Our courses have a unique format and approach.
Our reading materials and lectures present a practical step-by-step method for writing and speaking in the globally expected style.
They explain how to write and speak clearly, concisely, coherently, completely, and correctly.
More importantly, in our courses you practice writing and speaking in this style —
and our Mentors conduct videoconference sessions to help you get better at it.
Writing Skills course
Step 1: Read
Read our online coursebook to see what you need to know to write documents that meet global standards — clear, concise, coherent, complete, and correct. Also watch an Introductory Lecture.
Step 2: Write
Apply the knowledge by writing a short document on a topic that will be assigned to you.
Step 3: Participate in a feedback session
One of our Mentors will provide feedback in an interactive videoconference. It will be a conversation, not a lecture. The Mentor will ask questions to help you see how readers might react to what you wrote — and how those reactions can affect what you want to accomplish. And there are three options for that feedback session:
• Large-Group Option ($22 per student): 12 or more students participate together in the session conducted by the Mentor.
• Small-Group Option ($66 per student): 3 students participate together in the session conducted by the Mentor.
• One-on-One Option ($199 per student): Each student has an individual session with the Mentor.
Step 4: Decide if you want a further session
Consider applying what you learned to a second document — with a further feedback session with a Mentor.
By combining this kind of practice plus this kind of feedback, you can
(1) learn how to write documents that meet global standards, and
(2) further enhance your critical-thinking and problem-solving skills.
Speaking Skills course
Step 1: Read
Read our online coursebook to see what you need to know to effectively interact with other people — and make effective presentations to audiences. Also watch an Introductory Lecture.
Step 2: Prepare for a role-play session
Apply the knowledge by preparing for a role-play exercise based on a hypothetical situation.
Step 3: Participate in a role-play session
One of our Mentors will conduct a videoconference role-play exercise for you and a group of other students. Everyone will play an assigned, unscripted role. The Mentor and the other participants will all provide feedback on what you say and how you say it. And there are three options for that role-play session:
• Large-Group Option ($22 per student): 12 or more students participate together in the session conducted by the Mentor.
• Small-Group Option ($66 per student): 3 or 4 students participate together in the session conducted by the Mentor.
• One-on-One Option ($199 per student): Each student has an individual session with the Mentor.
Step 4: Decide if you want a further session
Consider applying what you learned to a second role-play exercise conducted by a Mentor.
By combining this kind of practice plus this kind of feedback, you can
(1) learn how to speak in a way that meets global standards, and
(2) further enhance your critical-thinking and problem-solving skills.
Single sessions
You can also purchase 60-minute sessions with our Mentors — as many sessions as you like.
Contact Us for more information.
Why should you do this?
Better communication skills can help you get a better education, a better job, and more money.
Here are some comments by Fareed Zakaria. He is a TV-show host, newspaper columnist, and the author of many books. He grew up in India and went to college in the U.S. This led him to understand the importance of communication skills:
Coming from India, I was pretty good at taking tests and regurgitating things I had memorized. I was not so good at expressing my own ideas. By the time I got to college, I had taken many, many exams but written almost no papers....
Over the course of the first semester, I started to make the connection between my thoughts and words. It was hard. Being forced to write clearly means, first, you have to think clearly. I began to recognize that the two processes are inextricably intertwined....
When I begin to write, I realize that my "thoughts" are usually a jumble of half-formed ideas strung together, with gaping holes between them. It is the act of writing that forces me to sort them out. Writing the first draft of a column or an essay is an expression of self-knowledge — learning just what I think about a topic — whether there is a logical sequence to my ideas — and whether the conclusion flows from the facts at hand. No matter who you are, writing forces you to make choices and brings clarity and order to your ideas.
