The Art of Communication for Leaders

Instructor: Rakesh Godhwani, Founder, School of Meaningful Experiences

Date: August–December 2025

After completing their degrees, students enter the corporate world or an academic institute to continue their careers, and they soon realise that the 21st century is not just about technical skills. It is also about human skills such as the ability to communicate with confidence, collaborate with others and demonstrate one’s competence through spoken words and actions. Many students are very uncomfortable with speaking in front of others or unsure of what to say and how to say it. This is what ‘The Art of Communication for Leaders’ course focuses on.

This online-blended credit-based course focuses on a simple framework of the six Cs of leadership, namely, confidence, communication, curiosity, creativity, collaboration, and competence. The course prepares the students to apply these six Cs to a variety of situations that they will face as they transition from the role of a student to that of a working professional or an academic. Using the six Cs as the foundation, the course further explores concepts such as dealing with fear, public speaking, uncertainty, low self-esteem, and mental hygiene. It also encourages critical thinking and facing audiences fearlessly, especially in job interviews, making impactful speeches, collaborating in teams, and building professional relationships. A total of 240 students–undergraduates and PhDs–had opted for the course in the August 2025 semester at IISc. The classes were held on Thursdays and Fridays in two-hour sessions for about seven weeks. The course consisted of weekly assessments, which were voice/video clips-recorded as per the week’s training session. The final assessment on the last day of the course had a mock interview for the students. All the students completed the course successfully.