EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION SKILLS FOR MANAGERS

Dr. Ibha Kumar

Dr. Smeeta Mishra

Ibha Kumar belongs to the General and Strategic Management Area. She joined XIMB in 1995. She teaches Communication. She did her PhD from Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur in 1991. She has about 30 years of teaching and research experience. Her teaching interests include, Making Corporate Presentations, Corporate and Dining Etiquette, Managing Self and Communication, Soft Skills, etc.

She has publications in national and international journals and has co-authored books. She has conducted many training programs for various companies including Coca Cola, Satyam Computers, Infosys, Jindal Steels, Post and Telegraph Department, Government of Odisha, Department of Science and Technology-Government of India, and ITR-Chandipur.

Her training in Basic, and Advanced Lab on Human Processes (conducted by, Indian Society for Applied Behavioral Science, ISABS), course on Art of Living, training in Yoga Prana Vidya has immensely assisted her in understanding behavioral issues and how they not only impact our day-to-day life but also determine and impact our communication in personal and professional life.

Smeeta Mishra is an associate professor in Communication at the Xavier Institute of Management, Bhubaneswar. She holds a Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Austin, an M.A. from Syracuse University, New York, and another M.A. from Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi.

Before joining XIMB, she worked at IIM Calcutta, IMT Ghaziabad, IIM Ahmedabad and Bowling Green State University, Ohio. She has diverse experience teaching courses on managerial communication, news media writing and editing, social media cultures and research methods. She also conducts workshops on persuasive communication, public speaking, business presentations and online communication. She publishes her research on online communication, media representations and gender studies in reputed, peer-reviewed journals. Her books include “Digital Cultures” (Routledge, 2021) and “Online Communication Strategies for Managers” (Co-authored with Prof. M.M. Monippally, retired IIM-Ahmedabad faculty; McGraw-Hill Education; 2014).

  1. Course Description

  • The purpose of this course is to help managers become effective communicators. This course will address oral, written and non-verbal aspects of communication. It will focus on self -management which is a prerequisite for effective communication.

  • This course will also help participants identify, build, sustain and promote their unique personal brand online. Participants will be trained to communicate strategically in business contexts.

  • It will enable participants to improve their public speaking and business presentation skills. It will help them write compelling business messages, including positive, negative and persuasive messages. Overall, the course is designed to hone the communication skills of participants so that they can become future-ready managers.

2. Student Learning Outcomes

The students should be able to:

  • Develop public speaking skills and business presentations skills

  • Understand the fundamentals of self-management for effective communication

  • Communicate strategically in varied business contexts taking into account the communication goals, target audience, message structure and channels

  • Craft effective business messages including positive, negative and persuasive messages

  • Develop a strong and compelling personal brand for effective online and offline self-presentation

3. Organization and Delivery of the Course

This course will use interactive pedagogical tools including class discussions, role plays, video reviews, team exercises, etc. Apart from the textbook, participants will be expected to read handouts/chapters from other books suggested/given for class reference. They will also be required to view and engage with the uploaded videos in a phased manner.

4. Course Resources

Bovee, C.L., Thill, J.V., & Raina, R.L. (2019). Business Communication Today. (14th edition). New Delhi: Pearson India education Services.

5. Live Project


6. Evaluation

7. Academic Integrity

Students are required to read the recommended book chapters and study material before joining us on Zoom. We expect you to actively participate in class discussions. We take all forms of academic dishonesty very seriously. We expect you to take responsibility for your work. We expect originality in all your assignments. Plagiarism and dishonesty in assignments may invite reduction in evaluation components, penalties and a direct ‘F’. We advise you to strive for 100% class attendance.