"I'm lovin' it", "Das Beste oder nichts", "The difference between a boss and a leader: a boss says ‘Go!’ - a leader says, ‘Let’s go!’."
Why do phrases like these imply more than just the sum of their individual words? Why do they have an impact on our perception of issues, our emotions and actions? This course will raise your awareness of how language is used to achieve corporate, political, sustainability-related and other goals and teach you how to achieve effective communication in professional contexts.
The overarching approach in the course is related to communication. Recent reports show that communication is among the key skills needed in the future workplace, for managers as well as staff. This is especially true in light of ongoing challenges such as the climate crisis, technological disruptions, etc.
Key issues in business communication are to think consciously about who we are communicating with and why, the conventions associated with different communicative genres and styles, and the impact of word choice in brand names and slogans. Different modes of verbal communication - written, spoken and digital - will be considered in the course, along with reflections on non-verbal communication in the form of pictures and gestures.