IIMA/Communications Area

DIFFICULT COMMUNICATIONS
PGP II (Slot IX)
2019-2020
Credit: 1 unit

Instructor: Prof. Sunil Unny Guptan

Pre-requisite: This is not a basic communication course. Should have fundamentals

of communication & communication skills in place – language, public speaking,
social skills, etc.

Course objectives:
1. Understanding and dealing with communication under stress, duress and
difficulty, particularly in managerial situations.
2. Understanding and imbibing the skills and competencies required to work through
difficult communication and communication situations in professional, social and
personal context.
3. Understanding and formulating individual communication strategies to cope with
and manage complex situations.

Course content:
Number of sessions
1. Talking tough 1
Difficult people; Reading situations; Seeking communication
alternatives; Clarity of intent; Delivering with persuasion; Diagnosis of
stumbling blocks; Customising solutions

2. Navigating through tough negotiation and persuasion

And managing furtive and manipulative communication 2
Persuasion as art; Framework for understanding persuasive
communication; Steps to persuasion effectiveness; communication element
in persuasion; Complexities and variables in persuasion and negotiation;
Communication strategies in negotiation;
Understanding manipulative behaviour; Reading and understanding
situations; Communication element in manipulation; Calibrating intent
and communication strategies; Modulating client behaviour through
communication; Counter strategies

3. Inspiration and motivation 2

Communicating leadership in times of crises; Interpersonal and mass
communication styles of inspiring people; Making the right moves – Non-
verbal communication in motivating and inspiring confidence in tough
situations; Communication traits of leaders successful in crises and tough
times
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 Number of sessions
4. Listening for hidden/unsaid meaning 2
Looking beyond the obvious - Empathy and sensitivity; Prototypes and
stereotypes; Paralinguistics; Customising characteristics; Handling meaning
meaningfully

5. Working with aggression and assertiveness 2

Understanding forms of aggressive and assertive behaviour; Cultural
factors in aggression; Aggression threshold in communication; Indicators
of communication aggression; Assertive communication; Verbal and non-
verbal aggression and assertion; Repairing effects of accidental
communication aggression; Responding to aggression or tough talk

6. Handling Feedback Process 2

Receiving and reacting to feedback; Packaging feedback; Feedback in tough
situations and to tough people; Formulating and delivering feedback;
Preparing client for feedback; Communicating difficult feedback;
Organisational mechanism of feedback

7. Handling bad news and negative messages 2

Characteristics of bad news and negative messages; Preparing recipient for
bad news; Packaging bad news; Pre-empting and handling fall-outs;
follow up and remedial actions

8. Writing tough and difficult messages 2

Handling different writing formats; Composing difficult messages for
desired impact; Words and word play in difficult communications;
imaging with words; Leveraging media characteristics for positive
advantages in difficult situations and with difficult people

9. Communicating extreme emotions 2

Control and loss of control; Emotional effects in communication; Recovery and
restoration
10. Project activity 3

Pedagogy / Teaching methodology:

Principally workshop methodology and experiential learning to be used with
role play, caselets, simulation, situation analysis, etc.
All work to be done during scheduled sessions, Prior work for classes may
include reading and review of circulated Additional Reading Papers, role
play briefings, caselets, etc.

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Evaluation:
Evaluation will include peer evaluation and be participative. Some of the
components will be graded in groups depending on the nature of tasks and
assignment.

Grade weightage
1. Class participation 20 %
2. Critique of article in suggested reading 10 %
3. Component-wise total (8 components)* 55 %
i. Navigating through tough negotiation and
persuasion,
and managing furtive and manipulative
communication
ii. Inspiration and motivation
iii. Listening for hidden/unsaid meaning
iv. Working with aggression and assertiveness
v. Handling Feedback Process
vi. Handling bad news and negative messages
vii. Writing tough and difficult messages
viii. Communicating extreme emotions
4. Project activity 15 %

* In item 3, each component has a minimum weightage of 5%. Each

student may hike the weightage of any 3 component of choice to 10%. The
evaluation will be based on the participation and performance in the
exercises and activities in the sessions indicating a demonstrable grasp
and understanding of the concepts, and of skills imbibed.

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