Soft Skills

Offered By: Rochester Institute of Technology via edX

Course Description

Overview

Soft skills are today's power skills. They are a blend of interpersonal, communication and social intelligence skills that are in high demand across all industries and jobs.

In this Professional Certificate program, you will learn the essential soft skills employers value most, from communication fundamentals and teamwork to advancing critical thinking.

A strong foundation of communication skills, planning, leadership, teamwork, attention to detail, and critical thinking are critical to success in the workplace. Together, these skills will help you build relationships and improve productivity with internal and external clients.

In this this program, you will focus on:

Active listening, written and verbal communication in the workplace
Leading, and working well with team members and peers
Best practices for performing a strategic analysis of a problem in the workplace
Crafting a message tailored to a particular audience
Practical guidelines for speaking in front of groups successfully
How to use visual elements to elevate your presentations

By earning the Soft Skills Professional Certificate, you will be able to showcase skills that are a game-changer for career growth.

The courses in this program may be audited for free. This program also allows learners the opportunity to earn a verified Soft Skills Professional Certificate upon successful completion of all the courses. Exclusive learning opportunities such as live events hosted by subject matter experts will be available for verified learners who wish to pursue this Professional Certificate.

Syllabus

Courses under this program:
Course 1: Business Communication

Learn how to effectively communicate and build professional relationships through face-to-face, written, and non-verbal communication.

Course 2: Teamwork & Collaboration

Learn essential teamwork and collaboration skills to lead, build and motivate teams in the workplace.

Course 3: Critical Thinking & Problem-Solving

The most successful professionals are able to assess the environment, analyze a situation, design a solution, and ultimately win in a competitive scenario.

Course 4: Storytelling in the Workplace

Learn how to craft messages and narratives that will resonate with your target audience to create your desired outcome.

Course 5: Public Speaking

Build confidence as a speaker by learning how to use simple tools and skills to prepare and deliver memorable presentations.

Course 6: Visual Presentation

Learn how impactful images can enhance your presentation, communication and messaging to impress your audience.

Courses

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3 weeks, 4-6 hours a week, 4-6 hours a week
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In today's business environment, organizations have identified critical thinking and problem-solving as skills that are integral to an employee's--and their organization's--success.

The most successful professionals can assess the environment, analyze a situation, design a solution, and ultimately win in a competitive scenario.

This course, part of the Leadership Essentials Professional Certificate program, will demystify, discuss, and provide application techniques for critical thinking and problem-solving in a business context. Learners will draw connections to their work experience by analyzing and critiquing case studies. Best practices for problem-solving will be discussed and illustrated including how to weigh alternative solutions, incorporate feedback from stakeholders, and how and when to start over.
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3 weeks, 4-6 hours a week, 4-6 hours a week
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When you think about the most influential figures in your organization, in your country, and in the world, one of the qualities they all likely have in common is that they are exceptional storytellers. Everyone tells stories—that’s how we build community and share ideas. However, we don’t always tell our story as effectively as we intend to.

Stories, or narratives, in the workplace may take the form of email communications, proposals, briefs, project or product kickoffs, and presentations.

In this course, part of the Communication Skills Professional Certificate program, you’ll learn about the structure of a narrative and how it varies depending upon the situation, the medium used, and the audience. In today’s world of abbreviated messaging through a variety of devices, the importance of crafting a cohesive, professional, and understandable message to achieve a desired outcome is more important than ever.

You will learn how to create written messaging tailored to a target audience and how to determine the specific medium through which it should be communicated.

You will also study best practices for writing in all forms of media common to today’s workplace, focusing specifically on:
- Structure
- Point of view
- Tone
- Style
You will also study and analyze a variety of messages which use different writing styles directed toward specific target audiences.
3 reviews
3 weeks, 4-6 hours a week, 4-6 hours a week
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Visual elements are critical components in effective communication and presentation. The importance of imagery and how it relates to branding, memory recall, and awareness cannot be underestimated. Whether it's a document, presentation, or video, using one relevant image can replace an entire section of text and be more impactful.

This course, part of the Communication Skills Professional Certificate program, is an introduction to key principles, best practices, and ethics of visual communication for professionals who are not designers by trade. Learners will practice creating visual communication that seeks to educate, inform, persuade, and/or entertain specific target audiences. You will also analyze visual messages appearing in a variety of media and digital platforms.

Taught by

Keith B. Jenkins, Mike Johansson, David Neumann, Andrea Hickerson and Lori Marra