Hourly Breakdown

Course Aim

To provide the necessary tools to develop communication skills for effective business operations and professional conduct as engineering managers.

Intended Learning Outcomes

• analyse audience and related modes of communication for different situations.
• demonstrate communication skills in writing and presenting.
• apply communication skills in negotiating and conducting business meetings.
• use effective communication strategies for conflict handling and counselling.
• demonstrate communication skills in facing and conducting interviews.

Course Content (Only main topics & subtopics)

• Understanding Your Audience: Understanding yourself, perception, and getting to know your audiences.
• Different Communication Modes for Business Situations: Communication choices in businesses; techniques of communications; nonverbal communications; listening and critical thinking.
• Effective Writing for Business: Letters, memorandums; proposals; reports; volumes; text; and emails.
• Business Presentation: Preparation for presentations; presenting; use of presentation aids.
• Conducting Business Meetings: Agenda; the role of the chair and members; meeting minutes.
• Business Negotiations: Laying the groundwork, mutual gain and win-win situations; complex issues and ethics.
• Communications in Handling Stress, Conflict and Counselling: Controlling stress through communication, conflict handling, and decision making; manager as a counselor.
• Interviewing Skills: Facing interviews; conducting interviews.

Teaching/Learning Methods

• Lectures
• Student Based Activities

Assessment Strategy

Recommended Reading

• Locker, K. and Kaczmarek, S. (2003). Harvard Business Essentials: Business Communications. Harvard Business School Press.
• Malhotra, D. (2016). Negotiating the Impossible: How to Break Deadlocks and Resolve Ugly Conflicts. Pearson.
• Thill, J. V. and Courtland, L. B. (2017). Excellence in Business Communication. Pearson Education.