Vanessa Cook (standing), a Communiversity program instructor and UM Division of Outreach assistant director of marketing, will lead a course on Social Media Marketing as part of the fall Professional Development series of courses. The class will help participants learn to generate leads via Facebook ads, increase traffic to their sites and enhance return on investment for this powerful and cost-efficient marketing tool.
OXFORD, Miss. – The University of Mississippi’s Communiversity program is offering a new series of classes this fall for anyone looking to advance in his or her career and polish professional skills.
“This professional development series of classes will help people in our community make strides in their management, technical and communication skills,” said Sandra Sulton, Communiversity coordinator.
First up in this series is Brave Communication owner Julia Winston’s “Time Management for Real Life” offered from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Monday (Aug. 29) at Insight Park on the UM campus.
The course guides participants into finding the right time and energy management practices that can fit their busy lives. Topics will include setting priorities, organizing your day and delegating tasks.
“Your confidence will skyrocket as you achieve the results you really want to see because not only do I focus on your outcomes, but I also focus on you as a whole person,” Winston said.
Winston’s slate of classes continues Sept. 12, when she offers the popular course “How to Have Difficult Conversations at Work.” Attendees will learn a proven way to take the fear out of difficult conversations at work, how to deal with defensive responses, and how to do it in a way that builds trust.
The course meets 5:30-7:30 p.m. at Insight Park. The fee is $59.
The third component of Winston’s series, “How to Get Promoted: Quicker, Faster, Sooner,” will take place from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Sept. 26, also at Insight Park.
Participants will discover how to use seven steps to career advancement that are easily overlooked, as well as what strategies and mindset are needed to land a promotion. The course fee is $59.
Julia Winston
Designed for the computer novice, “Computer Basics” is a three-night class developed to provide a crash course in Microsoft Excel, Word and PowerPoint for people who want to understand these useful programs for their businesses.
The class is set for 5:30-7:30 p.m. Sept. 13, 15 and 20 in Weir Hall, Room 107. The cost is $85.
Ole Miss instructors JoAnn and Dex Edwards have a combined 30 years of experience in public speaking and teaching the art of speech and debate. They will share their expertise in “Public Speaking: Stand and Deliver,” slated for 5:30-7:30 p.m. Oct. 12, 19 and 26 in Lamar Hall Room 133.
The class fee is $59.
Small business owners, local organizations and corporate representatives alike are can benefit from “Social Media Marketing,” taking place Sept. 29 and Oct. 6 and 13.
“Social media is an accessible marketing option for so many entities, but also confusing,” said Vanessa Cook, assistant director of marketing for the UM Division of Outreach and Continuing Education.
“This class will help you execute a social media marketing plan by discussing recent research, application, trial and error, and professional benchmarks so that small business people and creative entrepreneurs can better use this medium to support their business goals.
“Previous classes have been very interactive. Participants have implemented much of what they learned in the class. I try to adapt sessions two and three to the needs of individual participants so that they get answers for their particular needs.”
Participants will walk away from this boot camp knowing how to set up and optimize social media sites, generate targeted leads via Facebook ads, generate traffic, increase returns on site investment, apply practical strategies, and navigate the do’s and don’ts of social media.
The cost for this course is $69.
Another element of social media advertising is creating images and videos to draw your audience and increase engagement. “Social Media for Non-Designers,” also taught by Cook, will focus on design trends and low-cost options for creating the best presentation.
This course costs $54 and will meet 6-7 p.m. Nov. 7, 14 and 21 in Weir Hall.
To register, or for more information on these and other courses offered through the Communiversity program, visit
http://www.outreach.olemiss.edu/communiversity/classes_professionaldevelopment.html.