High Impact Communication

Course Name

High Impact Communication

Contact Hours: 24 (an estimated time frame devoted to a course of study from start to finish that can vary from student to student)

Course Description

In this age of technology, the tools business professionals use to communicate are changing quickly and dramatically. But one thing hasn't changed: The need to get your message across succinctly, purposefully and with focus. In this course, you'll learn the secrets of high-impact written and spoken communication and how to apply them every day to achieve your goals, influence others and get results.

Sought after presenter and speaker Lauren Schieffer shows you the time-tested practices exemplary communicators possess, and teaches you how to shake loose your hidden talents, fire up your passion to communicate effectively—and succeed!

By the time you are done with this course you'll discover dozens of tips, strategies and techniques for producing high-impact communication in every situation, every day. You'll learn how to get your message across succinctly, purposefully and with focus to be clear, concise, correct, creative and conversational in all your communications.

This course can be completed as quickly as you care to progress through it. As a benefit, the e-learner is provided 1 year post course completion access to this course including any updates that are made to the curriculum from the time of official enrollment.

Outcome

You will learn:

• How to avoid errors and oversights that cause confusion
• The essentials of clear and concise speaking and writing
• How to correctly use commonly misused words and phrases
• The embarrassing abuses of language you should be aware of and avoid
• Creative ways to express yourself and gain attention and acceptance
• Keys to writing just like you were talking to someone

Assessment

This course allows for self-directed work and does not require that you take a test. Apply what you have learned to your own projects.

Outline

Lesson 1: Be Clear

• Never again hear someone say, "I just didn't understand." Learn the secrets to making your message crystal clear.
• Get to the point up front
• Choose familiar words people understand
• Keep sentences short and simple so people retain what you say
• Stick with the subject-verb-object sentence structure to avoid confusion
• Communicate difficult information with visuals
• Take time to edit to avoid unprofessional mistakes

• Long, wordy e-mails or presentations don't impress anyone-they either confuse or bore them. Learn how to eliminate unnecessary words and phrases and trim down your communication to the essentials.
• Get rid of useless words and phrases
• Shorten sentences
• Avoid long, flowery explanations
• Know the two basic ways of communicating and when to use each for the greatest impact

• Avoid common misuses of language that tarnish your credibility. Learn how to correctly use often-confused words and phrases:
• Less/Few
• That/Who
• Verbiage/wording
• Farther/Further
• Both/each
• Anxious/eager
• Lie/lay
• Respond/react

• Express yourself creatively to earn credibility, attract attention and gain acceptance of your ideas. Apply these simple techniques for overcoming creative blocks and barriers:
• Build mind maps as the first step in your creative process
• Freewrite your ideas to get the words on paper quickly and painlessly
• Break rules you learned in junior high to conquer creative blocks qnd barriers
• Know your audience and what they want to know from you

• Stiff, formal written communication is boring-no one these days wants to read or listen to it. Adopt a relaxed style your audience can relate to by practicing these strategies:
• Replace passive phrases and sentences with active, conversational ones
• Tell stories to bring your ideas to life
• Strive to be interesting in both your writing and speaking