Introduction to the Text

Essential Communication Skills

Why Communication 11000?

This course helps to solve a problem identified by employers.

Take a quick look at job postings in your field. The advertisements will always list some kind of technical competencies that you learn in your program area. Alongside those, there will be other essential skills required, too. An applicant might have to “deliver on customer satisfaction,” “read and write in English,” “follow instructions unsupervised,” “manage conflict,” or “work on a team.” The phrasing isn’t always the same, but these examples have something in common: they are all code for “communication skills.”

Many hiring managers have told Mohawk College that a career-ready graduate is only career-ready if they have been trained in communication. There are many different skills that fall under this umbrella, and it is true that each employer has their own way of doing things. However, if you approach a new career with a strong foundation in this area, you’ll be able to adapt more easily to unfamiliar situations. When problems do arise, it will be your communication skills that help you solve them and share the results.

This course will also serve you well before graduation. The lessons here will strengthen your performance in other courses. Students have many different educational backgrounds and life experiences. This course helps make sure that everyone has an equal opportunity to succeed in their program areas. If you can learn how to problem-solve, ask questions, express your ideas in writing, share your thoughts verbally, and follow assignment instructions, you will meet–and possibly exceed–your program’s expectations.

All in all, this course may not be the reason you came to Mohawk, but it will help you make the most of the program you chose.

Unit 1: Communication as Problem-Solving
Unit 2: The Writing Process
Unit 3: Workplace Communication
Unit 4: Employment and Interpersonal Communication
Unit 5: Presentations and Group Communication

From the above units, you can further explore the full range of topics in the textbook’s chapters, sections, and subsections.