Professional Skills
How well do you communicate? Interpersonal communication at work.
On this page
Whatever your line of work, regardless of your role or the product or service your organisation provides, you’ll be communicating with other people for much of the time. It follows that where interpersonal communication is poor or inadequate, the quality of work will suffer. On the other hand, ensuring ‘good’ and ‘effective’ communication is a fundamental component of providing high quality services and products – it’s not a luxury or an optional extra, but essential for success. This course is for those seeking to improve skills in communicating with work colleagues, customers, service users and external stakeholders.
| About this course: | |
|---|---|
| Course code | GK037 |
| Credit points | This is a non-credit bearing course. |
Register for the course
This course is available for study in the countries shown. Fees may vary by country.
What you will study
This course will build on your existing knowledge about interpersonal communication, inviting you to reflect on how you communicate and helping you develop increased self-awareness about your interpersonal communication skills. The key concept running through the course is that we are all constantly communicating – some of this is conscious and planned but much more is unconscious and unplanned. When communication is unconscious and unplanned it is reactive rather than proactive, and in such situations reactive communication may not achieve the result we intended or hoped to achieve. The aim of the course is to improve knowledge and understanding of the processes involved in interpersonal communication, as well as to introduce some practical approaches to improving communication at work.
You will learn to:
- understand the complexity of interpersonal communication
- understand key issues about relationships and power that influence interpersonal communication
- evaluate your own and other peoples’ interpersonal communication
- apply your knowledge and understanding of communication to everyday work interactions to help improve the effectiveness of communication at work
- identify issues that may contribute to difficult encounters at work
- evaluate and implement alternative approaches to enhance the effectiveness of your communication at work
- assess your interpersonal communication, education and training needs
- share your knowledge and understanding with colleagues.
You will learn
The strong link between course learning and your work practice creates relevant, enduring and transferable outcomes. It requires no more than 30 hours of your time in total, over whatever period suits you. But the learning is far richer than more expensive one- to three-day workshops. Register online today and start tomorrow – no need to wait!
The course features the distinctive strengths of The Open University (OU) from its years of expertise in work-based learning:
- The convenience of accessing its clearly presented and sequenced materials, activities and support whenever suits you and wherever you have access to the dedicated website – if you prefer, you can print key materials to work on them offline.
- The support of an expert learning adviser who can clarify study materials, answer questions and help you relate the course to your specific needs.
- A work-based activity helping you to connect the course to your individual and organisational context and needs. At the end of the course you send this to the learning adviser, who provides personal feedback.
- Certification of completion from the OU for those who complete the course. You can use this to demonstrate your continuing professional development (CPD) activity to your employer and/or professional body. (NB The course does not carry academic credit points.)
Entry
Although there are no formal academic requirements to study any of our CPD courses, you are expected to have some experience in the field and the course assumes a familiarity with the subject.
For each course you can register and begin at any time during the life of the course. You can study at your own pace and submit your work-based activity at any date before the final submission date for the course. Information about the final submission date is available when you register for the course.
If you have a disability or additional requirement
The study materials are delivered online. Learners who use screen readers or who cannot use a mouse will not be able to access some materials or some activities without assistance. Written transcripts of the audio interviews are available on the website. If you are a new learner with the OU, make sure that you have our publication Meeting Your Needs.
Study materials
What's included
All learning materials, exercises, study support and the work-based activity are delivered entirely online.
Computing requirements
This course includes online computer activities – you can access these using a web browser that can play Flash and Shockwave.
You will need internet access and a computer. If you have purchased a new computer since 2005 it should meet your course computing requirements. Check our Technical Requirements section if your computer is older than this or is otherwise unusual.
Learner support
Expert, confidential learner support is available when you need it from a learning adviser, who will respond to you direct within 24 hours. Other support is available via the GK037 forum, library, StudentHome website and computing helpdesk.
Work-based activity
The work-based activity for this course is a written report and has been designed as an integrated ongoing activity that you submit at the end of your study. It will allow you to reflect on your learning and how to use it in your professional work.
Professional recognition
Successful completion of the course enables us to recognise your achievement of the course learning by issuing an OU certificate that you can use to document your commitment to continuing professional development in your personal portfolio, or to provide evidence to employers or professional body.
Students also studied
Students who studied this course also studied at some time:
| About this course: | |
|---|---|
| Course code | GK037 |
| Credit points | This is a non-credit bearing course. |
Study explained
- Special fee arrangements
- - the OU has relationships with many professional bodies, and as part of those relationships members may be entitled to special fee arrangements.
- Study explained
- - all you need to know about distance learning with the OU.
Your questions
We may have already answered it in our frequently asked questions.
Or contact an adviser in our Student Registration & Enquiry Service Email or call +44(0) 845 300 60 90+44(0) 845 366 60 35
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