Ateneo - UPO

The course is divided into five parts:

General communications principles: This section explores the fundamental principles governing communication mechanisms between individuals and between individuals and organizations. Topics include anthropological and cultural aspects (why people tell stories, how stories function, and their effects), psychological perspectives (what communication is and how it works), and technical considerations (how communication has become a tool for modern organizations).

Internal Communication: This part addresses why companies feel the need to regulate and organize communication with their employees, how this communication has evolved in recent years, the most commonly used internal communication tools, and the problems arising from inadequate or missing communication.

Case Studies: This section involves the presentation of real business experiences, potentially featuring guest speakers.

Employer Branding: Here, we examine how companies communicate with potential employees, focusing on the phenomenon of talent attraction—the competition among firms to attract top talent (particularly young individuals) amid demographic decline, mismatches between supply and demand, and brain drain, especially in the scientific field.

Personal Communication Management in the Workplace: This final part covers topics from social media (with an emphasis on LinkedIn) to the ability to conceive, create, and effectively present a document.

Teacher's lectures. Additional readings (books and articles) may be suggested throughout the course.

1. Knowledge and Understanding: At the end of the course, students will be able to identify the main communication dynamics within organizations and the communication needs related to human resources, both toward employees (internal communication) and potential employees (employer branding).

2. Application of Knowledge and Understanding: The knowledge acquired will enable students to engage with human resource management mechanisms from a communication-oriented perspective, suggesting practices and tools to enhance the flow of information. This will contribute to increasing emotional engagement in organizational life as well as the effectiveness and efficiency of processes.

3. Judgment Autonomy: The course will empower students to express independent and informed judgments regarding the state of communication within the organizations in which they will operate, providing management with both cultural (recognizing the importance of clear and open communication) and technical tools.

4. Communication Skills: Communication skills are central to this course. Students will acquire a broad set of communication tools, including the ability to recognize, apply, and modify typical communication dynamics; use language not only as a linguistic competency but also through text, images, videos, etc., to produce results for their organizations; and enhance their personal business communication.

5. Learning Skills: With a solid methodological foundation and appropriate theoretical knowledge, students will be positioned to engage in continuous self-directed learning. The field of internal communication is in constant cultural, methodological, and technological evolution. Participants in the course will need to continue their education by observing organizational dynamics, engaging with relevant articles and conferences, and integrating this information into their personal professional culture to support their career development, particularly in managerial roles.

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The teaching activities are structured as follows:

Lectures: These will be supported by slides rich in content and examples.

Presentations of Real Case Histories: This will include potential guest appearances by external witnesses (business managers, communication professionals, etc.).

Shared Analysis of Student Exercises: The review and discussion of students' assignments will provide significant enrichment, allowing them to receive questions and comments from both the instructor and their peers regarding their work. Students will also have the opportunity to ask questions and provide suggestions on the work of others, thereby multiplying perspectives on a given topic and fostering an extremely productive debate.

1. Acquisition of Knowledge: Lectures will provide the theoretical foundation for understanding communication mechanisms, both in abstract terms and with reference to their application in organizations.

2. Application of Knowledge: Assignments within the course will represent an initial opportunity to apply knowledge to concrete cases.

3. Development of Judgment Autonomy: This will be encouraged through classroom discussions of both the real cases presented and the exercises themselves.

4. Acquisition of Communication Skills: In addition to theoretical components on communication and public speaking, communication skills will be practiced and refined during the presentation of assignments.

5. Development of Learning Skills: The theoretical tools and continuous individual and group practice will facilitate the development of a self-directed learning mechanism intended to extend well beyond the duration of the course.

Course attendance is facultative. Students with physical disabilities, Learning Disabilities or Special Education Needs can request specific services and tools via the Staff Sviluppo e Coordinamento Carriere e Servizi alle Studentesse e agli Studenti, consulting the University webpage: https://www.uniupo.it/en/services/servicesstudents-physical-or-learning-disabilities Students with disabilities, learning disabilities or special education needs, once they have contacted the University Staff, can refer to the tutor in charge of the course to define the examination modalities, concerning academic aspects.

Students will have the opportunity to demonstrate the knowledge and skills they have acquired through the completion of four assignments. These will include writing exercises related to the themes of internal communication and employer branding, as well as the presentation of internal communication projects and/or employer branding initiatives modeled on real business cases, selected based on direct knowledge or through the study of documents and public sources.

General principles of communication according to leading scholars - Storytelling: definition and purpose - Corporate communication: marketing and institutional communication - Internal communication: origins and evolution, with a focus on the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on organizations -
The new face of companies and the need to foster engagement - Tools of internal communication: signs, symbols, content, and digital media - Italian demographics and the necessity of employer branding: a decline in the workforce - Public speaking and effective interpersonal communication - Social media, with a focus on LinkedIn, and its role in employer branding - Company advocacy, corporate ambassadors, and the challenge of building trust

At the end of the course, students will have: 1) developed a general sensitivity towards the dynamics of communication and their impact on organizations; 2) acquired a good understanding of topics related to communication aimed at employees and potential employees; 3) gained knowledge of the main tools of internal communication and employer branding, as well as a range of qualified case studies to inspire further projects; 4) the ability, within a corporate organization (likely in the fields of human resources or communication), to contribute to the implementation of internal communication and employer branding projects, drawing on solid concepts and updated practices.