Online Courses in Business Communication
The business communication courses listed below are commonly found online.
- Introductory Communications Course: Typically offered at the beginning of a business communication program, this class teaches basic communication skills. Students gain an overview of the importance of effective communication in professional settings.
- Public Speaking Course: In this class, enrollees learn how to become effective public speakers. Future business communication professionals learn to convey their thoughts clearly, thoughtfully and eloquently in a corporate environment. This course is usually taken towards the beginning of a program devoted to business and media relations.
- Ethics in Communications Course: Typically presented at the intermediate-level of a distance degree program, this class covers the prevailing theories relating to methods of communication in the corporate medium. Aspiring business communication professionals learn to appropriately interact with a client base.
- Organizational Communications Course: Distance education students learn the practice of internal communication in a corporation. Students learn to identify key individuals in a corporate structure and effectively discourse with them. This course is usually presented at the intermediate stage of a correspondence program.
- Communication Strategies Course: This online course familiarizes students with the basics (or, at the graduate level, advanced methods) of formulating communication plans targeting specific businesses and organizations. Aspiring communications representatives gain knowledge about the corporate world and how to best interact with it.
- Directing Corporate Communication Course: Students in this class learn techniques to create a unified brand identity and communication style for large corporate organizations. Emphasis lies on the 'voice' of the corporate entity and how it relates information to the public. As a capstone project, students may analyze a corporation's internal and external communications.
- Collaborative Communication Course: This course addresses various strategies for communicating with team members. Emphasis is placed on interpersonal communication, communication in via telework environments and how to communicate properly in a meeting. Students also learn how to document a meeting and deliver the minutes or meeting summary to appropriate co-workers when necessary.
- Effective Business Writing Course: Students learn about how to write more effectively and use a clear and direct voice in business communications. Documents covered include business memos, proposals, and brochures as well as the use of email.
Program Information
Many colleges and universities offer certificate and bachelor's degree programs in business communication entirely online, and students may also elect to take standalone courses as non-degree seeking students. Specializations within the field are often available, as students may choose to study fields like organizational communication, emerging media or health communication. Upon completion of degree programs, distance learners are prepared for careers as customer service agents, public relations personnel, speechwriters and corporate negotiators.
Students looking to study business communication online can do so through certificate and bachelor's degree programs in addition to individual courses. Various topics include public speaking, ethics and communication strategies.
