Communicating with Confidence

The ability to communicate with confidence and impact can have a significant influence on our success in every aspect of our lives: our study, our relationships and our career.

This unit starts from the belief that we all have a unique ability to communicate with confidence and that this ability is not innate but rather, a skill which can be developed and learnt.

Drawing on theories from biology, psychology, sociology, anthropology, and techniques from the world of theatre and acting, the unit will support participants in learning how to manage nerves, communicate effectively and to engage with a wide variety of audiences, so that you can feel confident in any situation.

The unit is an interactive and practical one, and participants learn through active engagement, as well as through group and individual, tuition. In addition, the learning process will be tailored to the needs and experience of the participants.

UCIL units are designed to be accessible to undergraduate students from all disciplines.

UCIL units are credit-bearing and it is not possible to audit UCIL units or take them for additional/extra credits. You must enrol following the standard procedure for your School when adding units outside of your home School.

If you are not sure if you are able to enrol on UCIL units you should contact your School Undergraduate office. You may wish to contact your programme director if your programme does not currently allow you to take a UCIL unit.

You can also contact the UCIL office if you have any questions.

This unit aims to provide a toolkit of techniques, introduced within a friendly, and supportive (but also challenging) environment, which participants can use to maximise their feelings of confidence, manage anxiety and communicate with impact.

On successful completion of the unit you will be able to:

• Describe the relationship between cognition, body language, speech and the audience
• Analyse personal strengths and recognise areas for improvement with respect to communication
• Have a toolkit of techniques which can be used to manage anxiety and communicate with impact
• Manage yourself within challenging situations such as interviews and difficult conversations
• Deliver a presentation in front of an audience with confidence

UCIL21301 (Semester 1)

Because of the practical nature of the course, this semester 1 unit is only offered face-to-face, and regular engagement and attendance is essential. In addition, the course is an experiential one which requires you to try out what you have learnt in practice. Be prepared to take part!

The course consists of 10 x 2-hour face-to-face sessions.

UCIL21302 (Semester 2)

In semester 2 Communicating with Confidence is a blended unit, made up of a mix of:

• Online learning modules
• Series of face-to-face workshops
• Because the unit is practical and experiential in nature, you will need to try out what you have learnt, in practice, so regular and consistent engagement with all aspects of the unit is vital to ensure that you get the full benefit of the different elements of this blended course.

Be prepared to take part!

UCIL21301 (Semester 1)

1. 12 minute presentation (47.5%)
2. 1500-word reflective essay (47.5%)
3. Completion of a number of activities during the course. Mark is awarded for participation and completion. Activities include: posting an introduction on the discussion board, commenting on a colleague's presentation online, etc. (5%)

UCIL21302 (Semester 2)

1. 12 minute presentation (40%)
2. 1500-word reflective essay (40%)
3. Completion of a number of activities during the course. Mark is awarded for participation and completion. Activities include: posting an introduction on the discussion board, commenting on a colleague's presentation online, etc. (20%)
    

In addition, you will receive formative feedback on your communication and reflective writing, via submissions to a formative journal.

Additional reading material will be suggested in each lecture.