Subject Overview

A bachelor-level study of communication theory, professional writing, interpersonal collaboration, public speaking, visual presentation, digital communication, and workplace influence. The subject develops employability-focused communication for full stack development environments, including technical documentation, Agile teams, stakeholder engagement, data storytelling, AI-assisted communication, ethics, accessibility, and global collaboration.

Learning Goal

Students will be able to plan, produce, deliver, evaluate, and improve clear, ethical, audience-centred communication and presentations across academic, technical, managerial, and digital contexts.

Syllabus

1. Foundations of Human Communication

Learning Objective: Explain communication terminology, purposes, contexts, channels, feedback, noise, and barriers using linear, interactional, and transactional models; apply principles of clarity, completeness, conciseness, and coherence.

Category: foundation

2. Audience, Purpose, Context, and Communication Planning

Learning Objective: Analyse audiences, stakeholders, goals, constraints, culture, and communication channels; plan messages using audience personas, purpose statements, communication briefs, and appropriate tone.

Category: foundation

3. Language, Listening, and Nonverbal Communication

Learning Objective: Use verbal, vocal, visual, and nonverbal cues effectively; practise active and empathetic listening, questioning, paraphrasing, feedback, emotional intelligence, and barrier reduction.

Category: core

4. Professional and Academic Writing

Learning Objective: Create well-structured emails, memos, letters, summaries, reports, proposals, and academic texts using sound grammar, argumentation, evidence, citation, editing, and plagiarism prevention.

Category: core

5. Technical Communication for Full Stack Development

Learning Objective: Translate complex software concepts for technical and nontechnical audiences; produce requirements, README files, API documentation, release notes, user guides, issue reports, architecture explanations, and portfolio narratives.

Category: application

6. Interpersonal, Team, and Agile Communication

Learning Objective: Communicate effectively in diverse software teams through stand-ups, planning meetings, retrospectives, pair programming, code reviews, remote collaboration, feedback, negotiation, and constructive conflict resolution.

Category: application

7. Presentation Planning and Message Design

Learning Objective: Develop presentation objectives, central claims, logical structures, openings, transitions, conclusions, evidence, and calls to action using outlining, narrative, rhetoric, and storytelling frameworks.

Category: core

8. Visual Communication and Slide Design

Learning Objective: Apply hierarchy, contrast, alignment, typography, colour, whitespace, accessibility, multimedia, and cognitive-load principles to create effective slides, diagrams, demonstrations, dashboards, and posters.

Category: application

9. Public Speaking and Presentation Delivery

Learning Objective: Deliver confident presentations using effective voice, pace, posture, gestures, eye contact, rehearsal, timing, speaker notes, audience interaction, anxiety management, and professional question handling.

Category: application

10. Persuasion, Negotiation, and Managerial Communication

Learning Objective: Apply ethos, pathos, logos, framing, evidence, influence principles, and negotiation techniques to proposals, pitches, project updates, difficult conversations, change communication, and managerial decision support.

Category: core

11. Data Storytelling and Communication Analytics

Learning Objective: Select suitable metrics and visualisations, interpret data responsibly, distinguish correlation from causation, communicate uncertainty, build evidence-based narratives, and evaluate communication through feedback, surveys, engagement measures, and presentation rubrics.

Category: application

12. Digital, Virtual, and Cross-Cultural Communication

Learning Objective: Use synchronous and asynchronous platforms appropriately; manage virtual presence, netiquette, distributed teamwork, cultural differences, inclusive language, personal branding, professional networking, and digital reputation.

Category: contemporary

13. AI-Assisted Communication and Emerging Technologies

Learning Objective: Use generative AI and presentation technologies for ideation, drafting, editing, translation, rehearsal, visual creation, and personalisation while verifying accuracy, protecting confidential information, documenting AI use, and preserving human judgement and authentic voice.

Category: contemporary

14. Ethics, Accessibility, Governance, and Professional Practice

Learning Objective: Address honesty, bias, misinformation, copyright, privacy, confidentiality, consent, records governance, inclusive communication, accessibility standards, crisis communication, and responsible disclosure; integrate these principles into a professional technical presentation and communication portfolio.

Category: strategic