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Syllabus: Lesson 1     Welcome to the course! Today, you'll learn about the basics of good communication and begin to understand your audience: who they are, what they expect, how best to reach them. After all, if you don't start with the audience, you'll miss a major connection point for good communication. You'll finish this lesson with a good understanding of the relationship between leadership and communication, which is just what we all need to start working together. Lesson 2     Shaping Your Message: If you've ever wondered where to begin your communications, you won't have any questions after we finish this lesson. We'll take a close look at the kinds of messages there are, and then we'll look at different options for getting started and shaping those messages. Later, you'll participate in a journal exercise that will give you opportunities to start practicing your leadership communications. Lesson 3     Building Trust: When done right, communication not only conveys information, but also builds trust. In this lesson, we'll look at how those situations make the difference between leadership communications and ordinary communications. Here's your chance to learn about communicating through times of crisis and times of uncertainty. We'll also look at specific kinds of communications that build trust, with examples taken from our own practical experience. Lesson 4     Choosing a Method or Medium: By now you should be ready to really communicate, so you're probably asking How? In this lesson, we'll look at the kinds of things to consider in choosing your medium. After this lesson, you won't struggle to decide if you should communicate in person, on paper, or online. Lesson 5     Methods: You've selected your method, so now it's time to look at how you should use it. In this lesson, we'll take a unique and provocative look at how, thinking in terms of one-to-one, one-to-some, and one-to-many communications. There are subtleties to each, as you'll see as we explore them together. Lesson 6     Written Communications: Here's your chance to see how leaders use both short and long written communications, often incorporating visuals to enhance their most important points. You'll get plenty of tips to guide you, too! Lesson 7     Email: We all use e-mail, but do we all use it to communicate effectively? This lesson is both fun and practical, covering e-mail etiquette as well as providing a range of insights into the possible pitfalls of e-mail. When you're done, check out the class discussion area to read your fellow students' personal experiences of good and bad uses of e-mail. Be sure to post a message about your experiences, too! Lesson 8     Storytelling: This lesson is one of my personal favorites because I so enjoy seeing how students see for the first time what a powerful connection there is between leaders and storytellers. Storytelling is an art, though, so we'll need to take a close look at it to find out just what's involved. You'll learn to look for opportunities to either tell a story or to think about how your role model uses storytelling to complete a message. Lesson 9     Personal Mastery: Communicating involves more than just speaking--it also involves listening. In this stimulating lesson, we'll explore something called active listening. We'll go through all the steps involved so that you're able to master every aspect of communications behavior. This lesson will give you much to think about long after you finish the course! Lesson 10     Feedback: Feedback is always eye-opening, no matter whether it's good or bad. This lesson will provide you with pointers on both giving and receiving feedback. The ability to solicit, appreciate, and incorporate feedback is another one of those qualities that sets leaders apart from the pack, so I know you'll find this lesson to be both stimulating and important. Lesson 11     Body Language: Since you know by now that communication involves more than just words, you'll learn to pay more attention to the way your body speaks. It's both fun and important to learn the meanings behind your body movements and facial expressions. Your body language communicates signs that affect how your audience receives your words. To be certain you're communicating the message you think you are, don't miss this lesson! Lesson 12     Cross-Cultural Sensitivity: We started this course with the audience and we'll end with it, too. But this time we'll see the audience from a slightly different perspective. In today's global society, good communicators have to be aware of the differences between one culture and another, and they have to incorporate that knowledge into how they communicate. This closing lesson is full of fascinating insights into how to reach people from different cultures.

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