Postgraduate courses in Communication Skills

Good communication is essential in everyday life in order to interact and reach a mutual understanding of the desired message between people. 

It is very important to have good communication skills and if you already have that, it is important that you use those skills in helping others to improve theirs.

It is often one of those things we take for grants, good communication skills. It comes naturally to some while others may have to work a little harder at them. We often forget that while these things might come naturally, there was a point in our lives that we had to learn how to communicate effectively. 

Enter communication skills courses! We have a few for you to choose from in order to add to your undergraduate degree. Courses like these may be helpful in teaching or business management.

What are communication skills?

Communication skills include listening, speaking, observing and body language and many more elements which allow us to develop meaning with others to reach an understanding and delivery of messages to one another. There are many communications skills such as listening, adapting to your audience, volume and clarity, confidence, friendliness, respect and delivering a clear message to others. The list of communication skills are endless. 

Why are they important?

Communication skills are important to ensure clear, effective, quick and helpful communication between ourselves and others. Poor communication skills can lead to frustration and misunderstanding. These skills are important in both our personal and professional lives. There are many ways to improve our communication skills such as listening, conciseness, body language, confidence and respect. 

Courses

There are many courses on offer in the area across the UK. Some courses offer the opportunity to study either part time or full time. Universities may have certain restrictions in place due to Covid-19 and may offer courses online. The majority of courses available under this heading are related to landscaping. There are a number of courses available in landscaping of specific areas. Courses available include: 

Speech, Language and Communication

This course is aimed at qualified speech and language therapists and will extend their knowledge and allow new skills to be developed and improved upon. It is a course that is ideal for those who want to work in the field of research in this area. Modules include critical issues in advanced practice, instrumental techniques in speech sciences, habilitative audiology and language learning and development, to name just a few. 

Language Science (Sign Language and Deaf Studies)

Students who take a postgraduate course like this will increase their communication skills through specialising in sign language and deaf studies and will gain an introduction to the psychology and linguistics and neuroscience of deafness and sign language. Students will gain skills of their own in an attempt to help others increase their communication skills.

Other courses available in this area include Storytelling, Political Communication, Media, Campaign and Social Change, British Sign Language/English Interpreting and Translation, Translation and Professional Communication and Language, Language and Social Justice with British Sign Language, among others. 

Entry Requirements

Entry requirements may differ from course to course or university to university. Therefore, it is important to research your specific course in detail to ensure you meet the entry requirements. As these courses are postgraduate courses, you will need a bachelor’s degree. Some courses may accept a 2.2 degree while others will require a 2.1 in a relevant degree, for example, language science/linguistics. 

Job options

Careers where good communication skills are endless. These include:

• Teaching
• Business Management
• Nursing/Doctors/Healthcare
• Psychology
• Speech and Language Therapist
• Solicitors
• Counselling
• HR
• Customer service representatives
• Sales representative
• Journalism/Media/Writers

Salary 

Strong communication skills are important in all careers and these courses can be studied by a broad range of professionals to add to their skills. We will look at the examples of a speech and language therapist and a teacher to give you an idea of the pathways these courses would be essential in. 

As a speech and language therapist you may earn around £36,800 annually. Your experience can impact salary as starting wages are lower and increase with experience. As a teacher in the UK, you can earn close to £30,000 as a secondary school teacher and close to £27,500 as a primary school teacher. 

Skills and requirements 

Skills and requirements helpful with courses in this are include:

• Strong communication skills (you guessed it!)
• Strong interpersonal skills
• Ability to work well with others
• Confident
• Respectful 
• Good listener
• Patience
• Empathy 
• Organisation skills
• Desire to learn and improve