MIT Sloan School of Management
Interpersonal Communication: Strategies for Executives
Develop the proficiency to efficiently communicate with multifarious teams and geographically dispersed employees, in order to effectively manage and inspire in today's contemporary corporate setting.
Start date
05 March 2025
Course duration
6 weeks
Excluding orientation
Language
English
Access resources from start date
Effort
6–8 hours per week
Self-paced learning online
Course overview
The percentage of survey respondents who agree that their companies have leaders with the skills needed to thrive in the digital economy.
Cognizant (Jan, 2020).
The ability to communicate across remote or distributed teams is one of the top three skills learning and development professionals consider essential for success.
LinkedIn (2021).
Duration: 6 weeks (excluding orientation)
In today's fast-paced and highly technical world, effective communication skills and building strong interpersonal relationships have become increasingly crucial.
Communicating effectively is essential for inspiring and motivating others, especially when leading a diverse and geographically dispersed team. It is also a valuable skill when working with external stakeholders, such as clients or business partners from different cultural backgrounds.
If you want to enhance your communication skills, the MIT Sloan Interpersonal Communication: Strategies for Executives online short course can help. This course combines research and practical methods to help you create effective communication strategies using the RELATE Framework, a professional communication strategy developed by the MIT Sloan School of Management. Throughout the course, you'll also learn how to engage with different audiences and apply a strategic communication lens to understand how machines operate in the corporate environment.
Is this course for you?
This course provides you with effective personal and online communication techniques suitable for the current complex digital world. Business leaders, entrepreneurs, and managers interacting with diverse stakeholders will benefit from enhancing their communication skills and adopting modern approaches.
In the same way, if you're a consultant, improving your ability to communicate with diverse audiences or through virtual or social media platforms will aid in providing better service delivery, as most multinational companies require. If you're a technical or HR professional seeking to improve your interpersonal skills to match your practical expertise and better communicate with a team, this course's strategic approaches will be valuable.
Course overview
Introduction
Duration: 6 weeks (excluding orientation)
In today's fast-paced and highly technical world, effective communication skills and building strong interpersonal relationships have become increasingly crucial.
Communicating effectively is essential for inspiring and motivating others, especially when leading a diverse and geographically dispersed team. It is also a valuable skill when working with external stakeholders, such as clients or business partners from different cultural backgrounds.
If you want to enhance your communication skills, the MIT Sloan Interpersonal Communication: Strategies for Executives online short course can help. This course combines research and practical methods to help you create effective communication strategies using the RELATE Framework, a professional communication strategy developed by the MIT Sloan School of Management. Throughout the course, you'll also learn how to engage with different audiences and apply a strategic communication lens to understand how machines operate in the corporate environment.
Is this course for you?
This course provides you with effective personal and online communication techniques suitable for the current complex digital world. Business leaders, entrepreneurs, and managers interacting with diverse stakeholders will benefit from enhancing their communication skills and adopting modern approaches.
In the same way, if you're a consultant, improving your ability to communicate with diverse audiences or through virtual or social media platforms will aid in providing better service delivery, as most multinational companies require. If you're a technical or HR professional seeking to improve your interpersonal skills to match your practical expertise and better communicate with a team, this course's strategic approaches will be valuable.
What will set you apart
Effective communication skills and strategies to help you manage remote teams in any business context or industry.
Skills in active listening and humble inquiry, and an improved ability to give and receive feedback.
A personal leadership narrative, and a range of tactics to effectively manage and participate in difficult conversations.
Strategies to persuade external and internal audiences.
An understanding of the significant impact of technology in the workplace, and the practices needed to communicate that impact in productive conversations with, through, and about machines.Course curriculum
Orientation module
Welcome to your Online Campus
Module 1
Sharpening your communication capabilities through the RELATE Framework
Module 2
Navigating interpersonal dynamics
Module 3
Managing difficult conversations
Module 4
Communicating across cultures
Module 5
Maximizing your persuasive potential
Module 6
Addressing a new audience: Machines
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Faculty Directors
Ben Shields
Senior Lecturer in Managerial Communication, MIT Sloan
Kara Blackburn
Senior Lecturer in Managerial Communication, MIT Sloan
About the certificate
Refine your professional communication abilities to enhance outcomes in the corporate world and earn an official digital certificate of completion from the MIT Sloan School of Management.
This program also counts toward an MIT Sloan Executive Certificate, which you can earn upon completion of four programs where at least three of the four come from your chosen certificate track and at least one is completed in person. Find full details here.
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We deliver market-led courses that equip working professionals with the expertise required to upskill, reskill or kickstart a completely new career. Through a data-driven approach, we analyze future skills requirements and ensure all courses address this need. We ensure that leading universities and institutions are your expert guides and our people, technology, and resources are your engine – together we power more than just education, we power your potential.
Read more about GetSmarter here and edX here.
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Payment options
You can pay your course fees before the course starts, or you may opt for a split payment plan on courses that are nine weeks and shorter. For courses 10 weeks and longer, there is a three-part payment plan available. To find out more about payment options please visit our Payment and Financing page, or contact an Enrollment Adviser, to find out which option you qualify for.
Manage your time
GetSmarter's learning model is designed to help you, as a working professional, improve your skills without compromising on work and family responsibilities. The course work is broken up into weekly, manageable bite-sized modules, with incremental deadlines, designed to help you pace yourself over the duration of the course and allow you the legroom to work when it suits you best.
At the beginning of each module you'll be presented with the course content and assignments necessary for completion. You also have access to your Success Adviser who will help you manage your time, and support you with any administrative or technical queries you might have.
Seek employer assistance
By improving your skills and industry knowledge, you'll have an influence on the success of your organization. Why wouldn't you ask your boss to help you fund your studies if it's going to have an impact on the way you do business?
Of our past students, 37 percent have received financial assistance from their employers. You can ask for help, too. Here is a guide to show you how to request financial assistance from your employer.
If you are a Learning & Development (L&D) manager, or involved in training and upskilling for an organization, you can request information regarding our corporate offering on our GetSmarter for business page.
How to change your start date
As part of our commitment to your professional development, GetSmarter offers you a two-week period to change your course start date or request your money back if you’re not fully satisfied.
To qualify for a deferral of your course start date, or to cancel your enrollment and receive a refund of your course fee, your request would need to reach our Success Advisers before the release of Module 2. For more information, please read our Terms and Conditions.
Discover the Online Campus
The Online Campus will be your virtual classroom for the duration of your course. Through its easy-to-use interface you'll have access to a diverse variety of course content formats including: interactive videos, module notes, practice quizzes, presentations, assignment briefs, and additional web resources.
On the Online Campus, you'll also be able to ask questions and interact with your fellow students and teaching team through the discussion forums. If you are looking for your Online Campus login, please visit your Account page here.
