Communication skills courses online in the UK: where to train and what employers look for

What employers look for in an online communication skills course

There is no law that says you must hold a communication skills certificate, so your employer decides what training each role needs, often as part of induction or a development plan. What the law does expect is that employers give staff the information and instruction they need to work safely, and that they communicate in ways that do not put disabled people at a disadvantage. When an employer looks at an online communication skills course, they usually look for:

• Practical skills people use every day. Listening and questioning, putting the main point first in speech and writing, reading body language and tone, and holding a difficult conversation or giving feedback.
• Inclusive communication. How to communicate with colleagues and customers who are deaf, have a visual impairment, a learning disability, autism or dyslexia, or whose first language is not English, and what reasonable adjustments under the Equality Act 2010 look like.
• A clear, verifiable record. The course name, hours of learning and completion date, with a way to confirm the certificate.
• A refresh date. Habits drift, teams change and new channels arrive, so a refresh date matters.

Lift College's certificate does each of these. It records the Communication Skills Course, 3 hours of learning, your completion date and a recommended refresh date 3 years on, with a unique certificate number and a verification link. The course is a CPD course, and it is not a substitute for your employer's own equality training.

What the Lift College course covers

There are 6 short modules, each with a knowledge check, then a multiple choice final test with an 80% pass mark and unlimited free retakes.

1. How communication works. Sender, message, channel and receiver. Verbal, non verbal and written communication. Common barriers at work: noise, jargon, assumptions, stress, hierarchy and culture, and why checking back matters.
2. Listening and questioning. Active listening, paraphrasing and summarising. Open, closed and probing questions. Giving people time, not interrupting, and how to listen when you disagree or are busy.
3. Speaking and writing clearly. Deciding what the other person needs to know, putting the main point first and using plain words. Emails, instant messages, handover notes and reports. Tone in writing and the mistakes that cause offence.
4. Body language, tone and confidence. Posture, eye contact, gesture, facial expression and personal space. Pace, volume and tone of voice. Reading mixed signals, speaking up in meetings and presenting to a small group.
5. Difficult conversations and feedback. Preparing for a conversation you have been avoiding. Staying calm, sticking to facts and behaviour, and agreeing what happens next. Giving feedback that helps and receiving it without defensiveness. When to escalate.
6. Inclusive communication. Communicating with people who are deaf or have a visual impairment, learning disability, autism or dyslexia, and with people whose first language is not English. Reasonable adjustments under the Equality Act 2010, accessible formats, interpreters and respectful language.

By the end you can explain where messages break down at work, use active listening and open questions to check you have understood, structure a spoken message or a piece of writing so it is easy to act on, read and manage body language and tone, plan and hold a difficult conversation, give and receive feedback, and adapt your communication when someone needs information in a different form.

The law and guidance it is written around

Communication skills training is not required by law, but the course is written around the law and guidance below.

• Equality Act 2010 (England, Wales and Scotland). Employers and service providers must not discriminate because of a protected characteristic such as disability, race, age or sex, and must make reasonable adjustments so disabled people are not at a disadvantage, which includes how information is communicated. Northern Ireland has separate equality law, including the Disability Discrimination Act 1995.
• Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, section 2 (England, Wales and Scotland). Employers must provide the information, instruction, training and supervision needed to keep employees safe, so far as is reasonably practicable, which depends on that information being communicated clearly. Northern Ireland has the same duty in the Health and Safety at Work (Northern Ireland) Order 1978.
• Acas guidance on communication at work (England, Scotland and Wales). Acas is the public body that gives employers and employees free advice on workplace relations. Its guidance on communication, consultation, feedback and difficult conversations is not law, but tribunals and employers treat it as the standard of good practice. In Northern Ireland the equivalent body is the Labour Relations Agency.

How Lift College compares with other UK providers

Details below are as each provider shows them on its own course page, checked 27 October 2026. "Check provider" means the page did not state it.

With Lift College the £19.99 is the full price for one learner, with nothing added at checkout, and the refresher is free when your recommended refresh date arrives. Retakes of the final test are free and unlimited.

Who it suits

The Communication Skills Course is for anyone whose job depends on being understood, in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. It is for you if:

• you lead a team or are about to, and want to brief, listen and give feedback well
• you deal with customers, patients, residents or the public every day
• you are a new starter, an apprentice or returning to work after a break
• you are preparing for a management or supervisory course and want the basics in place first
• you have been told your emails, handovers or meetings could be clearer

If you deal with customers every day, see our customer service training guide. For conversations that may turn heated, see our conflict resolution training guide, and for fair treatment at work our equality and diversity training guide. See every course on the workplace skills courses page or browse all Lift College CPD courses. Buying for a team? Open a free organisation account: every course is £16.99, and you can pay by card or invoice with your PO.

Enrol on the Communication Skills Course for £19.99 and start module 1 the minute you pay. Ask within 14 days of paying and we refund you in full.