Program Overview

Executive Communications Professional Certificate

The Executive Communications Professional Certificate program is designed to help individuals develop the skills necessary to become influential and direct executive communicators. This program introduces participants to skills that can be used to successfully convey ideas for solving challenges in the workplace.

Course Structure

The program takes place over eight weeks and consists of one 90-minute synchronous session each week, for a total of eight sessions. Participants will complete asynchronous material each week that supplements the coursework. At the end of the course, participants will have the opportunity to deliver a capstone presentation to their cohort demonstrating the skills they have learned.

Program Details

• Duration: 8 weeks
• Online: Wednesday 7 to 8:30 p.m.
• Price: $2,550

Weekly Sessions

The program is divided into eight weekly sessions, each covering specific topics related to executive communications.

Week 1: Credibility & Audience Analysis for the Confident Communicator

Topics covered:

• Identifying highly credible communicators and their success patterns
• Understanding your communication style
• Experience inventories for credible communicators
• Understanding audience types and different communication opportunities
• Problem-solving through communication: introducing the capstone
• Managing warmth and competence

• Asynchronous material for Week 1: experience inventory, capstone idea generation, warmth and competency communication flexing exercise

Week 2: Delivery & Outlining for the Influential Communicator

Topics covered:

• Methods of powerful delivery
• Cadence of effective communication
• Warming up the delivery style
• Communication fallacies and hindrances on preparation
• Simply outlining
• On-demand delivery

• Asynchronous material for Week 2: simple outline and case scenarios, delivery and warm-up materials, React! exercise, capstone journal

Week 3: Global Communication & Flexibility in the New Hybrid Workplace

Topics covered:

• Identifying the needs of the global communicator
• Cultural dimensions
• Hybrid communication in a flexible world
• Accuracy in writing effective business emails and managing AI
• Managing effective meeting communication

• Asynchronous material for Week 3: chapter from Erin Meyer's The Culture Map, case scenarios for managing organizational communication

Week 4: Direct Communication & Influential Solutions

Topics covered:

• Applied practice: capstone discussion intro for the week
• Effective use of research and data for solutions
• Direct communication through Mintos (SCQA What, Why, How)
• Problem-solving through Mintos
• Sell the thing at the exchange!
• Applied practice: capstone discussion outro for the week

• Asynchronous material for Week 4: case scenarios, capstone outline

Week 5: Visual Tools of the Influential Communicator & Managing Difficult Conversations

Topics covered:

• Organizational inventory: our visual culture
• Gray areas of slide design
• Impactful visual design for better decks
• "Let it slide"? Using visual executive summaries
• Managing Q&A for better confidence
• Delivering bad news and having tough discussions
• Applied practice: capstone slide design

• Asynchronous material for Week 5: video examples, capstone slide exercise, visual executive summary template

Week 6: Impactful Language & Storytelling in Direct and Influential Communication

Topics covered:

• Influential language for audience connection
• Personification for impact
• Storytelling in the global organization: It's real!
• Advanced storymaking
• 10 Great Stories Every Leader Should Tell
• Framing your capstone

• Asynchronous material for Week 6: video examples and analysis, 10 Great Stories Every Leader Should Tell, framing guide

Week 7: Applying Direct & Influential Communication

Topics Covered:

• Virtual presenting tools
• Giving and receiving feedback; conducting self-evaluation
• Testing the frame
• Meeting one-on-one with peers for practice and feedback
• Final coaching delivery

• Asynchronous Material for Week 7: framing guide, evaluation materials, virtual presenting guide, coaching delivery exercise

Week 8: Delivering a Capstone

Topics covered:

• Capstone delivery
• Building a communication action plan (CAP) through specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound goals

• Asynchronous material for Week 8: final self-evaluation; communication action plan (CAP)

Instructors

The program is led by experienced instructors from the Kelley School of Business, including:

• Trent Deckard: Lecturer at Indiana University's Kelley School of Business, recipient of the Trustees' Teaching Award and the Mumford Excellence in Extraordinary Teaching Award.
• Anna Deeds: Senior lecturer at the Kelley School of Business, recipient of the Panschar Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching, Kelley Trustees' Teaching Award, and multiple student-selected Teaching Excellence Awards.

Program Outcomes

Upon completion of the program, participants will earn a professional certificate and a digital badge to showcase their skills on platforms like LinkedIn. These credentials demonstrate the concrete and in-demand skills earned from taking this Kelley program.