Wharton Communication Program
Please note: Before scheduling classes, check with the department to determine the availability of courses for the upcoming semester or visit the Communications Program website.
The Wharton Communication Program helps prepare business leaders for the communication challenges of the workplace. The core course, WHCP 653, is described in the core section. This is a seminar-style course in which students learn the essentials of persuasion, gain confidence in public speaking, and receive individualized feedback from five taped speeches. Topics include organization and delivery of speeches, defending one’s view before adversarial audiences, visual display of data, use of PowerPoint, and dealing effectively with the media.
For students interested in improving their communication skills beyond the core course, the Program offers a variety of credit and non-credit opportunities. The non-credit opportunities for students to improve writing include: workshops taught by Communication Program instructors, online writing instruction offered in the computer labs, and help with investigating and writing business cases to enter national case competitions. Some of the non-credit opportunities for speaking include: “Drop-in” workshops led by Wharton-Omnicom Communication Fellows in which students are taped and critiqued on speeches of their choice; assistance for student speakers; and focused assistance forWharton’s entrepreneurs, whether they’re presenting business plans to VCs, practicing for ‘elevator pitch’ competitions, or participating inWharton’s Business Plan Competition.
WHCP 653 (.25 cu)
Management Communication
(cannot be waived)
Description: See description in Core Section.
Elective Courses (ASPs)
Available Through Course Auction
Description: There are several for-credit opportunities available to students via ASPs (Advanced Study Projects). These ASPs range from .25 cu to .5 cu, and offer in-depth study of specific communication topics. Some of the ASPs currently offered include: Advanced Persuasion/Communicating Change, Communicating to Investors, Writing for Business Audiences, Crisis Communication, Impromptu Speaking and Communicating Under Pressure, Communicating Business Analysis and Decisions, Advanced Persuasion/ Transparency vs. Spin, and Advanced Persuasion and Data Display.