At the specialization level, each week you will complete a series of self-assessments leading to a development of a Personal Communication Improvements Plan. In the Oral Communication course, you will complete a series of assignments culminating in a real-life presentation on a topic important to your organization or you personally. In the Interpersonal Communication course, you will develop your Personal Brand pitch and a toolbox of technique to communicate with different people in different situations. In the course on writing, you will improve documents you distribute to your co-workers, supervisors, and clients.
Build Your Engineering Communication Toolkit
Build a toolkit of communication skills that gives you the confidence to be an engineering leader.
About This Specialization
Build a toolkit of communication skills that will give you the knowledge and confidence to be an effective engineering leader.
Engineers who want to advance in their profession need to be effective communicators. They need to clearly communicate complex ideas and technical project plans. They also need to be strong persuaders. Engineers who are good communicators get recognized by their supervisors and by their clients.
In this three-course Specialization, you will practice designing and giving strong, persuasive presentations; you will learn how to communicate across cultures, genders, and generations, how to create your personal brand and leadership presence, how to hold effective meetings with global teams; you will learn how to handle difficult conversations, and how to handle crisis communication; you will also learn writing skills immediately applicable in your daily activities. Courses are taught by faculty from the Rice Center for Engineering Leadership (RCEL). RCEL is focused on developing engineering leaders at the Rice University’s George R. Brown School of Engineering. It is home to one of a very few academically approved Certificates in Engineering Leadership.
Created by:
3 courses
Follow the suggested order or choose your own.
Projects
Designed to help you practice and apply the skills you learn.
Certificates
Highlight your new skills on your resume or LinkedIn.
Projects Overview
Courses
- Beginner Specialization.
- No prior experience required.
COURSE 1
Oral Communication for Engineering Leaders
Upcoming session: Sep 4 — Oct 16.- Commitment
- 5 weeks of study, 5-7 hours/week
- Subtitles
- English
About the Course
Taught by Rice University communication faculty from the Rice Center for Engineering Leadership (RCEL). This course covers core topics in oral communication: Communication strategy, content, data visualization, and delivery. You’ll learn key principles in • Creating a communication strategy • Developing a clear message and organizing persuasive content • Creating strong visual support • Presenting data effectively • Presenting professionally and confidently • Handling formal presentations, giving pitches, speaking extemporaneously, managing online presentations, and lowering public speaking anxietyCOURSE 2
Interpersonal Communication for Engineering Leaders
Upcoming session: Aug 28 — Oct 2.- Commitment
- 4 weeks of study, 3-5 hours/week
- Subtitles
- English
About the Course
This course covers communication skills that engineering leaders use every day to motivate, inspire, and support the people in their organizations. Speaking and writing are basic leadership communication skills. (We covered these topics in the Specialization course 1 and 3.) However, leaders also need to be skillful interpersonal communicators. Modern business requires communication skills that are effective across cultures, generations, and genders. Communication is also a key skill in building your personal brand. Leaders need to look, act, and speak like leaders. Another important leadership skill is the ability to handle difficult, emotional communications with employees, supervisors, and colleagues. Finally, engineers are often at the center of crisis communication. In this course, you will learn 1. How to communicate in a global environment, 2. How to communicate across cultures, generations, and genders 3. How to use communication to build your personal brand, communicate your values, and your leadership promise 4. How to handle high-stakes, emotionally charged, difficult conversations with employees, supervisors and your colleagues 5. How to handle crisis communicationCOURSE 3
Writing Skills for Engineering Leaders
Upcoming session: Aug 28 — Oct 2.- Commitment
- 5 weeks of study, 3-5 hours/week
- Subtitles
- English
About the Course
Engineering leaders must write extensively for their jobs, and their writing needs to be professional, reader-focused, and error-free. What leaders write in particular can affect productivity and the bottom line, so the written communication that leaders create must be clear and concise. In this course, you’ll learn essential writing skills that you can apply in your daily activities on the job as an engineering leader. You’ll learn key principles in • Approaching various engineering genres • Using the writing process to create quality documents • Making your writing structured • Making your writing clear and concise • Handling style, tone, and voice
Creators
Beata Krupa
Lecturer in Professional and Engineering Communication
Gayle Moran
Lecturer in Professional and Engineering Communication
FAQs
More questions? Visit the Learner Help Center.
