Professional Communication & Teamwork
Write clear emails and documents, present and run meetings, work well on teams, and navigate résumés, interviews and networking.
Leads to: Data Analyst, Data Scientist, Machine Learning Engineer, Software Developer, UI Developer, Cybersecurity Engineer, Systems Analyst, Database Administrator, Cloud Engineer, Mobile Developer, Web / Full-Stack Developer, Back-End Developer, DevOps / Site Reliability Engineer, QA / Test Engineer, Data Engineer, IT Support Specialist, Civil Engineer, Mechanical Engineer, Electrical Engineer, Biochemist, Biological Technician, Medical Laboratory Technologist, Chemist, Physicist, Materials Scientist, Statistician, Actuary, Operations Research Analyst, Electrician, Industrial Machinery Mechanic, Video Game Designer, UI/UX Designer, IT Project Manager, Technical Trainer, Computer Science Teacher
About this course
Every STEM career runs on communication. This beginner course covers the everyday skills that make technical people effective and easy to work with: emails that get answers, plain-language technical writing and how-to documents; short technical presentations, productive meetings and useful feedback; roles, trust, team norms, handling disagreement and remote, async work; and the career basics of tailored résumés and portfolios, STAR interview answers and informational interviews. Each lesson has a short reading, curated videos and a practical task you do with real messages, real people or a practice scenario.
Course content
Module 1
Clear Workplace Writing
3 lessons · 1h 41mWrite emails, technical text and how-to documents that busy readers can understand and act on the first time.
- 31mEmails that get answersReading
Write a concise request email that puts the ask and the deadline first.
- 24mWriting for technical readersReading
Use plain-language rules to make technical text easy to understand and act on.
- 46mWriting a how-to documentReading
Write a numbered procedure that someone else can follow correctly the first time.
Module 2
Speaking and Presenting
3 lessons · 2h 1mGive short technical updates, run and join meetings that end in clear actions, and give and receive feedback.
- 49mShort technical presentationsReading
Plan and deliver a clear 3-minute technical update built around one message and one visual.
- 38mRunning and joining meetingsReading
Prepare a focused agenda and capture decisions and action items with owners and dates.
- 34mGiving and receiving feedbackReading
Use the Situation-Behaviour-Impact structure to give specific feedback and receive it well.
Module 3
Working on Teams
3 lessons · 1h 28mSet roles and team norms, build trust, handle disagreement with active listening, and work well remotely and asynchronously.
- 41mRoles, trust, and collaborationReading
Make roles clear, build trust, and agree written team norms for a small project.
- 14mHandling disagreementReading
De-escalate a workplace disagreement by listening first and focusing on the shared goal.
- 33mRemote and async workReading
Write async status updates and handoff notes that let others act without a meeting.
Module 4
Career Navigation
3 lessons · 2h 14mTailor a résumé and portfolio to a posting, answer behavioural interview questions with STAR, and build a professional network.
- 50mRésumés and portfoliosReading
Draft a one-page résumé tailored to a real job posting, backed by a small portfolio.
- 50mInterviews and the STAR methodReading
Answer behavioural interview questions with clear, specific STAR stories.
- 34mNetworking and mentorsReading
Write a short, specific informational-interview request and follow up well.
Where this course leads
Next course on the path
Careers that use it
- Data Analyst
- Data Scientist
- Machine Learning Engineer
- Software Developer
- UI Developer
- Cybersecurity Engineer
- Systems Analyst
- Database Administrator
- Cloud Engineer
- Mobile Developer
- Web / Full-Stack Developer
- Back-End Developer
- DevOps / Site Reliability Engineer
- QA / Test Engineer
- Data Engineer
- IT Support Specialist
- Civil Engineer
- Mechanical Engineer
- Electrical Engineer
- Biochemist
- Biological Technician
- Medical Laboratory Technologist
- Chemist
- Physicist
- Materials Scientist
- Statistician
- Actuary
- Operations Research Analyst
- Electrician
- Industrial Machinery Mechanic
- Video Game Designer
- UI/UX Designer
- IT Project Manager
- Technical Trainer
- Computer Science Teacher