Keys to Effective Communication - Pass Christian University

Keys to Effective Communication 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.

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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 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.

Friday - Lesson 02

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.

Week Two

Wednesday - Lesson 03

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.

Friday - Lesson 04

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!

Week Three

Wednesday - Lesson 05

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.

Friday - Lesson 06

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.

Week Four

Wednesday - Lesson 07

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.

Friday - Lesson 08

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.

Week Five

Wednesday - Lesson 09

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.

Friday - Lesson 10

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.

Week Six

Wednesday - Lesson 11

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 centering and 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.

Friday - Lesson 12

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!

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 Dawn Lianna.

Dawn Lianna, who holds a Master's degree in counseling and psychology, teaches communication, stress management, natural health, and therapy skills to capacity audiences. A seasoned writer, teacher, and counselor, Lianna is known for her humanitarian style, quick wit, motivational skills and warmth.

Requirements:

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

Student Reviews:

"Dawn, I just wanted to say thank you for this course. I learned many new techniques. I have a son who is bi-polar and I have been using many of the subjects discussed in the lessons; it really seems to help his mom and me to better connect with him. I've used the lessons in my job too…Thanks again for helping me become a much better listener."

"Dear Dawn, Many thanks for teaching this course. As it is my first online course, I didn't know what to expect, but the course is excellent. I have enjoyed it very much and have learned a lot."

"Great class. Thanks for the new vocabulary and methods to try."

"Hello, this is only the third online class I have taken and so far it has been my favorite. I have really learned a lot and feel more confident with my communication skills. You really did a great job with this online class. Thanks."

"I am an IT manager and have a difficult time speaking to a large group. I get intimidated, more like tongue tied, and nervous in speaking to high management. I am taking this course in hopes of becoming self assured and more confident. I have read lesson 1 thru 4 and already learned tips to assist me. I am glad I am taking this course!"

"I can say that this lesson is one of the best lessons I’ve had in my life. It really helped me and opened my eyes and other senses to basic things – not only to feel it, but also to really know what it means and how to deal with this kind of situation. I will be reading this lesson many, many times."

"I did well on the exam and was pleased with the class material. I found the information valuable and an excellent resource that I will continue to practice as I interact with others and improve upon self (goals, relaxation)."

"I enjoyed this class and feel I've retained an enourmous amount of information that will surely help me in all areas of communication."

"I found this course rewarding and helped me to start changing old styles of communication with people. My job is different and I have a social life now and this course has helped a lot. Thank You."

"I knew going in, my communication skills needed a lot of work, I have downloaded the lessons and will continue to review them often. I am receiving terrific feedback from associates and customers as was stated in my original goals. This class has been, and will continue to be, a great asset for me. Thank you very much."

"I really enjoyed reading the material. It was easily and interestingly presented. The material highlighted thoughtful methods for improving rapport and communication...I printed out the material and I bet I will refer to it again and again to put me back on track toward bettering my goals and intentions."

"I thought the course was very informative, and now that the actual couse is over, intend to continue learning from it, as I was very impressed with the instructors' upbeat and friendly writing style which motivated me in many positive ways."

"I've learned many things that has helped me communicate more effective with co-workers that I felt were difficult to deal with - thank you."

"Thank you for your assistance in understanding what I thought was a lesson in communication in the business world. How thankful I am to be reminded that it starts with me. The lessons on the sub-conscious were insightful and empowering. I wrote down and began using the words that work for all learning styles the very next day. Thank you, for the life lessons here that I will incorporate into my home and my business. Great lessons and I appreciate your time."

"This course not only helped me with my co-workers but also, with communicating to my husband and children."

"This course was helpful in meeting my communication needs. I would recommend this course to anyone."

"This course was really useful to me. As I am not a native English speaker and still have some trouble speaking and understanding the language, I thought the course would help me communicate better in English. Well, it helped me improve my communication skills even in my own language. Thanks a lot! Student #1The course was interesting. I feel that i learned a lot of helpful suggestions and that these new skills that I have developed will help me at my place of work where I supervise people."

"This has been a great course and I am sure it wil help me as I futher my career! Thanks, Dawn."

"This is actually one of the most personally beneficial classes that I have taken in a very long time."