Traci Nathans-Kelly, Ph.D., currently teaches for both eCornell and on campus in Cornell University’s College of Engineering. As a member of the Engineering Communications Program, she interacts daily to help engineers to hone their technical messaging, whether it be via presentations, on paper, in meetings and teams, or online channels. Dr. Nathans-Kelly has worked with practicing professional engineers, technical experts, scientists, and related field experts for over 20 years, helping them to strengthen their abilities to become impactful contributors in their organizations. She served as the editor for the IEEE Professional Communication book series for Professional Engineering Communication, with 12 books on the shelves for the series. Dr. Nathans-Kelly’s book, Slide Rules: Design, Build, and Archive Presentations in the Engineering and Technical Fields, was co-authored with Christine G. Nicometo. Aside from campus teaching, Dr. Nathans-Kelly conducts workshops and training for such entities as The Boeing Company, Flad Architects, IEEE-USA, Wolters Kluwer, and a host of others. In the past, she has trained practicing engineers and technical experts at At&T, CN Railroad, FedEx, GE, Google, Harley Davidson, IBM, Intel, John Deere, Johnson Controls, Kohler, Kraft, Lockheed Martin, Medtronic, Mercury Marine, Motorola, NASA, Ocean Spray, Sanofi Pasteur, Sirius, SkullCandy, US Bureau of Indian Affairs, the US Department of Defense, the US Army, the US National Security Agency, the US Navy/Nuclear Submarines, and many more.
Strategizing for Audiences with Different Expertise
COURSE OVERVIEW
Your work in a technical field likely means that you periodically interact with colleagues, customers, suppliers, and other stakeholders who live in a different part of the world, speak a primary language different from your own, or have expertise in a different or non-technical field.
As a technical expert, your ability to anticipate the needs of audiences from diverse backgrounds and communicate effectively with them is essential.
In this course, you will have an opportunity to explore how you can prepare to meet the needs of audiences with differing backgrounds, primary languages, and levels of expertise, and even varying degrees of receptivity to your message. You will examine principles of persuasion and consider how and when to apply them both effectively and ethically. As part of your studies, you will also review pertinent selections from Dr. Traci Nathans-Kelly's book “Slide Rules,” and you will look at how you can prepare for the unexpected in your talks and maintain your composure when disruptions occur.
By the end of this course, you will have gained techniques and insights that you can apply as you prepare and develop presentations for a wide range of audiences with varying needs and interests.
It is recommended to only take this course if you have completed “Redesigning Slides for Impact,” “Engaging Presentation Techniques,” and “Designing Slides for Live and Legacy Use,” or have equivalent experience.
- Prepare and strategize for the needs of different audience members when you don't know who they are
- Use persuasive strategies for technical purposes
- Prepare for unexpected challenges and engage with audience members beyond your immediate circle

How It Works
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Who Should Enroll
- Engineers
- Technology professionals
- Business leaders
- Entrepreneurs
- Educators
- Consultants
- Anyone interested in effectively conveying ideas to a professional audience
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