Specialization: Engineering Communication
Instructor: Dan Moorer
Prior knowledge needed: No prior background knowledge or experience is required.

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Learning Outcomes 

  • Use storytelling to make a bigger impression on your audience
  • Create professional and effective presentation slides
  • Leverage voice modulation, facial expressions and non-verbal communcation to effective convey your message

Course Content

The most effective way to influence an audience is by speaking with them (not at them) and preferably in person. The speaker draws power from words, voice, and non-verbals. However, before speaking with a group, it is essential to understand who the audience is; in that way, we may offer our thoughts in the most appropriate way.

By completing this module, you will be able to:

  • Describe the value of and apply the principles of addressing the audience's most important concerns
  • Explain how storytelling can help you make a bigger impression on your audience and identify where and how you can find stories to leverage in your presentations
  • Identify and describe the elements associated with developing a story and, then, apply them in developing your own personal story

Synergy and charisma are created when all of the elements of verbal communication are brought together at the same time.

By completing this module, you will be able to:

  • Explain how your ideas gain great value when presented with the skills presented in this module
  • Describe the value of and apply voice modulation to accent the various parts of your story
  • Describe the value of and apply non-verbal communication so that your non-verbals match your words
  • Describe the value of and apply facial expressions and gestures so that they, also, match your words

There are many readings and videos associated with the preparation of presentation slides. What is not found there is the art of preparing slides. Also missing in those sources is the necessity of site preparation. We will cover the science and the art here.

By completing this module, you will be able to:

  • Ensure that your presentation slides are effective and professional by following steps for preparation
  • Ensure that your site preparation is effective and professional by following steps for preparation
  • Describe the steps to follow when some element of your presentation fails

Rehearsal and final preparation, the most important steps in preparing to speak, are most often neglected.

By completing this module, you will be able to:

  • Describe the importance of rehearsing for a presentation and incorporate this step into your preparation practices
  • Describe what to do if an unexpected problem, technical or otherwise, occurs during your presentation
  • Describe the benefits of using a slide changer and laser pointer for presentations

Note: This page is periodically updated. Course information on the Coursera platform supersedes the information on this page. Click the View on Coursera button above for the most up-to-date information.