Top 12 Best Rated Online Communication Courses

Introduction

The most significant skills for both career and personal growth you need in life are good communication skills. Life itself involves constant and continuous communication. Perhaps, that is why individuals who have built great communication skills tend to do better in academics, career, politics, and other fields. They also have that tendency to assume leadership positions and attain top levels.

On the other hand, people who have developed poor communication skills either remain stagnant in their careers or hit a plateau somewhere along the line. Unfortunately, these social skills are hardly taught in middle or high schools and if they were it was often poorly.

Except you have a degree in social science we often miss that opportunity of learning important social skills. The good news is, with online programs developing everyday people can choose from a list of communication courses available to them.

You don’t have to worry about where exactly to start when it comes to online education. These courses offer a great level of flexibility allowing dedicated learners to learn relevant skills within a short period of time. However, finding the right course to improve communication skills can be quite daunting.

We have saved you the stress by outlining some of the best communication courses online that you can take to achieve the communication success you desire.

Related reading: Top 8 Emotional Intelligence Online Courses

1. Improving Communication Skills – Coursera

In this communication skill course, you will learn to communicate with colleagues in your workplace more effectively. This course is taught by Maurice Schweitzer a best-selling author and award-winning professor at Wharton.

This course will provide you with all the necessary communication skills you need to excel. You will discover new strategies you can use to figure out if someone is lying.

You will also learn how to earn the trust of individuals while making use of effective negotiation skills. You will be privileged to uncover techniques used in creating persuasive messages. 

What should be your expectations?

This course is 100% online and very flexible, learners can choose the study hours at their convenience. With adaptable deadlines, you can adjust the syllabus to your own time. It also provides students with the opportunity to learn in different languages due to the available subtitles. This course is separated into 4 different modules where you will learn fundamental skills necessary for good communication.

What will you be learning?

• In this module, you will uncover the key principles guiding effective communication skills like collaboration, rarity, hospitality, dynamic uncertainty, and many others. At the end of this module, you will have learnt how to have a good balance between competition and collaboration.
• The second module focuses on teaching you strategies you can use to build trust, by exploring factors crucial for developing trust.
• The third module aims at teaching you how to identify deception. You will learn how to interpret cues that show deception.
• The final module examines the key principles governing effective communication. At the end of this module, students will be able to use effective communication to achieve their goals and boost productivity in their everyday lives.

COURSE DETAILS:

Instructor: Maurice Schweitzer

Level: Beginner

Projects for Class: N/A

Number of Lectures: 37

Reviews by Users: 4.7

Cost: Free

2. Communication Skills and Teamwork – edX

Communication skills have a huge role in determining success in almost every career. Effective communication is critical as it helps build relevant relationships key to both your professional and personal growth.

This self-paced course will be your guide in learning effective communication. The communication coach Jim Pautz will be the instructor of this course. Jim is an experienced life coach who will be there to guide you throughout this communication course.

What should be your expectations?

• Discover how to use the correct format for any variety of messages.
• Learn the art of using critical thinking to communicate better
• Master how to effectively resolve conflict  in the most professional way
• Find out new approaches to writing, by writing more clear and succinct messages including invitations, emails, and PowerPoint presentations.
• Discover communication strategies for better cooperation, for effective team synergy
• Learn how to plan, execute and review projects
• Learn how you can track and execute projects promptly

What will you be learning?

This course is divided into 5 sections where you will learn key principles of communication:

• In the first section, you will be given a brief introduction to the course including the schedule, content, scoring, and support
• In section 2 you will learn the basics of communication including how to plan effective communications that target your specific audience. You will also learn professional conflict resolution.
• In the third section, you will discover vital communication techniques such as presentations, emailing, and face to face communication.
• In the fourth section, you will learn the application of the skills you have learned to manage projects better and also for effective communication.
• In the final section, you will demonstrate your understanding of the course by taking the final assessment.

COURSE DETAILS:

Instructor: Jim Pautz

Projects for Class: N/A

Level: Beginners

Number of Lectures: N/A

Reviews by Users: N/A

Cost: USD149

3. Communication and Interpersonal

Skills at Work – FutureLearn

This online course is for you if you have some digital skills and want to boost your confidence in your primary workplace. It is also for individuals who are currently studying A-levels, people with degrees, and also individuals who want to learn communication skills to help them achieve their career goals.

The online classes of this course will help you learn some of the best communication techniques for effective communication.

You’ll be taught by Jennifer Rosen who is one of the leading educators on the Future Learn platform, she is a communication specialist and a talented filmmaker. Jennifer is also a recognized health coach who teaches yoga.

What should be your expectations?

This course is offered completely at no cost whatsoever, the most intriguing part of selecting this particular course is the flexibility. It is offered completely online and you can take this course at any time depending on your schedule.

What will you be learning?

• You will discover your unique communication style. 
• You will also explore various platforms for communication. 
• Understand if your communication skills are in-line with your goals. 
• Learn how you can apply this communication style you have learned in your workplace. 
• Take part in difficult challenges to yield results.
• Reflect on your newly discovered communication style and technique.

COURSE DETAILS;

Instructor: Jennifer Rosen

Projects for Class: N/A

Level: Beginner

Number of Lectures: N/A

Reviews by Users: 4.8 Cost: Free

4. Effective Communications Skills for Business – Udemy

Be the best communicator in business by taking this life-changing online course. This course focuses on teaching you skills in both spoken and written communications. Here you will learn strategic communication techniques that will help ensure you communicate properly and appropriately.

All you need to have to begin this superb course is interest and dedication. David Inman, the tutor for this course, is well experienced in both professional and public speaking. He is a certified lecturer and holds a Lifelong Learning Sector certificate, which he earned at the University of Central Lancashire.

David has worked in top firms where he negotiated complicated business issues involving property and construction. He does a fantastic job in simplifying this course and will be there to help you understand key concepts.

What should be your expectations?

You will gain all the relevant skills necessary to boost your confidence in communication. Some of the skills you will learn include presentation, speaking, writing, sales, teaching, etc. This course will take a total of 32 minutes to complete, it is flexible and allows you to learn at your own pace. 

What will you be learning?

This course is divided into 3 sections. In the first section, you will be introduced to the course content and the topics:

• Learn efficient speaking and written communications
• Boost your negotiation and presentation skills
• Discover skills to improve listening

COURSE DETAILS:

Instructor: David Inman

Projects for Class: N/A

Level: Beginner

Number of Lectures: 7

Reviews by Users: 4.2

Cost: Free

5. Communication Skills: Become More Clear, Concise, & Confident – SkillShare

Do you want to speak confidently while communicating your ideas confidently and concisely? Make that turning point and take this course. As the name implies confident, clear, and concise, this course will offer you the tips that will help you understand and differentiate between poor and effective communication.

You’ll have an opportunity to learn with Alex Lyon who teaches communication to college students. He has over 15 years of experience in communication and leadership skills. 

What should be your expectations?

This course takes a total of 53 minutes to complete, with an adjustable schedule so you can take this course at any time. The course is straightforward and the tutor does a great job at addressing the important aspects of communication.

What will you be learning?

This course is divided into 9 lessons:

• In the first section, you will be welcomed to the course where you will get a general overview of the subject matter
• The second lecture aims at teaching common communication problems like long-windedness
• In the third section, you’ll learn how to effectively construct concise messages
• The fourth lesson will show you how to structure your sentences so that they are clear.
• In the fifth lesson, you will be learning how to confidently outline your points
• The sixth section focuses on teaching you how to take pauses when communicating
• In the seventh section, you will get to know how to deal with the common problems like fillers. In this section, you will learn how to confidently communicate in nonverbal manners
• The final section concludes the entire lessons

COURSE DETAILS:

Instructor: Alex Lyon

Projects for Class: 1

Level: Beginners to Advanced

Number of Lectures: 9

Reviews by Users: N/A

Cost: USD29.88 billed annually

6. Communications: How to Talk, Write, Present, and Get Ahead – PluralSight

Master the art of effective communication by taking this comprehensive course. Here you have all that you need to improve your communication skills as this course is detailed, straightforward and easy to understand. Paul Randal will be your instructor for this course, who is the CEO of an SQL learning website.

Paul focuses on teaching you basic communication skills that will help ensure you have a strong foundation. This course doesn’t focus on teaching you the verbal aspects of communication alone, learners also get to know how to communicate written information while delivering a presentation.

What should be your expectations?

This very comprehensive course is for absolute beginners who want to learn the basics of effective communication. This course takes approximately 2 hours 30 minutes to complete.

What will you be learning?

This course is divided into 6 sections. The first section is a brief introductory lecture that examines the importance of communication skills.

• In this section, you will learn the important skills required for excellent communication
• The third section focuses on teaching you how to properly manage relationships and meetings.
• In the fourth section, you will be taught key writing skills that will help improve your written communication.
• In the fourth section, you will practice how to properly structure your presentation
• The final section will teach you how to deliver presentations appropriately

COURSE DETAILS:

Instructor: Paul Randal

Projects for Class: N/A

Level: Beginner

Number of Lectures: 83

Reviews by Users: 4.5

Cost: USD105.82 

7. Interpersonal Communication – LinkedIn Learning

Communicating effectively isn’t something everyone is born with, some people may be lucky. The good news, however, is effective communication is something you can learn. By taking this incredible communication course, you will learn strategies that will enable you to wield your communication skills.

Join Dorie Clark as she guides you in improving your communication so that you can communicate your ideas in your workplace more effectively.

What will you be learning?

• In the first section of this course, you will learn important interpersonal communication skills that will help you craft your ideal communication style.
• The second section focuses on teaching effective communication between colleagues, and how to choose what communication method to use.
• In the third section, you will practice how to handle communication between you and your superiors in your workplace.
• In the fourth section, you discover effective workaround to handle tricky situations
• The final section concludes the lessons and explains why you should invest in improving your communication skills.

COURSE DETAILS:

Instructor: Dorie Clark

Projects for Class: N/A

Level: Beginner

Number of Lectures: 14

Reviews by Users: N/A

Cost: USD33.61

8. Basic Skills in Constructive Communication – Coursera

A poorly developed communication skill can lead to problems and unnecessary tension between employers and employees. In consequence productivity in addition to effectiveness in business is often reduced. By picking up this course you prevent yourself from falling victim to such circumstances.

This course is very dynamic and can be applied in many life situations. This course is for you if you are in constant interaction with individuals both in formal and informal settings. It is also for leaders, managers, supervisors, and departmental heads, who want to communicate better with their teammates and colleagues.

You will have the opportunity to learn with expert communication strategist and life coach Olaf Hauer. Olaf has ensured that this course is easy to understand by examining the step-by-step skills you will need.

What should be your expectations?

This course is offered completely online with flexible deadlines allowing students to learn anytime. This course takes a total of 8 hours to complete. The only requirement for this course is a willingness to learn. Provided you are dedicated to learning the key principles, you will complete this course within a short span of time. 

What will you be learning?

• Learn a critical skill that will improve active listening and understanding the key points in a dialogue
• Discover new ways to create constructive behaviors
• How to communicate your ideas much clearly and understandable
• How to properly manage emotional state

COURSE DETAILS:

Instructor: Olaf Hauer

Projects for Class: N/A

Level: Beginner

Number of Lectures: 18

Reviews by Users: 4.5

Cost: Free for enroll 

9. Professional Certificate in Communication Skills – edX

This course focuses on teaching employers the communication skills they value the most. This 3 in 1 course will provide you with comprehensive details that will help you craft great stories, good presentations, and excellent public speaking. Instructors of this course will take you on the various aspects of effective communication.

This professional communication course will help you craft unprecedented communication skills that will take your career to the advanced level.

What should be your expectations?

This course comes in 3 packages that examine 3 core courses namely storytelling, visual presentation, and public speaking. This e-learning course is offered completely online, students are also able to take the course anytime they wish. This course takes approximately 2 months to complete provided students study for at least 4 – 6 hours weekly. Students also get a certificate of completion at the end of the course.

What will you be learning?

• Find out the key component of great stories and communication and how to apply the learned strategies in your place
• Learn the skills to build rapport and listen actively while you comprehend different communication styles.
• Learn to utilize the fundamentals in the process of speech communication
• Uncover how you can construct a clear and inspiring speech
• Discover how to apply good practices using images in quantitative information presentation
• Learn how you can employ fundamentals in visual designs using powerful presentation techniques

COURSE DETAILS:

Instructor: Keith B. Jenkins, Lori Mara, Ammina Kothari

Projects for Class: N/A

Level: Beginner

Number of Lectures: N/A

Reviews by Users: N/A

Cost: USD537.30 for full program

10. The Complete Communication Skills Master Class for Life – Udemy

This course is your path to obtaining your next level online education in effective communication. This course was created to serve as a go-to point for individuals who want to take effective communication courses online. With the help of this course you will improve your persuasive communication and assertiveness in the various parts of communication in business. You will also discover new skills in leadership and public relations.

What should be your expectations?

With over 600 lectures in this course, it serves as a comprehensive guide for online learners who want to learn everything they need to know about mastering communication skills. With over 76,000 enrollees, it is one of the best courses in communication offered by Udemy. It also offers subtitles in 8 languages eliminating the language barrier in learning. 

What will you be learning?

This course is divided into 10 sections where you will learn:

• How to communicate both business and personal matters in a confident manner
• Articulate and share ideas in ways understandable to your listeners
• Share your ideas in a memorable manner
• Influence individuals by communicating effectively

COURSE DETAILS:

Instructor: TJ Walker

Projects for Class: N/A

Level: Beginners to Advanced

Number of Lectures: 600

Reviews by Users: 4.4

Cost: USD11.99

11. Double Your Social Skills & Communication Skills – SkillShare

This course is for individuals who want to improve their social skills to excel socially. As you take this course you will uncover advanced skills that will help you develop better social skills. You will also learn how you can boost your charisma and have an interesting personality. Discover how you can interact much better with people.

What should be your expectations?

This course contains 31 lessons that will last a total of 2 hours. The course is available from beginners to advanced levels, it doesn’t matter if you do not have prior experience in learning social skills. This course is also for people who have some knowledge in social skills but want to improve. 

What will you be learning?

• Discover how you can start any conversation with anyone
• Learn how you can know what to say and when to say it without fear
• Uncover how you can connect more quickly with people
• How to improve your charisma and have an interesting persona

COURSE DETAILS:

Instructor: Alain W.

Projects for Class: 3

Level: Beginners to Advance

Number of Lectures: 31

Reviews by Users: N/A

Cost: USD29.88 billed annually

12. Business Fundamentals: Effective Communication – FutureLearn

Do you experience communication problems in your daily life? Then this course is for you as here you’ll learn how you can develop your communication skills irrespective of your career path. Join Hilary Collins, she takes you through the key aspects of communication you need to know. At the end of this course, students should be able to understand and use basic communication skills in different media platforms.

What should be your expectations?

This course is offered completely online and would last a total of 4 weeks. The only thing required for this course is an eagerness to learn, students also need to study at least 3 hours per week. 

What will you be learning?

• How to effectively communicate using emails and phone calls
• How to share your ideas in a professional context
• Pitching your presentations
• Take part in purposeful meetings
• Write both reports and proposals in a professional way
• Find out professional communication trends of the nearest future

COURSE DETAILS:

Instructor: Hilary Collins

Projects for Class: N/A

Level: Beginner

Number of Lectures: N/A

Reviews by Users: 4.8

Cost: N/A

Conclusion

The online courses outlined here are some of the best you can find as far as communication courses are concerned. All you need to do is choose the one that fits your description and falls within your budget and experience levels.

Learning effective communication skills is much easier and with these courses, you are on the right path to achieving success. Sit back, relax and enjoy the learning process. 

Good luck!