Presenting information clearly, concisely and persuasively in both formal and informal settings is fundamental. The focus of this course is to:

• Overcome nervousness and anxiety and learn to project with control and confidence.
  
• Design, outline and deliver your ideas in a concise, persuasive presentation.
  
• Use audience involvement techniques to identify and handle questions.
  
• Develop powerful slides and use props that can help your audience remember your message.
  
• Create an engaging and entertaining presentation that you can deliver with few or no notes.
• Effective Storytelling
• No information overload; just practical & applicable instruction and practice.
  
• Eliminate distracting mannerisms and use body language, eye contact and tone of voice to achieve professional level results.

In this course, candidates work towards developing a final presentation based on their own area of interest.  Candidates will learn to speak naturally and confidently using prepared outlines or note cards with key words to avoid reading their presentations or memorizing. The instructor will provide detailed written feedback detailing their strengths and areas to improve. In addition to working towards the final presentation, there will be short, regular opportunities to practice discrete presentation skills. For example, instructors will have candidates give very short impromptu talks in front of the group (Ex. 30-60 seconds) to practice things like volume, pronunciation, eye contact, etc.

When you put words on paper—whether for an e-marketing campaign, a letter to a potential customer, or a marketing piece advertising your products and services, or a simple e-mail, you’re making a powerful statement about yourself and your organization. Are your writing projects getting the results you desire while presenting you, the writer, in the very best light? Is your writing crafted specifically to the medium you’re using and the market you’re targeting? If writing is your primary responsibility or a part of your daily routine, you’ll want to be sure your material is clear, concise and your message easily understood by your reader. Learn sure-fire methods for weeding out jargon, clichés and verbiage, hitting the bull’s-eye with your e-mail and marketing pieces, leading-edge copywriting techniques and how to apply them properly and so much more. Take this opportunity to reap the benefits of more polished, more professional, more powerful written communications than ever before.

Here is an opportunity for non-native English speakers to improve conversational English language skills. International Graduate students can practice speaking English in a fun and informal setting.

In this course, along with other English language learners from around the world, candidates discuss current events, recent trends in business and technology, exciting shows streaming online, and other topics that are chosen by the group. In addition, candidates practice important business/IT conversation skills, such as how to: ask follow-up and clarification questions, assert opinions, agree and disagree in polite ways.  Candidates  will engage in structured opportunities to learn new vocabulary while enhancing grammar.

This course will provide non-native English speaking students with improved speaking and reading comprehension and writing skills. Emphasis will be given to paraphrasing, summarizing, outlining, and studying from a text of technical readings. Learn to develop a thesis, research and document an essay, as well as write argumentative-explanatory essays.

In this course, along with other English language learners from around the world, candidates discuss and write about business and technology topics that are chosen by the group.  While focusing on written communications and fluency, candidates will be engage in structured opportunities to learn new vocabulary, expression, and to reduce common grammatical errors.

Writing a great resume does not necessarily mean you should follow the rules you hear through the grapevine. It does not have to be one page or follow a specific resume format. Every resume is a one-of-a-kind marketing communication. It should be appropriate to your situation and do exactly what you want it to do. Instead of a bunch of rules and tips, we are going to cut to the chase in this course and offer you the most basic principles of writing a highly effective resume.

Do you have the savvy to successfully navigate conflicts and negotiate the optimal terms for yourself or your business? This course will help participants hone their expertise as a negotiator by focusing on:

• Confidently claim value at the table and maximize results
  
• Create helpful strategies for dealing with difficult people and situations
  
• Eliminate “negotiation regret” and second-guessing your strategy
  
• Increase your ability to interact productively with individuals, groups and other cultures
  
• Manage more effectively through verbal and non-verbal communication

Consider: IT Negotiating Success

Very few business people are fond of meetings. Meetings have earned a reputation as a necessary evil of organizational management.  Poor meeting management is a primary culprit for this attitude. Many times meetings are held for no apparent reason.  Meeting management guide books suggest standard approaches to meetings: have an agenda, invite in advance, deal with disruption and so forth. The problem is that not all meetings are the same. Not all meetings require agendas, for example, and dealing with disruption is different depending on the type of meeting. The recent pandemic has brought the additional set of considerations for virtual meetings.  This course elaborates on the various types of meetings and how meeting management applies to each type. 

Candidates will focus on working to improve essential speaking skills related to effective participation in group discussions. Through focused practice sessions applying different strategies, turn-taking and other discussion conventions/approaches, and discussion specific language, candidates will improve their knowledge and ability to participate and lead group discussions. Candidates will learn to be active participants and group leaders who contribute to thought provoking discussions that engage all members. Candidates will individually select a topic of interest and then lead their peers in a group discussion.  Constructive feedback is provided through peer, self, and instructor comments.