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Interpersonal Skills OpenCourseWare: The Open University's Free Undergraduate Course on Developing Interpersonal Skills

Published Feb 23, 2009

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For those pursuing a B.A. or B.S. in Management, 'The Importance of Interpersonal Skills' might serve as a good supplement to their studies. The free course from The Open University can help students and others to see the crucial nature of interpersonal skills and how workplace relationships are influenced by the quality of communication.

The Importance of Interpersonal Skills: Course Specifics

Degree Level Free Audio Video Downloads
Undergraduate Yes No No Yes

Lectures/Notes Study Materials Tests/Quizzes
Yes Yes No

The Importance of Interpersonal Skills: Course Description

'The Importance of Interpersonal Skills' is comprised of a series of readings coupled with two activities. This free course explores how effective communication is dependent on both the sender and the receiver processing the exact same message. The difficulty lies in the potential for distraction of either one, and the necessity for the medium (phone, e-mail, etc.) to be appropriate. Communication can be flavored by the relationship between the sender and the receiver. The course, which would be a good review for students in a bachelor level management degree program, explains that according to psychologist Eric Burne, people tend to go through changing states of mind (called ego states) that will influence communication. Also examined is how roles played within a team environment (such as in the workplace) can affect the efficacy of communication. Students taking this course can be introduced to concepts taken from work by UK academic R. Meredith Belbin, outlining eight typical roles played by those engaged in team activity.

The readings and activities are free online. If you'd like to take this course, visit the interpersonal skills course page.

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