Soft Skills
Workplace Communication
Speak clearly, listen properly, read body language and give your supervisor updates they can act on, from your first day at work.
About this course
Most problems at work start with a message that was not clear, an instruction that was not heard properly or an update that came too late. Employers know this, which is why "good communication skills" appears in almost every job advert in South Africa. This course shows you exactly what those words mean in practice and gives you simple methods you can use from your first day at work.
You will learn how messages travel and where they go wrong, how to speak so people understand you the first time, how to listen so that you get instructions right, how body language and tone change what people hear, and how to give your supervisor short, useful updates, including when something has gone wrong.
The course is fully online and self-paced. Each lesson has a short activity in your workbook. You finish with a practical task and a final assessment, and you receive a MetaCo Certificate of Completion that you can add to your CV.
Course content
Module 1: Module 1: Introduction
- 1.1 Welcome and how this course works
Module 2: Module 2: How Communication Works at Work
- 2.1 How a message travels, and where it goes wrong
- 2.2 Communicating with different people
Module 3: Module 3: Speaking Clearly and Getting Instructions Right
- 3.1 Plan before you speak: the PREP method
- 3.2 Taking instructions: repeat-back and good questions
Module 4: Module 4: Active Listening
- 4.1 Hearing is not the same as listening
- 4.2 Active listening techniques and taking notes
Module 5: Module 5: Body Language and Tone
- 5.1 What your body says
- 5.2 Tone of voice, phone calls and online meetings
Module 6: Module 6: Updating Your Supervisor and Reporting Problems
- 6.1 Giving updates your supervisor can act on
- 6.2 Reporting problems and mistakes early
Module 7: Module 7: Putting It into Practice
- 7.1 Bringing it together and your practical task