Certificate in Business Communications - Continuing Education

Certificate in Business Communications

This certificate offers instruction on crafting many of the most common business communication formats.

Programs (current)
Business and Legal Education Executive Education Health and Fitness Information Science Leadership and Management Marketing and Creative Technology Personal Enrichment Test Preparation
Scheduled Courses
Information

Description:

Communicating clearly and concisely in written and oral formats is critical to your professional success. From clarifying and structuring your ideas to designing the PowerPoint slides that will best complement them, the techniques, interactive exercises, and checklists in this certificate program will help you create presentations and workplace documents that inform and persuade.

Topics include formal and informal outlining techniques, using email appropriately in an organizational setting, and revising for wordiness, unnecessary phrases, redundancy, and jargon.

Each of these self-paced courses offers an assortment of interactive exercises, selected readings, and self-assessments that will engage you and help you practice effective business communication.

Upon successful completion, you can download a printable certificate of completion for this online course suite. Courses included in this certificate program are listed at the bottom of this page.

Details:

This course is designed for adult learners interested in improving their public speaking.

No prerequisites required.

★ Expert Supported
★ Accessible
★ Games & Flashcards
★ Real-world case studies
★ Mobile-friendly
★ Badge and credit-awarding
★ Video content
★ Audio-enabled in-app

This course has an "Ask the Expert" feature, which submits your questions directly to an expert in the field you are studying. Questions are answered as quickly as possible and usually within 24 hours.

Learners must achieve an average test score of at least 70% to meet the minimum successful completion requirement and qualify to receive IACET CEU credit. Learners will have three attempts at all graded assessments.

Courses Included in this Suite:

Course Cost: $ 79
Duration: 5 hours
PDUs/Contact Hours: 5 | CEUs: .5
Access Time: 90 Days Enroll

In most organizational settings, you'll be expected to work in teams. At times, your team members may not be physically in the same office as you. And yet, communicating effectively within these teams is critical to the success of the team, and critical to your personal success on any given project or task. This introductory-level course will help you improve your collaborative communication by providing best practices and effective tips and techniques.

Learning Outcomes:
• Identify the factors in interpersonal communication
• Modify communication strategies to be successful in small and large groups
• Devise a strategy for working effectively in remote settings, including in telework settings
• Explain the purpose of various types of meetings and explain the outcomes expected
• Attend a meeting and perform the role of an effective communicator in the meeting
• Prepare for, moderate, and follow up after a meeting to ensure effective use of organizational resources
• Document a meeting and distribute minutes or a meeting summary as appropriate

Course Cost: $ 99
Duration: 5 hours
PDUs/Contact Hours: 5 | CEUs: .5
Access Time: 90 Days Enroll

The ability to write clearly and directly is highly prized in most organizations. Well-written emails and documents can help you earn respect from your peers. And poorly written emails and documents can detract from success at all levels. The ideas, techniques, and checklists in this introductory-level course apply to all forms of business writing: memos, reports, brochures, proposals, presentations, catalogs, and websites. This course will also teach how to revise for wordiness, unnecessary phrases, redundancy, and jargon, and the appropriate use of email in an organizational setting.

Learning Outcomes:
• Recognize the difference between ineffective and effective writing
• List and define the four major factors of effective writing (clarity, tone, organization, and delivery)
• Recognize the role of the audience in effective communication and the importance of understanding an audience's needs
• Employ formal and informal outlining techniques
• List and recognize techniques for overcoming writer's block
• Recognize the importance and dangers of writing quickly
• Revise for wordiness, unnecessary phrases, redundancy, and jargon
• Write more effective emails and recognize the appropriate use of email in an organizational setting
• Employ checklists for organizing, writing, and revising

Course Cost: $ 99
Duration: 5 hours
PDUs/Contact Hours: 5 | CEUs: .5
Access Time: 90 Days Enroll

The ability to deliver an effective presentation is critical in most job functions. This introductory-level course helps learners organize, structure, and create effective presentations that feature slides as a visual aid. Because many organizations use PowerPoint as a way of communicating information, this course offers advice and guidance on the most effective and persuasive uses of PowerPoint, including best practices on word count, graphics, and structure.

Learning Outcomes:
• Recognize what makes communication effective
• Understand the elements in the communications process
• Organize your communications and presentations
• Understand PowerPoint graphic rules of thumb
• Create an effective summary slide
• Describe and employ the four steps of purposeful communication in your presentations
• Understand the forecast, present, and echo structure for presentations
• Recognize key visual considerations for PowerPoint slides and presentations
• Understand how to organize and create PowerPoint presentations
• Revise PowerPoint slides to make them more effective
• Understand the success factors for face-to-face presentations

Course Cost: $ 99
Duration: 5 hours
PDUs/Contact Hours: 5 | CEUs: .5
Access Time: 90 Days Enroll

Confidence is key to delivering an effective speech or presentation. This two-module course, Effective Public Speaking, helps you to develop the skills you'll need to become an outstanding and confident public speaker. It reviews the seven stages of public speaking through games, interactive exercises, and videos. The tools and techniques in this course can ensure that you'll excel when speaking in any situation, from the start of your speech or presentation to its successful end.

Learning Outcomes:
• Describe the seven stages of giving a speech or presentation
• Discuss the elements of establishing your purpose for speaking (Stage One)
• Recognize the need to consider your audience (Stage Two)
• Describe how to develop your central message (Stage Three)
• Explain how to employ evidence in supporting your main points (Stage Four)
• Discuss how to craft your speech (Stage Five)
• Explain how to rehearse for your speech (Stage Six)
• Describe techniques for delivering your speech (Stage Seven)
• Recognize best practices for employing slides in your presentation
• Describe key techniques for dealing with speech anxiety
• Discuss how to handle difficult questions
• Describe effective responses when things go wrong