Executive Communication Skills
Course Number: 45892
As you advance up the managerial ladder, you're likely to find yourself facing irate shareholders, analysts, legislators, consumers, or—worst of all in the eyes of many executives—journalists and broadcasters covering your company’s relationships with one or more of these groups. Representing your company in external forums is a major executive responsibility, but many executives do it poorly.
When speaking to external audiences—and sometimes even to their own employees—executives frequently alienate their listeners. According to recent polls, only one in four people believes that most business leaders are honest. Business executives have joined car dealers and HMO managers as some of the least trusted professionals among a broad cross-section of Americans.
In this course, we’ll explore why this happens and how to fix it. You will receive intensive, practical training in delivering concise messages under tense or adversarial conditions. You’ll learn techniques for handling tough questions and for effectively communicating your point of view in any forum that requires you to think quickly on your feet. You will also learn how to use your voice and body language to reinforce your verbal message.
We use interviews with reporters as the primary method for developing and strengthening your executive communication skills. Through this process, you will learn how to:
- Deliver a clear message about a key issue your organization is facing
- Increase your credibility with skeptical or hostile audiences
- Build confidence and poise during interactions with reporters, shareholders, investment analysts, legislators, public interest groups, or concerned employees
In addition to hands-on practice, we’ll critique video clips of real-life executives to examine how they have represented their companies and addressed challenging issues.
Degree: MBA
Concentration: Business Management Communications
Academic Year: 2025-2026
Semester(s): Mini 2
Required/Elective: Elective
Units: 6