Communication in the 21st Century Workplace (Coursera)

Communication in the 21st Century Workplace (Coursera)

In today's fast-paced business environment, employees at all levels find themselves being asked to handle more tasks, meet more deadlines, take on more responsibilities, and adapt to more change. Added to these challenges is the constantly shifting diversity of the workplace, where coworkers cope with generational, gender, age and cultural differences. Communication, both verbal and nonverbal, is at the foundation of everything we do and say, and is especially important in the 21st century workplace. The good news is that communication is a learned skill, and can be improved upon with the right training. The focus of this course is to heighten students’ awareness of workplace communication, and add new interpersonal skills, with the end result of becoming a more competent communicator overall.

Class Deals by MOOC List - Click here and see Coursera's Active Discounts, Deals, and Promo Codes.

Target areas include: the process and functions of communication, behavioral patterns, perceptions as reality, verbal and nonverbal cues and behaviors, confidence, assertiveness, tact, anger management, criticism and constructive feedback, conflict resolution, team building, leadership, interviewing, and communicating more effectively with technology (email, Skype, texting, etc.).
Upon completing this course, you will be able to:

  1. Define communication and its role in the workplace
  2. Describe benefits of effective communication in the workplace
  3. Identify and explain most common audiences and techniques for communicating with each audience
  4. Identify and solve common obstacles to effective communication
  5. Summarize the 5 Step Technique and explain its usefulness in communicating with your manager
  6. Discuss the best approaches and communication techniques for delivering bad news to your manager
  7. Describe ways to make positive connections with your staff.
  8. Discuss techniques for deciphering the communication styles of executive managers
  9. Discuss techniques for identifying the characteristics and drivers of executive managers
  10. Discuss techniques for persuading executive management
  11. Identify best practices for working successfully with virtual/remote teams
  12. Apply proven techniques for effective conference calls and webinars

What You Will Learn

  • Understand the benefits of effective communication in the workplace
  • Identify and solve common obstacles to effective communication
  • Decipher the communications styles of executive managers
  • Apply proven techniques for effective conference calls and webinars

Course 1 of 1 in the Career Success Specialization

Syllabus

WEEK 1: Communicating With Peers
WEEK 2: Communicating With Your Manager
WEEK 3: Communicating With Executives
WEEK 4: Communicating With Your Direct Reports

Go to Class
MOOC List is learner-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Related Courses

Understanding & Preventing Workplace Sexual Harassment (Coursera) Coursera
Coursera Instructor Network

Understanding & Preventing Workplace Sexual Harassment (Coursera)

Sexual harassment is an urgent and critical issue that affects individuals in various situations, from workplaces to educational institutions. This course, Understanding and Preventing Sexual Harassment, is designed to equip learners to enhance awareness of sexual harassment, report incidents of sexual harassment provide essential support to victims, advocate for change, and serve as catalysts for cultural transformation.

Aug 10th 2026
1 Week
Leadership Skills (Coursera) Coursera
Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIMA)

Leadership Skills (Coursera)

Welcome to the Leadership Skills course! In our increasingly complex world, understanding the practice of leadership is critical. In simpler words, leadership is the practice of influencing people to meet the challenges that will enable them to achieve important individual and organizational goals. This course provides a foundation for leadership practice and aims to take you on a journey of self-discovery. You will also gain insight into building inner stability and developing your leadership skills.

Aug 17th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Everyday Parenting: The ABCs of Child Rearing (Coursera) Coursera
Yale University

Everyday Parenting: The ABCs of Child Rearing (Coursera)

Everyday Parenting gives you access to a toolkit of behavior-change techniques that will make your typical day in the home easier as you develop the behaviors you would like to see in your child. The lessons provide step-by-step instructions and demonstrations to improve your course of action with both children and adolescents.

Aug 10th 2026
4 Weeks
Tricky American English Pronunciation (Coursera) Coursera
University of California, Irvine

Tricky American English Pronunciation (Coursera)

In this course, you’ll practice the sounds of American English that might sometimes be confusing. You'll practice both consonant and vowel sounds. You’ll also learn about the things that give English its special “music,” such as how to stress the right syllable in a word, how to make your voice go up and down in a natural-sounding melody, and how to naturally connect sounds and words.

Aug 17th 2026
4 Weeks
Interpersonal Communication for Engineering Leaders (Coursera) Coursera
Rice University

Interpersonal Communication for Engineering Leaders (Coursera)

This course covers communication skills that engineering leaders use every day to motivate, inspire, and support the people in their organizations. Speaking and writing are basic leadership communication skills. (We covered these topics in the Specialization course 1 and 3.) However, leaders also need to be skillful interpersonal communicators.

Aug 17th 2026
4 Weeks
Successful Presentation (Coursera) Coursera
University of Colorado Boulder

Successful Presentation (Coursera)

Few kinds of communication can have the effect of a powerful presentation. Even a short speech can motivate people to change long-held beliefs or to take action, and a wonderfully delivered speech can transform a normal person into a leader. In this course, Prof. William Kuskin provides a series of pragmatic videos and exercises for successful public speaking and presentations.

Aug 10th 2026
4 Weeks
Gestão de Marca & Crise de Imagem (Coursera) Coursera
FIA Business School

Gestão de Marca & Crise de Imagem (Coursera)

No mundo contemporâneo, "marca" é um dos ativos mais valorizados pelos mercados. Contudo, com o empoderamento da sociedade, as marcas ficaram mais frágeis e mais expostas. Nesse cenário, estar preparado para a gestão de crise de marca pode fazer a diferença entre a sobrevivência e a morte do negócio. Ao final deste curso, você será capaz de entender e relacionar os principais conceitos de marca, de sistema de informação de marketing e de gestão de crise de marketing.

Aug 10th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Multimodal Literacies: Communication and Learning in the Era of Digital Media (Coursera) Coursera
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Multimodal Literacies: Communication and Learning in the Era of Digital Media (Coursera)

Whereas the focus of traditional literacy pedagogy has been the written word in its standard and literary forms, this courser expands the scope of literacy learning to encompass contemporary multimodal texts and the wide range of ways of making meaning that occur in different social and cultural contexts. Another course, "Literacy Teaching and Learning: Aims, Approaches and Pedagogies" addresses pedagogical aspects of literacies. This "Multimodal Literacies" learning module does not require or expect that participants will have already completed the "Literacy Teaching and Learning" module.

Aug 17th 2026
4 Weeks
Organisational behaviour: Know your people (Coursera) Coursera
Macquarie University

Organisational behaviour: Know your people (Coursera)

Organisations have changed and now, more than ever, personnel management is crucial to organisational success. In this course you’ll explore a range of concepts, theories and methodologies that will help you navigate and optimise your work environment. Via structured learning activities (video lectures, quizzes, discussion prompts and written assessments) you will be exposed to the latest best-practice leadership strategies to enable your employees to achieve more at work.

Aug 17th 2026
5-12 Weeks
The Art of the Job Interview (Coursera) Coursera
Big Interview

The Art of the Job Interview (Coursera)

Learn how to prepare for a job interview the right way! This unique collaboration between Big Interview and Coursera will teach proven techniques to help you turn your interviews into job offers. You'll learn what interview questions to expect and how to answer them. You'll also get access to interactive tools to guide you in outlining answers to key questions and practicing until you feel confident. The course also provides guidance on how to optimize your resume using the Big Interview resume builder and how to use networking to uncover more job leads.

Aug 10th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Inclusive Communication and Behavior in the Workplace (Coursera) Coursera
Coursera Instructor Network

Inclusive Communication and Behavior in the Workplace (Coursera)

"Inclusive Communication and Behavior in the Workplace" is an thought-provoking, short-form course designed for beginners interested in developing their inclusive practices. Comprising two interactive lessons, the first focuses on communication exploring the essentials of inclusive language, active listening, and empathy.

Aug 10th 2026
2 Weeks
Business English: Finance and Economics (Coursera) Coursera
Arizona State University

Business English: Finance and Economics (Coursera)

Do you work in finance or interact with finance professionals? Is it necessary to speak, write or understand English in your career? Follow the authentic characters in this course as they work through common business situations in finance and economics. Learn from your successes and failure, and think critically about your own communication options.

Aug 17th 2026
5-12 Weeks