General Information
Instructor Bio
Dan Richards has built and sold two start-ups (including one to Rogers Communications). In 2002, he was recruited to become CEO of a public company that was struggling after acquiring five investment distribution firms; he led a team that stabilized the situation leading to a successful sale two years later. Dan‘s columns have appeared in the Globe and Mail Report on Business and he is a regular guest on Business News Network. Dan holds an undergraduate degree in economics from McGill University and an MBA from Harvard Business School. He has been a member of Rotman’s marketing faculty since 1992 and has consistently won teaching awards based on student ratings of his courses.
Target Audience
Students who want to improve their networking and written and verbal communication skills.
Format
12 two-hour classes, with lectures, small group exercises and one on one role plays. Short videos before classes will deliver content. As well, each student will get feedback on videos of one-minute and three minute presentations and will be expected to meet each week with a small group, as well as to submit a short weekly journal. The course uses a combination of readings, videos and interactive exercises.
Course Mission
Doing great work and having terrific ideas are of little value if you can’t sell that work and don’t get buy-in to your ideas. In this course, you’ll learn about leading edge research on building relationships and the principles of effective persuasion. You’ll practice presenting and get feedback on your presentation skills. Finally, weekly assignments, small group meetings and journals will help you build new habits to incorporate the insights from each class into your daily routine.
Student Comments
“Best course ever …. I learned so much”
“Great course, great delivery and overall great experience. Wish there was a higher ranking I could give.”
“Very practical knowledge every MBA should have”
“A great choice for international students to work on communication skills, making mistakes and getting feedback without worrying about getting judged.”
“Fantastic course – really helped my confidence when presenting”
“Loved the chance to learn from videos of CEOs being interviewed”
“Very relevant as we move into the workforce”
“Practical lessons on dealing with real world challenges of communicating”
“This course changed me in many ways. Now I regularly reach out to friends and contacts. I pay so much attention to active listening. I keep reminding myself to accept feedback instead of arguing. I have applied presentation skills I learned to all my other courses and in the real work.”
“The chance to practice new concepts every week helped me improve”
“The instructor went above and beyond in answering questions and providing feedback.”
“Incredibly valuable – taught me soft skills that are critical to my MBA ”
“The class concepts are very applicable in real life. The professor provided a lot of feedback and the real-life examples and research were very effective”
“Amazing course! Really helped with my personal development goals.
“Great course for any business professional. More useful in real life than any other class.”
“A fantastic course that should be mandatory for all students. The course teaches so many important life skills that are helpful in our personal lives as well as careers.”
“One to One Marketing helped me ace multiple interviews, cumulating in three job offers, despite the choppy job market. It helped me become a more confident and articulate communicator, whether presenting a PowerPoint or in written form. This course also helped me to examine the way I went about networking and helped me build meaningful relationships.”
“This class helped me in countless ways. I used the principles to build my network (both old and new). Not only has it been rewarding on a personal level, but I’ve also gained job offers! I use my impact checklist daily, and I’ve become much more confident as a speaker. I credit so much of this recent success to the course teachings and valuable feedback. The course should be required for all students!”
| Student Comments | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| “Overall, I learned a lot from this course” | 6.48 | 6.40 | 6.29 | 6.52 |
| “The course was relevant to real-world problems” | 6.76 | 6.76 | 6.81 | 6.74 |
Evaluation and Grade Distribution
| Component | Due Date | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Class Participation | Ongoing | 20% |
| Group Assignment | TBD | 40% |
| Final Exam | Exam Week | 40% |
Required Resources
There is no text, rather the course uses a combination of recent cases and videos and articles from leading publications that act as “living cases’ and enhance the learning process.
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