use to avoid mental traps that can clog your thinking process. You'll also learn that language has limits, often making it difficult to separate fact from fiction.

Week Three

Wednesday - Lesson 05

Can you say something without uttering a word? In addition to voice, facial expression, and body movement, today we'll talk about other ways people send messages without making a sound. You'll also learn that men and women develop and use very different nonverbal communication behaviors—sending messages of either inclusion or exclusion.

Friday - Lesson 06

In this lesson, we'll look at cultural identity and how it molds habits of communication no matter what the language of the culture is. You'll learn how cultures of the world are divided into two main categories. You'll examine how individuals and groups generalize and stereotype others and the psychological reasons for doing that.

Week Four

Wednesday - Lesson 07

In this lesson, we'll explore types of listening as well as the discipline listening requires. We'll go over the barriers to effective listening, and strategies you can use to improve your listening habits. We'll compare poor listening to empathic listening, and then evaluate the effects each has on personal and professional communication success.

Friday - Lesson 08

In this lesson, you're invited to examine gender differences from the inside out. You'll learn how brain structure as well as physical structure helps determine how men and women communicate. You'll learn about the ways humans learn to act as either masculine or feminine and who teaches them. We'll explore how differences in masculine and feminine behavior manifest themselves in personal and business relationships.

Week Five

Wednesday - Lesson 09

In today's lesson, you'll learn the three main characteristics that make up any relationship as well as the stages that all relationships go through. I'll show you how to identify relationship stages in order to evaluate relationships you have. You'll explore how self-disclosure and psychological balance affects relationships and discover the role lying plays in relationships.

Friday - Lesson 10

Today we'll examine several communication theories that will be useful in analyzing and understanding communication behaviors of yourself and others. You'll learn three rules for effective communication behavior that will help you know when and how to adjust your communication behavior. You'll also learn how you can influence the behavior of others in the communication situation.

Week Six

Wednesday - Lesson 11

In this lesson, you'll learn how people can change the direction of a conversation to advance a personal agenda. We'll go over strategies of persuasion, characteristics of credibility, and how to achieve a sense of control in a communication situation. We'll also explore the nature of communication cohesiveness within small groups and where individuality fits in group membership.

Friday - Lesson 12

In our last lesson, you'll learn how to identify various types of interpersonal conflicts and then we'll discuss some myths about conflict. We'll explore ways in which men and women handle conflict differently, and how different cultural groups approach and resolve conflict. You'll learn how to dissect a conflict and apply four steps to successful conflict resolution at work, within the family, or among friends.

This course includes a knowledgeable and caring instructor who will guide you through your lessons, facilitate discussions, and answer your questions. The instructor for this course will be Laurel Schaub.

Laurel Schaub combines her understanding of communication theory and practical experience in shaping courses that appeal to students of all ages. With a Master of Arts degree in interpersonal communication and rhetoric, she enjoys teaching undergraduate courses in interpersonal communication, public speaking, journalism, public speaking, persuasion, and theory and research. She also helped design and taught a course in instructional design for graduate students. Her real-life examples help students of all ages grasp any course content and feel confident about using what they have learned. Laurel has written several articles for "ETC: The Journal for the International Society of General Semantics" and had one of those reprinted in "Classroom Exercises for General Semantics," a book published by the Society. She has designed summer seminars in interpersonal, gender and intercultural communication including a study trip to the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. She's managed the writing and production of a college magazine and newspaper, and has just begun assembling the memoirs of her elderly cousin.

Requirements:

Internet access, e-mail, and the Microsoft Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox Web browser.

Student Reviews:

"A Course with a very practical approach to effective human communication."

"A great course. Very well put together and easy to understand. The examples helped deliver the message and the assignments got you thinking and realizing how you could communicate better. I benefitted a great deal from this course. The instructor was great in the discussion area."

"Excellent class! Very challenging and informative. I really learned a lot."

"Excellent course that builds on current knowledge to attain better understandings of the subject matter. Subject matter is applicable to both personal and business situations."

"Good job, learned a lot."

"Great class, the lessons were explained well, in a clear and easy format. The instructor was very helpful and always there when needed. THANK YOU!!!"

"Great course !!!!! They way the course material was structured reminded me of true life instances I have encountered over the scores of years traversing the coarse concourse of this planet. I have also gained valuble communication insight which will assist me in my current profession and others that might occur at another confluence of time and events. YEs, I would heartily recommend this endeavor to others. Thanks again. Excellent Job!!!!"

"Hello Ms Schaub, I really enjoyed this course. It really helped clarify somethings for me. I'd appreciate it if you could notify me of any other courses you have or will have in the future."

"I am so glad that I took this course. It has opened my eyes to some new ways of looking at my relationships and has helped me understand myself better. Wonderful class and a fantastic professor! Thank you!"

"I cannot say more. The instructor is excellent. To me the breadth of knowledge and practical experience on this subject is paramount."

"I can't believe I am going to be 40 years old and did not know all this! Lesson 7 was an eye opener -- discovered many bad habits -- now I just have to work on them. My children will benefit from what I learned in this course. Thank you. I also liked that you provided so many useful examples; thanks for sharing."

"I enjoyed this course and have learned a lot. I see myself in here and have begun to try to change some aspects of myself so that I can communicate better. Since taking this course I have also felt more in control when situations arise, or have recognized that it is not as important to another as what it is to myself."

"I found the course very valuable for everyday life. The examples given were clear and transferable to other situations. The theories presented helped me to get a good basic understanding of interpersonal communication and I am looking forward to learning more by myself as well as in another course offered by this instructor."

"I found the materials to be very insightful, and educational. Very much enjoyed learning techniques and strategies I can apply in my personal life and career!"

"I found this class extremely interesting and beneficial. It easily held my interest and I looked forward to each new lesson, never feeling like it was a requirement. I truly appreciate all the lessons learned."

"I found this class to be quite wonderful, well-written and a joy to take."

"I found this course to be very helpful since I was not fully aware of the components or the importance of communications."

"I found this course very useful, practical and implementable."

"I have enjoyed this course immensely. This course should be a "must" for everyone."

"I learned a lot of practical material in this course. It made it possible to analyze my relationships and communication skills from an outside point of view. I know I will use these skills in situations to come. Very enjoyable."

"I liked the instructor's use of examples. Quite good and quite helpful for putting the lesson material in perspective."

"I like the style, format and form of the text in the course. Excellent, relevant,easy to apply, and easy to read. I find myself relating the discussion in the lesson to what goes on in school every day. I have a very positive feeling for the data you provide. When I get home from school I turn the PC on and start in on the course work. After 30 years in a formal classroom, it is very refreshing to take these snippets of courses. It is nice to squeeze the time and schedules and be tempted with something better than the couch and tv."

"I loved this class. It is my first college class and I can't wait to start full time in college now. You are doing a great job as a teacher. Thanks! You have given me Hope!"

"I really enjoyed the class, found it very interesting, never boring. The instructor was great."

"I really enjoyed this class! Great content, interesting examples, and I learned so much. I hope to remember those things that I learned and continue to practice them. Onward and upward! Thank you so much!"

"I really enjoyed this class. I am now moving onto the next level of communication. thank you for you inspiration!"

"I really enjoyed this class. I am now moving onto the next level of communication. thank you for you inspiration! This course was more than I ever thought it would be. I enjoy the instructor's practical and down to earth style of presentation."

"I really enjoyed this course. It was very enjoyable and interesting. I learned a great deal. It was not extremely hard nor was it a piece of cake. The instructor had some very enjoyable examples. I'm very glad I took this course!"

"I thoroughly enjoyed this course!!! It was presented in an informative and beneficial way. I gained a lot of insight in communicating, that I have already applied, and it has truly helped. I would strongly recommend this course to everyone. We all communicate and we all can improve."

"I thought that this course was organized and presented in a very efficient manner. I thought the writing style of the lessons were great. I loved the conversational style that they were presented in. It felt like the instructor was actually speaking to us and not reading out of a text book."

"I truly enjoyed taking this course! It made me want to learn more on the subject. The language of the course is easy to understand and the instructor is very approachable."

"I truly enjoyed this course. I homeschool my son and I was still able to complete the lessons, etc. It really kept my interest!"

"I've absolutely gained useful information by taking this course. I'm already seeing results in my day to day interactions with my family and co-workers."

"Loved this course. Our teacher Laurel Schaub did a great job teaching. She shared great insight in the world of communication and our behaviors. I learned a lot more than I thought I would. Thanks Laurel."

"Thanks for the intellectually stimulating course. I am a stay at home mom and an elementary educator. I appreciated your real world examples within the text. Your course was very thoughtfully put together and has been helpful to me in my professional and personal life. Thanks so much."

"Thank you for this course. It helped me to understand American culture and human behavior. I think this knowledge is very important to me. Thank you very much for sharing your knowledge with me. As a foreigner I really enjoyed it."

"Thank you for this course. It put a lot of things in perspective for me. I knew I knew this, but to have it re explained was very helpful. It allowed me to see where other people are coming from, expecially in the work place. Thank you."

"Thank you so much for this great educational opportunity. I learned a lot more than I had planned to."

"Thank you so much for this lesson, I have improved in active listening. My communication skills are better and my co-workers also have noticed a difference for the better."

"The Interpersonal Communication course information was/is very helpful. The instructor provided valuable materials and references. I definitely recommend others to take this course."

"The things I learned in your course have already made a positive impact on my relationships and my life. I appreciate all the work you did putting this course together. I wish my family and the people I work with would take this course too. Thanks for a wonderful 6 weeks."

"This class gave me insights into communication that I never thought I would have. I think anyone who ever talks to another living being should take this class, so you can really evaluate if you are both an effective listener as well as communicator."

"This course has opened my eyes to habits that I may have and how they effect my communication with others."

"This course has taught me how valuable it is to have good communication skills and become a more effective listener. I also learned the best way to maintain a personal and professional relationship, and how to negotiate when in a conflict. I highly recommend this course to people working in medical fields or even just for personal use. Thank you."

"This course really opened my eyes to communication in ways I hadn't known of previously. Very informative and enjoyable!"

"This course was flexible and met my expectation. I was able to keep up with my busy schedule without putting pressure on myself. I think I will be doing more internet classes in the near future."

"This course was terrific! The instructor explains things in a way that is easy to understand and interesting. The information presented is proving to be very useful in improving my interpersonal relationships in every situation. Thank you for a great course!!!"

"This is the 4th course I've taken on-line, through ed2go. The flexibility and convenience are great, and your instructors are excellent. Helps me stay current with things I need to study and wouldn't be able to juggle with other responsibilities if it wasn't for the convenience of the on-line format."

"This was an excellent course. I learned a great deal and found the text quite interesting. I would highly recommend this course to others."

"This was a very good course! I felt that the instructor was very much a part of the discussion--more than I imagined...I printed my notes and will review because I'm trying to learn more about communication in my personal life. I found this course to be very helpful!"

"This was my first course online. It was an extremely positive experience. The class was informative and interesting. The format was perfect for my work schedule and time constraints. I was surprised to feel the connection with Laurel even though we were online. I will most certainly be using this material in my life – both work and personal. This was a great experience and I will definitely be using this mode of education again."

"Very informational and with a touch of humor...that made reading very enjoyable. I would recommend this to others."

"Working through this course has helped me recognize many aspects of communication. I found it very informative and have already applied some of the techniques to my daily communications. I especially benefited from the lessons on effective listening and conflict resolution, however, each lesson was of value to me. I truly enjoyed your course."

"Working through this course has helped me recognize many aspects of communication. I found it very informative and have already applied some of the techniques to my daily communications. I especially benefited from the lessons on effective listening and conflict resolution, however, each lesson was of value to me. I truly enjoyed your course. Thank you."