Improving Communication Skills
Offered by University of Pennsylvania. Learn how to communicate more effectively at work and achieve your goals.
Improving Communication Skills is a beginner-level online course from Coursera in Communication Skills. It is structured in 4 modules, over 11h 42m. Learners rate it 4.7/5 from 2.1K ratings on Coursera.
Part of our Communication Skills courses collection, where we compare it against 4 other courses.
Course highlights
| Provider | Coursera |
| Duration | 11h 42m |
| Level | Beginner |
| Mode | Self-paced |
| Language | English |
| Certificate | Yes — shareable certificate |
| Rating | 4.7★ (2.1K reviews) |
| Price | Check price |
About this course
Improving Communication Skills is a beginner-level course hosted on Coursera and offered by the University of Pennsylvania. It runs for 11 hours and 42 minutes of self-paced study. The course is taught in English and provides a certificate upon completion.
The syllabus covers four core modules. The first module explores Cooperation, Competition, and Comparisons, showing how these dynamics shape everyday interactions. The second module focuses on Trust, examining how it is built and maintained in professional settings. The third module addresses Deception, teaching learners to recognise and respond to untrustworthy behaviour. The final module, Effective Communication, ties the preceding topics together with practical strategies.
Throughout the course, learners develop skills in interpersonal communication, communication strategies, rapport building, persuasive communication, goal setting, trustworthiness, relationship management, relationship building, active listening, negotiation, and strategic communication. These competencies are directly applicable to workplace scenarios, helping learners articulate ideas more clearly, negotiate outcomes, and build stronger professional relationships.
By the end of the course, a learner can set clear communication goals, actively listen during negotiations, and build trust in professional relationships. The course does not cover advanced public speaking or multimedia presentation techniques. Learners seeking those topics may prefer the Udemy alternatives listed on the site, which include longer courses with a broader range of modules.
This course is well suited for beginners who want a concise, university-backed introduction to communication fundamentals. Those who need extensive practice with presentation skills or industry-specific communication frameworks may find the Coursera specialization options more appropriate.
Level and time commitment
Skills you’ll gain
What this course covers
4 modulesThe 4-part outline Coursera publishes for this course, across 11h 42m.
Module 1 · Cooperation, Competition, and Comparisons
Module 2 · Trust
Module 3 · Deception
Module 4 · Effective Communication
What learners rate it
Rated 4.7/5 by 2.1K learners on Coursera (checked 10 Aug 2026).
This rating is collected by Coursera from its own enrolled learners. We reproduce it as reported and do not accept paid or incentivised reviews. See it on Coursera →
Compiled by the CoursesGlobal editorial desk. Fees, ratings, duration and certificate details for the 1 course shown are read directly from Coursera course pages — we never estimate a price or a rating. Last verified 10 August 2026.
How we compare and rank courses · Our review policy · Affiliate disclosure
Compare with alternatives
Same topic, different trade-offs — here's who runs each one and what it's best at.
| Course | Provider | Rating | Price | Duration | Why pick this one |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Improving Communication Skills This |
 Coursera
|
4.7★ | Check price | 11h 42m | Quickest to finish (11h 42m) |
| Business English Communication Skills |
Coursera
|
4.7★ | Check price | 3 months | Beginner-friendly · 3 months |
| Improve Your English Communication Skills |
Coursera
|
4.7★ | Check price | 1 month | Highest rated (4.7★ from 27.2K reviews) |
| Communication Skills (in Hindi)-don`t miss the key aspects! |
 Udemy
|
4.6★ | Free | Free — and still gives a certificate |
Where Communication Skills leads
Roles we map to Communication Skills on CoursesGlobal. This is our own mapping of subject to job, not a placement claim by Coursera.
Browse every course we track for one of these — courses for teachers.
Common questions
How much does Improving Communication Skills cost?
Coursera does not publish a price we can read on the course page, so we do not show one. Check the fee on the provider site — we would rather say nothing than quote a number we did not collect.
Does Improving Communication Skills come with a certificate?
Yes — Coursera lists a certificate on completion. It is a course certificate, not a formal qualification or university credit.
How long does Improving Communication Skills take?
Coursera lists it at 11h 42m. It is self-paced, so that is the volume of material rather than a deadline — how long it actually takes depends on the hours you put in each week.
Is Improving Communication Skills suitable for beginners?
Yes. Coursera lists it at Beginner level, so no prior experience in the subject is assumed.
What does Improving Communication Skills cover?
It is organised into 4 modules, starting with Cooperation, Competition, and Comparisons and going on to Trust, Deception, Effective Communication. The full outline is on this page.