When a manager or supervisor begins to have problems in the workplace, it usually isn’t due to any technical skill deficiency. More often than not, it’s some kind of communication problem or interpersonal problem. This course will provide you with a great many tools you can use to help with the kinds of real-world issues that arise every day in the workplace. This first lesson will introduce you to some of the basic components of communication.

As you begin to identify problems or issues with communication in organizations, it’s valuable to have a framework to help you understand it. In this lesson, you’ll look at the directions in which communication flows in organizations, barriers to communication, and organizational issues that block communication.

How do you become a better communicator? Choosing the right communication method is a logical first step! This lesson will provide you with some tips for doing just that. The lesson will also talk about how to listen more effectively—the first step to being a more effective communicator.

Speaking is only one part of how people communicate. The non-verbal message can be just as powerful! In this lesson, you’ll learn all about nonverbal communication and some techniques to make sure that you’re not sending the wrong message. The lesson will then discuss written communication as well as how to use the writing process more effectively.

Communicating with individuals is a real art; communicating with groups multiplies the challenge! This lesson will discuss groups and teams and how to best approach them with your communications. It will also talk about some constructive criticism techniques as well as how to deliver bad news so that it is received and not resisted.

During times of organizational change it is difficult to communicate effectively, and sometimes hard to get your points across effectively. People are angry, tense, and anxious, and so are you! In this lesson, you’ll look into what happens to the climate of the organization during times of change and learn how to communicate effectively when it counts the most.

This lesson will begin to discuss the second major topic of the course: interpersonal skills. It will go over why these skills are important in any organization and look into a concept called emotional intelligence.

Personalities! You have one and so does everyone else. Many problems at work are blamed on personality conflicts. What does this really mean? You’ll find out in this lesson. The lesson will begin by discussing the personality traits of introverts versus extroverts.

This lesson will talk about an important trait called agreeableness. People can be high or low or somewhere in between on this trait. Wherever they (or you) fall, there are positive and negative consequences, and this lesson will explore them all. It will do the same with another important trait: conscientiousness.

In this lesson, you’ll explore two more personality traits–neuroticism and openness to experience. As you learned before, people can be high, low, or somewhere in between on these traits, too. And wherever they fall, there are positive and negative consequences.

A need for power? Does that seem a bit autocratic to even admit to? Most people have at least some need for power, control, and influence. What should you do with that need for power? And do you use your power for good or for evil? Does it have anything to do with being a successful manager? All of those questions will be answered in this lesson.

It’s time to wrap up the discussion on interpersonal skills with some useful tips on how to use these new skills effectively—not just with your employees, but with your peers and your boss, as well.