The flagship course of the Mastery Initiative is Strategic Communication, which provides the greatest opportunity to attain mastery in the various aspects of effective communication. We also offer Essentials of Strategic Communication and a number of other electives including Political Communication and Executive Communication Strategies.  
 

In addition, several faculty teach related courses in areas of negotiation, power, or message development, which students are encouraged to take to further their mastery in communication.

2012-2013 Courses

GSBGEN 315. Strategic Communication

Business leaders have marketing strategies, expansion strategies, finance strategies, even exit strategies. Successful leaders, however, also have communication strategies. This course explores how individuals and organizations can develop and execute effective communication strategies for a variety of business settings. It is a 4-unit course offered in the Spring.

GSBGEN 515. Essentials of Strategic Communication

This is the 2-unit condensed version of Strategic Communication. It is being offered in the Fall and Winter.

GSBGEN 565. Political Communication

US Presidential election campaigns, as well as campaigns for other elected offices, are excellent laboratories for understanding strategic concepts and principles. They are highly visible, oriented toward very specific objectives, and increasingly accessible through a variety of new media platforms. The principles of political communications transcend politics, and are useful guides for leaders in business, the non-profit community, as well as government. This course explores the theory behind effective positioning and presentation and analyzes how successfully the candidates communicate.

GSBGEN 239. Executive Communication Strategies (Sloan students only)

Communication is crucial to the success of all leaders, but as you climb within an organization the ability to write and speak effectively is magnified. This course explores how individuals can develop and execute effective communication strategies for a variety of business settings. The course introduces the essentials of communication strategy and persuasion at an executive level. Students study: audience analysis, communicator credibility, message construction and delivery.

Courses Offered in the Past

GSBGEN 323. Communication for Global Leaders

Leaders in the 21st century face huge challenges not experienced by prior generations of executives and entrepreneurs. Globalization challenges almost every aspect of business from recruiting and managing a diverse staff to providing products and services which cross language, time, and cultural barriers. This new course delves into the two areas impacting a leader’s success in the global arena: technology and culture. Through a blend of class discussions and interactive activities students will study frameworks for effective communication in a global environment and then apply these lessons in team and individual projects.

Educators must be experts in their subject matter, but also effective scholarly communicators. This course examines the theories for effective communication in the classroom and provides PhD candidates with the opportunity to practice course principles in simulated classroom settings and receive direct and video-taped feedback on their performance.