Communication Strategies for a Virtual Age (Coursera)

Offered by University of Toronto,
Communication Strategies for a Virtual Age (Coursera)

Communication has changed! The traditional rules for speaking and presenting, meeting coordination, influencing people, negotiating and selling ideas no longer apply in a world of skype, messenger, video and teleconference. This course will act as an overview on several concepts each of which could be a course of their own and our goal is to give you tools that you can practice and perfect on your own.

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

By the end of this course, you will be able to:
• Apply communication principles and techniques for in-person and virtual teams
• Use a science based approach to create impactful presentations
• Refine your communication style to better persuade and influence others
• Run more effective and impactful meetings
• Incorporate strategies to have positive difficult conversations and make people feel valued and listened to

Who should take this course
Anyone looking for professional and/or leadership development. This class mainly uses examples from the professional, business environment. If you are looking to advance at your current organization or to enhancing your personal value for potential employers this course is for you.

What makes this course effective?
Many educational experiences describe and explain, but in this course we will apply and demonstrate. We teach practical and proven concepts, show you how to apply them and give you opportunities to practice them in a safe and supportive environment. This course is full of opportunities to put the ideas presented into practice and test their effectiveness for yourself.

Why should you take course?
We will challenge the preconceived ideas about what it means to be part of a virtual team, and support you to be a dynamic team contributor no matter where you work. In this course you can expect to be both energized and uncomfortable – like in most experiences that result in positive growth and change!

What You Will Learn

  • Apply communication principles and techniques for in-person and virtual teams
  • Use a science based approach to create impactful presentations
  • Refine your communication style to better persuade and influence others
  • Run more effective and impactful meetings

Syllabus

WEEK 1
Introduction to Virtual Teams and Virtual Communication
This module is intended to create a foundation for the course by challenging your ideas of not just what virtual communication means, but also communication as a whole. This module will also introduce the foundational ideas of the whole course.

WEEK 2
Virtual Meetings: Boring to Awesome
In this module we cover meetings both in person and virtually. We will discuss how to make meetings dramatically more efficient and effective. We will also introduce strategies to make the meetings more interactive and to keep an audiences attention especially when they are looking at a screen.

WEEK 3
Influence, Power and Questioning Strategies in Virtual Collaboration
In this module we move from presenting to convincing and persuading. These ideas can be applied to to presentations and also one-on-one communication both in-person and virtually. We will cover how recognize peoples communication styles and motivations and how strategically communicate in a way that will resonate with them.

WEEK 4
Speaking and Presenting in a virtual context
This module focuses on presenting and public speaking. Each lesson will cover a communication strategy for in-person presenting and then show you how to use that same strategy in a virtual presentation.

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

Related Courses

Let's Talk Consent (Coursera) Coursera
Tinder

Let's Talk Consent (Coursera)

Hello and welcome to Interpersonal Consent 101! In this course, we’re going to break down concepts relating to consent, boundaries and permission using relevant examples from everyday life. We’ll be using text and video lessons as well as surveys and assignments to help you better understand consent in a way that hopefully helps you improve the quality of communication as part of your relationships and dates.

Aug 17th 2026
1 Week
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
Applied Public History: Places, People, Stories (Coursera) Coursera
University of London

Applied Public History: Places, People, Stories (Coursera)

This course introduces learners to applied public history: understanding and interpreting the past today, and engaging diverse communities in the practice of making and sharing histories. The course draws on project case studies, expert insights and diverse perspectives to model exciting approaches to researching and sharing the history of places and people. Learners will develop a toolkit to apply in their own practice, by participating in discussion, quizzes, creative activities and mini masterclasses. What kinds of stories can we discover through research into the history of places and people?

Aug 10th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Business English: Meetings (Coursera) Coursera
University of Washington

Business English: Meetings (Coursera)

This course will teach you vocabulary and skills related to participating in meetings. You will learn terms and phrases used both in email and in speaking to arrange, participate in, and conclude meetings. The goals of this course are to enable you to participate effectively in on-site meetings and teleconferences and to prepare you to write a proposal as an outcome of a meeting.

Aug 17th 2026
4 Weeks
Inglés Empresarial: el márketing y ventas (Coursera) Coursera
Arizona State University

Inglés Empresarial: el márketing y ventas (Coursera)

If you work in marketing, sales, or advertising, you already know that effective communication is a requirement. This can be even more difficult when expressing your ideas in a persuasive manner in English. In this course, you will learn to use English more efficiently while joining successful global professionals around the world. Develop your skills along with authentic characters that work in marketing and also work hard to improve their communication skills. Learn from your successes and failures, reflect on your own style, strengths, and improvement areas.

Aug 10th 2026
5-12 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
Fundamentals of Speechwriting (Coursera) Coursera
Coursera Instructor Network

Fundamentals of Speechwriting (Coursera)

Fundamentals of Speechwriting is a course that enhances speechwriting skills by deepening learners’ understanding of the impact of key elements on developing coherent and impactful speeches. It is aimed at learners with experience writing and speaking who wish to enhance their current skills. This course covers strategies for analyzing audience and purpose, selecting style and tone, and incorporating rhetorical appeals and storytelling.

Aug 17th 2026
1 Week
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
Women in Leadership: Inspiring Positive Change (Coursera) Coursera
Case Western Reserve University

Women in Leadership: Inspiring Positive Change (Coursera)

This course aims to inspire and empower women and men across the world to engage in purposeful career development and take on leadership for important causes - to lead change with more conviction and confidence - and improve our workplaces and communities for all. By offering more complex understandings of issues related to professional women and work, the course will help you increase self-knowledge about your own values and vision, as well as enhance your capabilities as a leader, manager, and team contributor. We will examine the opportunities, challenges, trade-offs, and organizational dynamics experienced by women in work organizations, as well as reflect on and practice effective individual behaviors.

Aug 10th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Influencing, Collaboration and Decision Making (Coursera) Coursera
Starweaver

Influencing, Collaboration and Decision Making (Coursera)

This course explores strategies for influencing others, collaborating effectively, and making informed decisions. Students will learn how to build credibility, negotiate effectively, and analyze information to make sound judgments and decisions. The course covers techniques to foster a culture of trust and cooperation, resolve conflicts, and make consensus-based decisions. Through interactive exercises and case studies, students will develop their influencing and collaboration skills, enabling them to work effectively with stakeholders at different levels.

Aug 17th 2026
1 Week
Promote your Scientific Results (Coursera) Coursera
Institut Mines-Telecom

Promote your Scientific Results (Coursera)

Whether you are a member of the natural or human science community, if you are a PhD student, professor, part of an academic department or international research team, or self-employed and you wish to showcase your work to a wider audience then this is the perfect course for you. You will learn how to promote your work to professional peers, the general public, as well as the media.

Aug 10th 2026
5-12 Weeks