Attention socially awkward MBAs: The Robert H. Smith School of Business has a new program for you! The new Smith Executive Communication Program offers students the opportunity to develop their communication skills through an intensive one-year curriculum. According to the school, the program develops students’ verbal, nonverbal and visual presentation skills through a series of workshops, one-on-one coaching and creation of personalized development plans.
According to Tricia Homer, an executive communication coach who helped launch the program through the school’s Office of Transformational Learning, students learn and apply the psychology of persuasion and principles of storytelling to be more effective communicators. For example, designated workshops in the series teach verbal and nonverbal techniques to help students communicate with poise, confidence and power. Other workshops focus on the art and science of persuasive, results-oriented communication.
“It’s very useful for any student,” MBA candidate Muhammad Khan said in an article on the school website. “A lot of times what we are doing in class, like using bad posture and filler words, we don’t think about before we do it. This program helps us see how we are presenting ourselves and how we are perceived.”
The program also includes a cultural component that aims to build a level of cultural awareness and intelligence in students so that their communication style can adapt to different cultural settings. Participants are also encouraged to schedule one-on-one coaching sessions with executive communication coaches to further develop their communication skills.