Course Description and Competencies

What to Expect

In this course, you will work through three modules of content. These are broken down into smaller lessons that help you build communication skills step by step. By studying this material, you will develop skills for identifying the parts of a communication interaction, adapting messages to your audience and setting, using verbal and nonverbal communication effectively, analyzing professional written communication, and evaluating situational factors that can affect a message. You will also practice recognizing conflict, using interpersonal and cross-cultural communication strategies to support resolution, applying emotional intelligence, and utilizing persuasive communication, presentation skills, and multimedia tools to influence and inform others in thoughtful ways.

Course Competencies

This course covers the following competencies:

  • The learner implements appropriate communication styles based on audience and setting.  
  • The learner uses communication strategies for managing conflict.
  • The learner uses communication strategies to influence others. 

Assessments

The assessments provide an opportunity for you to demonstrate your mastery of the competencies in this course. The method of assessment includes three final projects. You must achieve a ranking of Competent on each assessment to pass the course. You may attempt the assessments two times before additional support is necessary. If you require further attempts, please contact your Course Instructor or Student Experience Specialist.

3 Final Projects
3 Competency Units

Course Outline

ModuleUpon completion of this module, you will be able to:
Foundations of Communication 
  • Identify the components of a communication interaction. 
  • Distinguish between the relevant audience characteristics, interests, and perceptions impacting the communication message. 
  • Identify examples of prosocial verbal communication. 
  • Analyze examples of professional written communication. 
  • Analyze potential situational factors impacting the communication message. 
Conflict and Collaboration 
  • Distinguish between constructive and destructive conflict situations. 
  • Recognize the sources of conflict in a professional setting. 
  • Identify the process for resolving conflict. 
  • Analyze examples of strategies for appropriate interpersonal communication in a multicultural professional setting.  
  • Analyze examples of strategies for appropriate intragroup communication to manage conflict in a multicultural professional setting. 
Influence and Persuasion 
  • Identify the role of influential communication. 
  • Analyze examples of the audience and setting characteristics impacting influential messages. 
  • Analyze strategies to influence the audience. 
  • Analyze examples of presentation skills. 
  • Identify effective multimedia principles. 
  • Identify multimedia options based on the audience and message. 
  • Analyze examples of presentation skills. 

Key Contacts

Certificate Connect
Check out this online community to take advantage of course resources, including videos and tips from your educators. You can ask and answer questions, provide feedback on your progress, and interact with fellow students. You will find this platform in the Student Resources section of the course. Log on and do some exploring!

Technical Support
If you encounter technical issues, be sure to contact the Help Desk. Just submit a Support Request for assistance.

Program Support
Do you have questions about your account? Student Support has answers. They can help with billing, switching courses, and other requests. You can contact them at (888) 320-0540 or support@academy.wgu.edu.

Accommodations

WGU provides compliant and accessible learning experiences. If you require accommodation, please contact us at the start of the course. You can email disability@academy.wgu.edu or call (888) 320-0540.

We are committed to ensuring that all students with disabilities have equal access to WGU's services and materials. We strive to use best practices for accessibility. Our goal is to conform to existing U.S. laws, including the Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 and Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act.

Our learning management system (LMS) platform is Open edX. Open edX’s commitment to accessible content is published in their Website Accessibility Policy.