• The Open University
  • The Open University Business School

Business Fundamentals: Effective Communication

Gain a practical grounding in communication to boost your personal effectiveness, save you time, and reduce your stress levels.

121,411 enrolled on this course

A group of business professionals communicating effectively
  • Duration

    4 weeks
  • Weekly study

    3 hours
  • Accreditation

    AvailableMore info

Learn how to improve your communication skills in a professional context

Faced with a daily deluge of information, effective communication has never been more important.

This online course offers you a practical grounding in using different types of communication media to boost your personal effectiveness, save you time, and reduce your stress levels.

You will discover the principles of how to write emails, reports, and proposals. You will find new confidence in your ability to make convincing presentations and conduct productive meetings. And you will develop communication skills that are sensitive to cultural and personal differences.

What topics will you cover?

  • Making effective phone calls and writing emails
  • Online communication in a professional context
  • Delivering effective presentations
  • Writing professional reports and proposals
  • Conducting productive meetings
  • The future trends in professional communication

Who is this accredited by?

EOCCS
EOCCS:

This course is accredited by EOCCS, the first international quality benchmark for online courses in business and management education.

Learning on this course

On every step of the course you can meet other learners, share your ideas and join in with active discussions in the comments.

What will you achieve?

By the end of the course, you‘ll be able to...

  • Apply and understand principles of effective communication in a range of media
  • Improve your writing skills for greater work and study success
  • Apply simple but powerful frameworks to get more out of email and telephone calls in less time
  • Design and create more convincing presentations and run more productive meetings
  • Develop cultural and interpersonal sensitivity in your communication behaviour

Who is the course for?

This business communication course is for anyone interested in how to improve communication skills in a workplace context.

This could range from jobseekers to those seeking internal promotions to anyone interested in communicating better day-to-day.

No prior communications skills training is necessary.

For further information about registration, the final assessment course, your eligibility and the BA in Business Management, visit the Open University website.

IMPORTANT! If you are aiming to use your study of courses in the Business and Finance Fundamentals program to obtain academic credit, please be aware that the final planned presentation of the Open University Assessment Course BXM191 Business and Finance Fundamentals in Practice starts October 2020. Please ensure that you allow yourself enough time to obtain all eight Certificates of Achievement from courses in the program before registering for the Assessment Course. Details of runs of the relevant FutureLearn courses in 2019 and 2020 are available here.

What do people say about this course?

"I have found many useful pieces of information, and advice from fellow learners, that I can apply in the workplace to better my skills even further."

Who will you learn with?

Hilary is a senior lecturer in executive education with research interests in the economic and cultural role of the creative industries. She researches academic identity and the future of work.

Who developed the course?

The Open University

As the UK’s largest university, The Open University (OU) supports thousands of students to achieve their goals and ambitions via supported distance learning, helping to fit learning around professional and personal life commitments.

  • Established

    1969
  • Location

    Milton Keynes, UK
  • World ranking

    Top 510Source: Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2020

The Open University Business School

A pioneer in flexible learning for over 30 years, The Open University Business School delivers transformational, high quality business and management education which is quality assured.

Learning on FutureLearn

Your learning, your rules

  • Courses are split into weeks, activities, and steps to help you keep track of your learning
  • Learn through a mix of bite-sized videos, long- and short-form articles, audio, and practical activities
  • Stay motivated by using the Progress page to keep track of your step completion and assessment scores

Join a global classroom

  • Experience the power of social learning, and get inspired by an international network of learners
  • Share ideas with your peers and course educators on every step of the course
  • Join the conversation by reading, @ing, liking, bookmarking, and replying to comments from others

Map your progress

  • As you work through the course, use notifications and the Progress page to guide your learning
  • Whenever you’re ready, mark each step as complete, you’re in control
  • Complete 90% of course steps and all of the assessments to earn your certificate

Want to know more about learning on FutureLearn? Using FutureLearn

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Get a taste of this course

Find out what this course is like by previewing some of the course steps before you join:

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