Course Catalog
AI Literacy and Communication Strategies
95-724
Units: 12
Description
Communication is an essential element in any professional field, from the public policy area, to the medical field, the tech sector and beyond. Writing and presenting for consulting firms, corporate entities, government agencies, think tanks, or advocacy groups differs significantly from academic contexts. Professional communication expectations are even higher for leaders in emerging fields, who will be called upon to translate complex technical content for non-expert stakeholders, to manage cross-functional teams, and communicate clear expectations, outcomes, and recommendations in a fast-paced and quickly evolving environment. Accordingly, this course provides practical instruction for preparing and delivering professional documents and presentations in the 21st century workplace. This course challenges students to convey critical thinking by anticipating readers’ needs and the perspectives of stakeholders in the practice of analyzing and shaping policy related documents and presentations related to the emerging field of AI. Students will hone a wide variety of skills integral to management-level communication, including: developing essential and persuasive content, organizing information into useful and efficient forms, targeting diverse audiences with varying levels of expertise and roles, communicating complex ideas supported by research and data, ensuring clarity, controlling tone, and designing meaningful visuals. Overall, the course helps students develop confidence and apply effective techniques when speaking in a public setting as well as producing meaningful
and effective written documents.
Note: This course assumes proficiency in English grammar. Numerous resources for improving English skills are available through CMU.
Learning Outcomes
- Identify professional standards in various industries and international contexts and devise effective, personalized strategies for preparing and delivering communications in those contexts
- Interpret the needs and expectations of audiences and adapt the content, organization, and format of your message depending on audience, context, and purpose
- Design, write, and present logical, cohesive messages using multimodal approaches as well as standard rhetorical organizational practices
- Adapt messages based on mode of transmission (written versus oral presentation), genre, parameters (length/time limits, citations), and professional expectations (presentation style, genre formats).
- Adapt complex, data-heavy topics for non-expert audiences through the use of meaningful visuals, clear, specific, plain language, and ethical citation practices
- Design and utilize multimodal elements of presentations (i.e. slides, photographs, posters, tables, charts, diagrams, handouts, audience participation, videos) in line with workplace expectations and universal design accessibility standards
- Create efficiently phrased, actionable communications for use in a workplace, supported by persuasive use of research, data, and professional expertise
- Demonstrate the ability to evaluate presentations and give and receive specific, productive, constructive feedback as a professional/managerial skill
- Utilize various techniques and technologies to self-evaluate and diagnose concrete and actionable areas of improvement as a public speaker with a mind towards consistent professional development
- Discover appropriate and ethical ways to improve communications deliverables and processes through emerging AI technologies with a focus on trust, equity, and mitigation of harmful bias.
- Research and analyze ongoing trends, issues, ethical dilemmas, and policy concerns related to fast emerging AI technologies and offer data-driven informed recommendations related to AI initiatives
Prerequisites Description
N/A