What does a supervisor or a manager need to know? Have you ever felt technically prepared for a supervisor's role, yet felt defeated by all of the people issues that seem to arise? You are not alone; many people feel the same way.

In this six-week online course, you will learn how to be a more effective manager or supervisor. You will master the basics of communication, because effective communication is essential in your quest to be a good manager or supervisor.

In addition, we will discuss how you can develop your interpersonal skills, by understanding and dealing with the various people issues that arise at work. We are going to show you how you can understand various personality traits--in yourself and in others--and how they impact the ability to get the job done. These traits include emotional intelligence, the need for power, conscientiousness, agreeableness, and more.

You will be able to assess your own personality, as well as the personalities of your co-workers and boss, and you'll develop a plan of action to improve both your interpersonal skills and your work relationships.

ed2go is a global Registered Education Provider for the Project Management Institute (PMI). Registered Education Providers (R.E.P.s) offer programs and courses that are preapproved for professional development units through PMI and have been reviewed by a project management professional (PMP) to ensure that they meet PMI's expectations for professional development in project management.

This program/course is a good choice for those looking for project management experience and those aspiring to obtain a PMI credential.  It's also an excellent choice for existing PMI credential holders looking for an approved activity for PMI's continuing certification PDUs. At the end of this course, you'll receive a certificate indicating your completion of PDUs equal to the number of hours of this course through ed2go, R.E.P. #3213. Please visit http://www.pmi.org to learn more about PMI's credentials and how they may fit into your continuing education plans.

A new section of each course starts monthly. If enrolling in a series of two or more courses, please be sure to space the start date for each course at least two months apart.

All courses run for six weeks, with a two-week grace period at the end. Two lessons are released each week for the six-week duration of the course. You do not have to be present when lessons are released. You will have access to all lessons until the course ends. However, the interactive discussion area that accompanies each lesson will automatically close two weeks after the lesson is released. As such, we strongly recommend that you complete each lesson within two weeks of its release.

The final exam will be released on the same day as the last lesson. Once the final exam has been released, you will have two weeks to complete all of your course work, including the final exam.

Week One

Wednesday - Lesson 01

When a manager or supervisor begins to have problems in the workplace, it usually isn't due to any technical skill deficiency. More often than not, it's some kind of communication problem or interpersonal problem. This course will provide you with a great many tools you can use to help with the kinds of real-world issues that arise every day in the workplace. This first lesson will introduce you to some of the basic components of communication.

Friday - Lesson 02

As we begin to identify problems or issues with communication in organizations, it's helpful to have a framework to help understand it. In this lesson, we'll look at the directions in which communication flows in organizations, barriers to communication, and organizational issues that block communication.

Week Two

Wednesday - Lesson 03

How do you become a better communicator? Choosing the right communication method is a logical first step! This will provide you with some tips for doing just that. We'll also talk about how to listen more effectively-the first step to being a more effective communicator.

Friday - Lesson 04

What we say is only part of what we communicate. The non-verbal message can be just as powerful! In this lesson, you'll learn all about nonverbal communication and some techniques to make sure that you're not sending the wrong message. Then we'll start discussing written communication as well as how to use the writing process more effectively.

Week Three

Wednesday - Lesson 05

Communicating with individuals is a real art--communicating with groups multiplies the challenge! Here's we'll discuss groups and teams and how to best approach them with your communications. We'll also talk about some constructive criticism techniques as well as how to deliver bad news so that it is received and not resisted.

Friday - Lesson 06

Times of change are among the most challenging times to get your point across effectively. People are angry, tense, and anxious, and so are you! In this lesson, we'll look into what happens to the climate of the organization during times of change, and you'll learn how to communicate effectively when it counts the most.

Week Four

Wednesday - Lesson 07

In this lesson, we'll begin to discuss the second major topic of the course: Interpersonal skills. Here we'll go over why these skills are important in any organization and we'll look into a concept called emotional intelligence.

Friday - Lesson 08

Personalities! They're all around us. You have one and so does everyone else. Many problems at work are blamed on personality conflicts. What does this really mean? We'll find out in this lesson. We'll begin by discussing the personality traits of introverts versus extroverts.

Week Five

Wednesday - Lesson 09

In this lesson, we'll talk about an important trait called agreeableness. People can be high or low or somewhere in between on this trait. Wherever they (or you) fall, there are positive and negative consequences, and we'll explore them all in this lesson. We'll do the same with another important trait: conscientiousness.

Friday - Lesson 10

We'll discuss two more personality traits in Lesson 10--neuroticism and openness to experience. As we learned in Lesson 9, people can be high, low or somewhere in between on these traits, too. And wherever they fall, there are positive and negative consequences.

Week Six

Wednesday - Lesson 11

A need for power? Does that seem a bit autocratic to even admit to? Most of us do have at least some need for power, control, and influence. What should you do with that need for power? And do you use your power for good or for evil? Does it have anything to do with being a successful manager? We'll answer all of these questions in this lesson.

Friday - Lesson 12

We'll wrap up the course and our discussion on interpersonal skills with some useful tips on how to use these new skills effectively-not just with your employees, but with your peers and your boss, as well.

Completion of Fundamentals of Supervision and Management (or equivalent experience), Internet access, e-mail, and and the Microsoft Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox Web browser.

This course includes a knowledgeable and caring instructor who will guide you through your lessons, facilitate discussions, and answer your questions. The instructor for this course will be Patricia Addesso.

Patricia Addesso has worked for over 20 years in retail, academic and telecommunications organizations. She has a doctorate in Industrial/Organizational Psychology, and well-grounded in the theory of human behavior at work. In addition, she has held management positions in three companies, and thus "speaks the language" of upper management. This blend of the theoretical and the practical is the hallmark of her consulting style. Dr. Addesso's specialty is organization development and team building. She has been involved in managing mergers, acquisitions, and other large-scale organizational changes, and is currently involved in projects such as strategic planning and personality assessments.

“ I can honestly say that this class has affected how I relate to people on all levels. I find myself applying many principles to my employees. I've also begun changing many of my reactions to my boss. It is so easy to make quick judgements as to people's motives. From several exercises, I've learned that my negative reactions were probably derived from frustration, rather than his intentions. As a result, I'm not as stressed at work. ”

“ I enjoyed this class a lot and it was extremely beneficial in the areas of study for the position of management that I am working towards. It was well written and easy to stay focused on due to the writing style and material. Thank you so much for making it available on-line. ”

“ I have really enjoyed your class. After completing both I & II I have a better understanding of those who work around me and hopefully will eventually be supervising some of them in the near future. I highly recommend this course. It is easy to follow and filled with great truths that are helpful in any relationship - whether business or personal. Thanks!! ”

“ I want to thank you for this course, it was very interesting to me. This was my first course online and I would recommend it to anyone. You were very informative and attentive to your student's discussion. I have recommended this course to both City and County officials for their employees and supervisors. ”

“ Online learning worked very well for me and my time schedule. The management and supervision classes I've completed have been very rewarding to me and I know the information I just learned online will be of great value to me as I supervise from this day forward. Thank you. ”

“ This is a very good course study for personalities and the differences in personalities and how it is a great benefit to sit back and see the differences and the benefit it is to managers to know the different types. Thanks for every thing. ”

“ While I am new to the management field, these courses (both I & II) have helped me greatly. It gave me answers and insight to other issues that I have yet to encounter. Thank you. ”