Management Skills

15 hours

This course provides an introduction to the key principles of management. You will examine different styles of management and identify your own style. Core values, beliefs, and ethics will also be examined. 

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

• Define management and organizations
• Classify management levels and identify management skills
• Contrast managers and leaders
• List and explain the four management functions
• Define and state the purpose of vision, values, mission, and goals
• Use strategic planning
• Describe the different styles of management
• Identify personal management style
• Define power, politics, and culture and explain how each affects the workplace
• Identify ethical dilemmas
• Describe how ethics affects management decisions

15 hours

Learn how to save time with concise conversations and clear requests. Enhance your leadership skills with effective communication and listening. Empower others to make necessary and productive changes, and create an atmosphere for engagement and productivity.

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

• Explain the importance of effective communication
• List and describe the three different types of communication
• Define effective listening
• List and describe the four kinds of listening
• Interpret verbal and non-verbal communication
• Evaluate personal listening skills
• Define and use mutual inquiry
• Communicate sensitive and/or difficult messages
• List and explain the best uses for communication tools
• List considerations for effective cross-cultural communications

You will build on your own experiences to identify the essential elements of outstanding customer service, develop strategies based on leading practices to provide your customers with a high level of service, and learn what is needed to develop lasting, value-added relationships with customers.

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

• Define a customer
• Explain the importance of developing customer service skills
• List attitudes/orientations that define and strengthen customer partnerships
• Explain the difference between customer satisfaction and loyalty
• Explain how social psychology’s equity theory applies to customer loyalty
• Describe what affects a customer’s perception of value
• List examples of add-ons and describe how to determine best add-ons

5 hours

Learn how to prepare and deliver effective presentations that you can use for business, sales, training, or public speaking. Discover how to document, plan, and structure your presentation to influence your listeners and achieve your goals.

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

• Describe the purpose of presentations
• List the forms and types of presentations
• List strategies for an interesting, engaging, and memorable presentation
• Describe the structure of a presentation
• Prepare a presentation plan and deliver a mini presentation
• List strategies for managing anxiety
• Explain audience types and describe how to appeal to each when presenting
• Use vocal and body language techniques to enhance presentation delivery

15 hours

Explore the basic principles of working with small groups. Group member roles, the process of group formation, group dynamics, and group problem solving are also explored in this course.

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

• Define “team”
• Compare and contrast teams versus groups
• List the benefits in building teams
• List and describe the process in team development
• Develop and complete a team agreement
• Explain why genuine trust is essential in high performing teams
• List and describe considerations in leading and managing a team

15 hours

Examine the concepts of motivation and delegation and identify the connections between the two. Develop an action plan to deal with them effectively. In addition, explore the nature of feedback and develop a practical approach to provide actionable feedback to motivate others.

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

• Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of delegation
• List the degrees of delegation
• Explain delegation strategies
• Define motivation
• Explain the role of the employer and employee in workplace motivation
• Discuss theories that explain employee motivation
• Discuss the challenges of workplace motivations
• Identify and examine the connections between motivation and delegation
• Develop an action plan for balancing employee delegation with motivation
• List different methods of employee feedback
• Develop an employee feedback process

15 hours

Workplace change can create tension. So learn methods of addressing employee’s emotions as you manage the process of change—as well as how to communicate change and deal with resistance.

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

• List types of change
• Describe the internal and external forces of change
• Explore personal attitudes about change
• Define and contrast change management and change leadership
• Discuss change theories and apply them to organizational events
• Describe the importance of understanding change when leading change
• Define leadership
• Compare and contrast a manager and a leader
• Explain the functions of a manager and a leader in leading change
• Define a learning organization
• Explain how participative leadership is essential in change
• Discuss change strategies
• Develop a change strategy for a specific organizational event
• Explain the relationship between change theories, leadership, and change strategies

15 hours

Learn the craft of skillful writing and increase the effectiveness of your written communications to achieve both personal and corporate success. Learn about the writing process, content-generating strategies, audience analysis, structure, persuasive strategies, format, style, and revision.

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

• Compare and contrast different types of workplace communications
• Discuss and develop strategies for workplace communications
• Apply the writing process, including planning, drafting, revising, editing, and proofing
• Adapt messages for tone, vocabulary, coherence, and completeness for specific purposes and audiences
• Write direct, indirect, and persuasive me

15 hours

Marketing and branding are critical in maintaining a business. A strong brand is invaluable as the battle for customers intensifies day by day. This course equips you to research, define, and build your brand.

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

• Define “marketing”
• Explain parts of a marketing strategy
• Identify customers
• Explain and apply the “marketing mix” to a product or service
• Explain how marketing interacts with the rest of your business
• Define and explain the importance of “branding”
• Explain the purpose and importance of a marketing plan
• Identify the parts of a marketing plan
• Compare and contrast different forms of promotion

15 hours

Get introduced to the key principles of conflict handling and develop an understanding of the meaning and causes of conflict. Learn how to manage relationships with customers and colleagues. Gain insight into people's individual conflict resolution styles, internal and external customer conflict, the cost of conflict, resolving conflict, communicating effectively during conflict, and preventing conflict through communication.

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

• Explain the connection between values, beliefs, and conflict
• Discuss how assumptions are created in conflict
• Determine personal conflict management style
• Identify the manager/supervisor’s role in conflict
• Use inquiry to gather information in a conflict
• Use dialogue to promote action

15 hours

Learn to select, hire, and orient staff effectively. Conduct purposeful and meaningful interviews, make reference checks and job offers, define responsibilities and goals, and use workplace retention strategies to keep your best employees.

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

• List and describe the components of a staff recruitment process
• Describe how to attract potential candidates
• Determine and define the goals and responsibility of a job role
• Write a recruitment advertisement
• Explain how to evaluate shortlisted candidates
• Develop and conduct behavior based interviews
• Explain how to evaluate candidates using an objective and valid process
• Define employee orientation
• Identify the critical components of effective employee onboarding
• Discuss staff retention strategies

5 hours

The ability to manage time and stress is absolutely critical to the success of any manager and leader.

Learn techniques for effective time and stress management.

Find out how to identify stressors, set priorities, handle interruptions and crises, and improve work methods and productivity.

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

• Use strategies and tools to manage time effectively
• List the causes of stress
• Identify strategies for effectively managing stress
• Use systems for identifying priorities
• Explain strategies for handling interruptions and crises
• Evaluate effectiveness of current work methods

15 hours

Gain an understanding of who you are and how it affects your leadership style. Topics of self-discovery will include personality inventories, self-esteem, beliefs, values, goals, and stress management. When you discover what type of leader you are and which position best suits you, you can learn to lead authentically.

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

• List traits and skills that define good managers and leaders
• Use assessment tools to explore personal leadership traits and skills
• Identify areas of strength and development
• Develop a plan to utilize and develop leadership skills

45 hours

Examine the importance of evidence-based decision making and its role within both public and private sector organizations. Explore the fundamental approaches to evidence-based decision making through case studies and literature from various professional disciplines.

Learn the components of an evidence-based methodology, including:

• Where and how critical thinking skills fit in
• What experimental designs are used to collect data
• How statistics are used to provide strong evidence for decisions

Upon completion, you will be fully equipped to gather, organize, review, and evaluate the decision-making process.

Civic Governance and Innovation Certificate
Evidence-Based Decision Making course description
Civic Governance Program-specific fees

• Articulate and analyze the origin of evidence-based approaches
• Identify and summarize the five steps to making evidence-based decisions
• Define a “problem” in the context of decision making
• Identify and consider the components of thinking critically
• Identify evidence in the form of empirical research, including both quantitative and qualitative
• Describe the concepts and apply the key mechanisms for collecting evidence, including the different forms of experimental design
• Illustrate the role of statistics and cost-benefit analysis in evidence-based decision making
• Describe and apply the logic model as a method of program evaluation
• Use professional and respectful communication skills