The McMaster Continuing Education office will be closed for the holiday break on Wednesday, December 25, 2024. We will respond to inquiries when the office re-opens on Monday, January 6, 2025.
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Communication Essentials

Communication Essentials

Gain in-demand skills through a series of highly concentrated Communication Essentials courses

You’ll learn:

  • How to express yourself clearly and with confidence
  • Crucial interpersonal, written and verbal presentation skills
  • How to deal with difficult people and resolve conflicts
  • Negotiation skills
  • The art of active listening
  • Business storytelling
  • How to manage a unionized environment
  • How to develop your social media brand with style

Explore course options below and register today!

View Schedule

Course Options

Students must register at least one week before the start date to allow time for an online assessment to be completed prior to the course start date.

ESS 797
The Art of Active Listening

(Currently Not Available)

ESS 877
Negotiation Skills

(Currently Not Available)

ESS 895
Effective Business Writing

(Currently Not Available)

Course Schedule

This schedule table displays courses planned to be offered this year and is a guide to planning your courses for the academic year. Please note: Spring term registration opens mid-March and Fall/Winter term registration opens mid-July. 

For more information about our learning formats and to choose a format that works best for you, please visit our Learning Formats page.

Essentials Schedule
Course Name (Course Code) Cost Days Fall 2024 Winter 2025 Spring/Summer 2025
The Art of Active Listening (ESS 797) $310.00 0.5 Tue, Oct 29

9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Format: Virtual Classroom

TBD 0.5 Wed, Jun 4

9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Format: Virtual Classroom

Mastering Self-Awareness and Behaviour in Difficult Situations (ESS 800) $310.00 0.5 Mon, Apr 21

9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Format: Virtual Classroom

Future-Focused: Navigating Complexity with Strategic Planning (ESS 804) $468.00 1 Tue & Wed, Nov 26 - Nov 27

9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Format: Virtual Classroom

TBD 1 Tue & Wed, Jun 10 - Jun 11

9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Format: Virtual Classroom

Unconscious Bias: How We Make Decisions (ESS 805) $310.00 0.5 Thu, Oct 10

1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Format: Virtual Classroom

Mon, Mar 17

9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Format: Virtual Classroom

TBD 0.5 Thu, Jun 12

9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Format: Virtual Classroom

Cultivate Belonging with Personality Dimensions™ (ESS 807) $520.00 1 Mon & Tue, Dec 2 - Dec 3

9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Format: Virtual Classroom

TBD 1 Mon & Tue, Jun 2 - Jun 3

9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Format: Virtual Classroom

Gender-Inclusive Communication & Collaboration (ESS 809) TBD 1 Wed & Thu, Jun 11 - Jun 12

9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Format: Virtual Classroom

Personal Leadership: Building From Our Strength (ESS 813) $520.00 1 Thu & Fri, Nov 14 - Nov 15

9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Format: Virtual Classroom

Thu & Fri, Feb 6 - Feb 7

9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Format: Virtual Classroom

Strengthening Communications through Storytelling (ESS 817) $468.00 1 Thu & Fri, Dec 5 - Dec 6

9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Format: Virtual Classroom

TBD 1 Mon & Tue, Jun 16 - Jun 17

9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Format: Virtual Classroom

Exploring Modern-day Work and the Benefits of the Multi-Generational Workplace (ESS 821) $310.00 0.5 Thu, Nov 7

1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Format: Virtual Classroom

Wed, Feb 26

9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Format: Virtual Classroom

Giving & Receiving Constructive Feedback (ESS 834) $468.00 1 Tue & Wed, Apr 22 - Apr 23

9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Format: Virtual Classroom

Emotional Intelligence at Work (ESS 835) $520.00 1 Tue, Feb 11

9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Format: Virtual Classroom

TBD 1 Tue, Jun 17

9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Format: Virtual Classroom

Delivering Powerful Presentations (ESS 838) TBD 1 Wed & Thu, May 21 - May 22

6:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.

Format: Virtual Classroom

Negotiation Skills (ESS 877) $468.00 1 Wed & Thu, Nov 27 - Nov 28

9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Format: Virtual Classroom

TBD 1 Wed & Thu, May 21 - May 22

9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Format: Virtual Classroom

Effective Business Writing (ESS 895) $468.00 1 Tue & Wed, Nov 19 - Nov 20

9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Format: Virtual Classroom

TBD 1 Mon & Tue, Jun 9 - Jun 10

9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Format: Virtual Classroom

Navigating Workplace Conflict: Building Stronger Teams through Resolution (ESS 899) $468.00 1 Wed & Thu, Nov 20 - Nov 21

1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Format: Virtual Classroom

TBD 1 Tue & Wed, May 13 - May 14

9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Format: Virtual Classroom

Coaching and Mentoring (ESS 902) $940.00 2 Tue & Wed, Oct 15 - Oct 23

1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Format: Virtual Classroom

Tue & Wed, Jan 28 - Feb 5

9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Format: Virtual Classroom

Managing in a Unionized Environment (ESS 903) $520.00 1 Wed & Thu, Apr 23 - Apr 24

6:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.

Format: Virtual Classroom

Influencing Others with Confidence and Success (ESS 904) $310.00 0.5 Thu, Jan 23

9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Format: Virtual Classroom

TBD 0.5 Wed, Jun 4

1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Format: Virtual Classroom

Remote Work - Strategies for Efficiency (ESS 905) TBD 0.5 Mon, Jun 16

1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Format: Virtual Classroom

How to Pick Up the Pieces - Leadership, Motivation and Gratitude in Action (ESS 906) $310.00 0.5 Thu, Oct 3

9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Format: Virtual Classroom

Wed, Apr 23

1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Format: Virtual Classroom

TBD 0.5 Mon, Jun 2

1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Format: Virtual Classroom

Effective Prioritization to Improve Decision Making, Manage Workload and Improve Well-being (ESS 907) $310.00 0.5 Tue, Nov 5

9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Format: Virtual Classroom

Thu, Apr 10

9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Format: Virtual Classroom

TBD 0.5 Thu, Jun 26

9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Format: Virtual Classroom

Unconscious Bias: Moving from Bystander to Advocate (ESS 908) $310.00 0.5 Thu, Oct 17

1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Format: Virtual Classroom

Tue, Mar 25

1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Format: Virtual Classroom

Developing Your Social Media Brand with Style and Confidence (ESS 909) $310.00 0.5 Wed, Oct 30

6:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.

Format: Virtual Classroom

Best Practices for Sustainable Living (ESS 910) TBD 0.5 Tue, Jun 17

6:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.

Format: Virtual Classroom

Your Energy Currency: Enhancing and Improving Your Emotional Self-Awareness (ESS 912) $310.00 0.5 Fri, Nov 8

9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Format: Virtual Classroom

Wed, Mar 19

9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Format: Virtual Classroom

Flexible Work as a Catalyst for Organizational Agility & Well-being (ESS 913) $310.00 0.5 Thu, Feb 6

9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Format: Virtual Classroom

TBD 0.5 Thu, May 8

9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Format: Virtual Classroom

Tactical Humour: Leveraging the funny to build connections, camaraderie, and community (ESS 914) $310.00 0.5 Tue, Sep 10

1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Format: Virtual Classroom

Tue, Feb 25

1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Format: Virtual Classroom

TBD 0.5 Tue, May 13

1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Format: Virtual Classroom

Scared Scriptless: Improv Bootcamp Presentation Skills Training (ESS 915) $310.00 0.5 Thu, Feb 27

1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Format: Virtual Classroom

TBD 0.5 Tue, May 27

1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Format: Virtual Classroom

Time Maximization: Unleashing Peak Productivity and Prof Efficiency through Effective Time Mgmt (ESS 916) $310.00 0.5 Thu, Oct 3

1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Format: Virtual Classroom

Tue, Jan 14

1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Format: Virtual Classroom

TBD 0.5 Wed, May 14

1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Format: Virtual Classroom