Course Description:
While there are many skills that contribute to being an effective leader at any level of any organization, you would be hard-pressed to find a list that didn’t include listening up at the top. Across the field of professional communication, teams collaborate to design things every day—from a strategic communications plan to a new app. Participatory design centers the voices of end-users in the design process, with a goal to create products or services that thereby better meet the priorities of the user by listening carefully to their insights, observations, and feedback. (Other terms for participatory design include cooperative design, co-design, or community design.) One could argue that strong leadership and strong participatory design share a common feature when it comes to listening: both your colleagues and your clients thrive when you actively listen and learn from them.
This class takes an applied approach to listening skill development by inviting students to become keen observers of their listening habits, as well as active participants in strengthening this crucial skill set. We will explore listening as it relates to participatory design, from UX research to community development, and from listening across differences on diverse teams to advocacy movements.
University of Washington
Department of Communication