Communication in Action: Dialogue and Discourse

Introduction

Effective communication skills become ever more important as we enter the world of digital business. The workplace is more diverse, having to function in multi-cultural, multinational cross-functional teams. Not only are effective communication skills a requirement for the job but we must be influential in on communication and persuasively present new ideas to colleagues, subordinates, and superiors to inform, motivate, and prepare them for innovation and change.

Course content

Plenary sessions consisting of lectures and interactive workshops in small groups.

• Critical thinking: argumentation analysis 
• Critical thinking: assumptions and fallacies
• Rhetoric
• Ethos, logos, pathos, using examples from student manuscripts and popular speeches 
• Speech analysis
• Storytelling 
• Dialogue as ethical communication. Introduction to the Mutual Learning Model.
• Challenging dialogues - case study
• Small groups. Ethos. Speeches, followed by individual feedback on body and voice.
• Students turn in drafts of their manuscripts. In class peer feedback.
• Exercises - dialogue for constructive feedback
• Dialogue - tools for practicing the Mutual Learning Model
• Visual Aids
• Logos for the persuasive speech: argumentation, critical thinking, case study
• Speech delivery with individual feedback
• Draft of manuscript - feedback
• Mock exam - exam preparation