Communicating for Impact
This certificate program consists of three required courses (listed below) and one elective course option.
This certificate is comprised of four single-day courses.
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Whether an individual communication is complex or not, it needs to be crafted thoughtfully by engaging your audience in relevant and meaningful ways. If you don’t take the time to do so, your communication will still have an impact, but not necessarily the one you intend.
The multitude of opportunities to communicate each day all roll up to a master narrative of who you are, your credibility, and your integrity. By applying the right amount of thought and preparation to each communication, you can control that narrative.
In other words, why, how and what we communicate matters—always. Every interaction is a moment of truth for us, our audience, our work, and our organization. When we communicate our narratives well, we have credibility and the ability to inspire, engage and empower everyone around us—when we don’t, we risk losing trust and confidence.
This seminar is highly interactive and will be your catalyst to:
- Enhance your personal brand with the communication skills needed to inspire, engage, connect, motivate, and empower people.
- Create and deliver narratives and interactions that are personal, relevant, and actionable.
- Build trust and confidence with your stakeholders in every interaction.
- Accelerate alignment and motivation through effective inquiry and listening.
Details & Registration
Time: 9 a.m.-4 p.m.
Continuing Education Units (CEUs): 0.6 CEUs will be awarded upon completion of this program (six hours of instruction)
One-Day Seminar Pricing:
Registration fee includes all course materials, catering (lunch and refreshments), WiFi access, and parking.
- Standard Registration: $1,000
- UT System Staff/Alumni Registration: $750
- Educator, Nonprofit, Government, Military Registration: $750
Get employer support! We’ve gathered resources to help you make the case for your employer to support your HDO education.
If you have questions prior to registering, please see our Professional Training FAQ or contact HDO’s Enrollment & Success Coordinator at hdo-pro@austin.utexas.edu.
Course Leader(s)
Kendra Germenis is a workplace experience consultant, change leader, and visual artist based in Austin, Texas. With 15 years of experience spanning big tech, professional services and entrepreneurship, she focuses on helping organizations navigate change through operational design, communication and employee experience. Her background ranges from designing early-stage employee experience infrastructure to driving global program adoption and enablement for Amazon Web Services’s Just Walk Out Technology organization.
Kendra is the founder of Best of Workplaces and creative studio Kitsy Co. She holds a Master of Arts in Human Dimensions of Organizations from The University of Texas at Austin, where her research explored meaningful connection and shared experience in the workplace.
Thresa Nasi is an organizational strategist and facilitator whose work bridges engineering, systems thinking and human-centered organizational design. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering and a Master of Arts in Human Dimensions of Organizations, both from the University of Texas at Austin.
She created Metaphoria™, a card game used in facilitated workshops to help teams think more clearly, communicate more effectively and navigate complexity together. Her facilitation and strategic planning work includes clients in law, medicine, energy and nonprofit leadership.
Who Should Participate
- Senior/Executive Leadership
- Middle Management
- Team Leaders & Supervisors
- Marketing/Public Relations Directors & Managers
- Human Resources/Talent Management Directors & Managers
- Employee & Customer Engagement Consultants
Knowing our class goals ahead of time ensured that we stayed focused and created a sense of accomplishment in the end—a great example of how we should be communicating in our own spaces.
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From Certificate Seeker to Competitive Advantage in Just Four Days
Built on strong academic fundamentals and real-world relevance, HDO Certificate Programs are designed to enhance the portfolios of mid- and upper-level professionals.
Over the course of your program, you will gain immediately-applicable tools and skills to accelerate your career, whether your goal is advancing in your current organization, deepening your capacities to excel in your existing role, or developing additional skills for a transition to a new position. In the process, you will learn alongside and network with experienced professionals from a wide range of industries.
Courses Led by Top Faculty
“My favorite part of the Certificate Program was, hands down, the cross-disciplinary faculty. What remarkable minds! I gained multiple new lenses through which to view workplace challenges. I felt so lucky to have exposure and access to these extraordinary educators. The HDO faculty is world class. I can’t stop raving.”
Sarah Gerichten, Director of Marketing, Square Root, Inc.
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By applying cutting-edge research and expertise from UT Austin’s top faculty to your organization’s unique challenges, our training programs are designed to:
- Build a dynamic organizational culture that fosters innovative thinking and embraces change.
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- Enhance leadership skills at all levels, from first-time managers to senior leaders and executives.
