Management Communication Program | Electives

Management Communication
MCOM-GB.2100  (1.5 credits)
Professor Ronni Burns
In a September 2007 feature, The Wall Street Journal reported that corporate MBA recruiters ranked Communication Skills as the most important attribute they considered when evaluating applicants. Being able to communicate effectively is a vital component to many aspects of business life. This course emphasizes both a strategic and practical approach to provide you with a set of frameworks that will help you construct effective e-mail correspondence, documents and presentations which inform, persuade and influence your audience. The Management Communication course offers you the opportunity to speak and write in a managerial context while receiving personalized feedback and coaching to help develop and sharpen these critical skills.
 

Consultants today must be as strategic in their communication as they are in their thinking.  Clients expect the consultant to listen well to their perceived needs, engage collaboratively with their staff and ultimately communicate their insights in a manner that leads to some form of change.  Managing the communication touch-points in this process will frequently be the deciding factor for success.

In this course, students will take on client engagements coordinated by Stern's NY Initiatives office.  Each project will be based in NYC and have an impact on the City. The assignments will require participation from the initial client meeting, through data collection and finally presenting to the client. While the course experience will entail considerable field work, students will be supported by class work that focuses on the communication tools in a typical consulting contract. We'll examine and apply techniques such as brainstorming, conducting interviews, facilitating meetings, building consensus and presenting recommendations. In this way, the course will address communication challenges for consultants and provide a forum for discussing and resolving them.
 

This course provides an overview of the theory and practice of business coaching within organizational settings. You will gain a basic knowledge of the coaching process, including how to create the coaching relationship, engage in coaching conversations, and clarify action commitments. You will learn specific strategies and techniques to increase effectiveness when communicating with others, and develop an awareness of your own and others’ communication patterns. In addition, you will have first-hand experience coaching and being coached. We will examine the conceptual foundations and ethical issues of coaching through readings and class discussions. Coaching case studies will be drawn from corporate and business school settings, and from the perspectives of manager and consultant.

On Your Feet: Think, Speak, Lead   
MCOM-GB.2122  (1.5 credits)
Professor David Purdy         
Former CEO of ITT and NYU alum Harold Geneen famously said that, ‘Leadership cannot be taught but it can be learned.’  Over three full-day sessions, this course will provide you with learning opportunities to develop your leadership presence, drawing on best practices from both business and the arts.  You will learn how to tell concise and evocative stories, which build trust and inspire action.  Using improvisation and innovative thinking techniques, you will develop your collaborative and interpersonal communication abilities. Lastly, you will learn best practices for argument development and persuasive techniques in preparation for a final presentation.  As with all the exercises, feedback will be provided by the professor and your peers.

Communicating the Bottom Line: Strategies in Persuasion for Financial Services Executives
MCOM-GB.2103  (1.5 credits)  
Professor Stephen Mellas
No longer can Executives in Investment Banking, Accounting, Securities, Insurance and other Financial Services fields rely on strong technical and analytical skills alone. Leaders must also be able to effectively communicate financial models, analytic results, and business forecasts. This course, designed for students who are experienced communicators, will blend strategies for effective persuasion with the practicality of successfully communicating in specific financial services settings. Exercises will focus on communicating to potential audiences of internal and external colleagues including employees, senior management, clients, and regulators. Written and spoken communication assignments will range from informative to persuasive in a variety of simulated settings. Situations will involve hypothetical audiences that range from receptive to difficult.  Students will benefit from individual feedback on all written work as well as individual and team coaching based on videotaped reviews of each presentation.
 
Engage Your Audience: In-Person and On-line
MCOM-GB.2129  (1.5 credits)
Professor Diane Lennard
Successful business presentations, whether in-person or online, are based on effective communication strategy. This course is designed for students who want to become more dynamic and engaging presenters on live and virtual meeting platforms. Three sessions will be held onsite in KMC 3-xxx and three sessions will be held virtually. Practice exercises will focus on planning effective strategy; refining visual, vocal and verbal delivery to strengthen your in-person and online presence; structuring and designing content; and handling questions from both internal and external audiences. During this course, you will prepare and deliver in-person and recorded online individual presentations, as well as in-person and live online team presentations. Students will benefit from individual feedback and coaching.