MGT 2010
Management Communication
Managers who write and speak effectively are more likely to succeed as business leaders. Employers consistently rank communication skills as the most important hiring attribute, and research shows these skills are a core predictor of leadership effectiveness. However, effective communication involves more than mastering business writing and presentation skills. Successful business leaders critically assess communication needs and the audience who will hear or read a message; they craft communication to attain targeted results. This course makes you a more polished communicator as you work toward the following goals: Applying rhetorical principles to management communication; Using critical thinking to analyze the audience, the organizational environment, and business problems before developing communication strategies; Implementing principles of plain language and effective design; Collaborating with colleagues to strategize communications for a live corporate client.
Instructors
Jessica Roberts Martin, Julia Deems, Ken Moore, Linda Buhr, Rebecca Dohrman, Staci Thomas, Steven Malter
Reviews
Good lecturer. Mostly busy work graded by TAs. Make sure to follow the rubrics and you should be fine.
5/12/2026
Professor Dohrman was a decent professor, but the class was not my favorite. Her lectures were usually organized, but they could feel dry at times, and some material was harder to follow than it needed to be.
5/7/2026
Good class. Rubrics are clear and specific. Not hard if you show up and do the work. Group project is heavily weighted and at the end of the semester. Don't wait until the last minute or the end of the semester to use the TAs. Highly recommend office hours too.
4/8/2026
One of the worst professors I've had, told our group one thing and graded on another criteria. Two faced professor who's feedback is redundant and would never have any real improvement on the grade/project.
3/25/2026
People who want to learn love this class. If you think you're already a good communicator, you'll hate it. Classic example: Student - "I'm just surprised by this grade because my high school is known for producing great academic writers." Prof. T - "I can tell, but I don't need an academic writer. I need a business writer." Listen and it's great!
3/23/2026
Full of busywork and subjective grading; unwilling to work with students.
2/7/2026
Passionate professor, repetitive class and pop quizzes are tough. Many busy work assignments all graded by TA's. 1 case compeition group project which is alot of work. Easy class though
12/28/2025
Deceiving with grades, rude to students, unapproachable, and unfair. Avoid her classes
12/18/2025
Worst professor in Olin. Terrible grader and comes off as nice but is not genuine and fair with her grading at all. Would recommend taking the course with a different professor.
12/2/2025
2-4 hrs/week
Professor Dorman is so sweet! She cares a lot about her students, and although sometimes the workload can get a little heavy, it's all relatively easy. Although there are some presentations in class, she really tries to make them fun and a safe environment to practice being an effective presenter. Favorite class that I've taken at WashU by far!
11/10/2025
I'm still in this class, but I like it a lot. Prof Thomas is really engaging, and the class has tons of activities so the time goes by really quickly. You definitely need to do the prework, because she's not going to cover it in calss, and you're responsible for it.
10/2/2025
So strict and if you don't follow exactly what she says you will get a bad grade. Super harsh on rules (and there are lots). Constantly trying to penalize students grades. Don't take this class with her.
8/25/2025
I love Dohrman. If you get to know her and share your story, she makes sure to remember it and invests a lot in her students. She is a great person to have in your network, and I really encourage speaking with her one-on-one if you can. She really is rooting for everyone as long as you are putting your best foot forward. Class is busy work.
6/5/2025
Interesting guy, better than the other 201 options for a required class. Had favorites playing fantasy football with some of the guys but generally a nice person. Never interacted with him outside of class. Not the most exciting or useful class, but he's not at fault for that. He cares about the topic and knows what he's talking about
5/4/2025
Dohrman is really excited and cares about the career growth of her students. MGT201 is a lot of busy work, but it can be very helpful with the right attitude. Your experience could depend on whether you are interested in consulting or not, as lots of resources revolve around it. If you invest in Dohrman, she will invest back.
5/3/2025
As this is a public speaking type class, Dohrman makes it a more fun and chill environment, 10/10 recommend
4/15/2025
The class itself may not be the most useful, but Staci is a fun teacher to have. She tries to make the class engaging and enjoyable. If you put the effort in, you will definitely become a more effective presenter and communicator.
1/8/2025
What you put in is what you get out. Students who weren't satisfied with Staci were the type to think this was going to be an easy class (or that it should be). Put in the work and go to office hours if you're frustrated in the slightest.
12/22/2024
I really liked Staci! She's very sweet and tries her best to make lectures as engaging as possible. This class helped me with my presentation skills, and the TAs as well as Staci were extremely nice! The class is very dependent on the final client project, which varies in difficulty. However, a lot of the content for the course is pretty useless.
12/21/2024
Probably one of the worst professors I have encountered at WashU. Before I took this class, I had heard from other students about her bad reputation for being unfair and fresh, but I took the course anyways. She seems to have some superiority complex over her students and talks down on them instead of trying to have a civil conversation.
12/19/2024