10 Best Free Communications Courses Online in 2025

Effective communication is the bedrock of journalism, event planning, marketing, and many other jobs. Perhaps you're interested in learning more about this subject but don't want to commit to a full-fledged degree program or spend money on tuition. Fortunately, free communications courses make it easier to learn without serious commitments.

Read on to learn more about how you can take advantage of free communications courses online.

Top Free Online Courses in Communications

There are many free communications courses for you to choose from. Some are more general in nature, while others have a specialized approach. Some classes may be transferable to universities, allowing you to begin to pursue free communications degrees online.

1. Negotiating Salaries from Harvard University

The prestigious Harvard University offers plenty of online courses that you can enroll in for free. The course on negotiating salaries is self-paced and can teach you useful bargaining skills.

It uses the real-world example of retired hockey player Derek Sanderson and his negotiation with the World Hockey Association. This introductory course is part of the Harvard Business School Online. Over half of all students receive Harvard scholarship aid.

2. Public Speaking from Udemy

Udemy offers an impressive range of free and online courses. These free courses are video-based only. The available videos feature advice from business communication professionals and other accomplished instructors.

Some of the lessons that you can watch at no cost include ''How to Create Slides for Public Speaking,'' ''A New Standard for Effective Communication,'' and ''How to End a Speech Using a Conclusion and Next Steps.''

Udemy doesn't offer traditional financial aid. However, you can sometimes take advantage of sales and promotions for the platform's subscription. This will give you access to frequently asked questions, a certificate of completion, and more.

3. Communications from Oxford Home Study Center

The Oxford Home Study Center is a great resource with over 600 online courses. While there's a small fee to sign up, you'll gain access to many different courses and relevant learning materials for free.

The communications courses will teach you to understand non-verbal communication, customer service, and more. Some financial aid opportunities include OHSC Distance Learning Scholarships, which can cover up to 80% of course fees. Best of all, you'll earn certificates that you can put on your LinkedIn profile and resume.

4. Effective Communication from Great Learning

Great Learning is a platform offering a range of free and premium courses to online learners. After you sign up for free using an email, you'll have access to Great Learning's ''Effective Communication Course''.

This is an intermediate-level course that can hone your interpersonal skills, presentation skills, and more. It lasts one and a half hours and will earn you a digital certificate.

5. English for Career Development from Coursera

Coursera is yet another online platform where you can choose from a vast range of online content. You can find many accredited communications courses here for free, but there's still the Coursera Plus subscription cost to consider. The good news is that Coursera regularly offers discounts and coupons.

You can also take advantage of a seven-day free trial. Once you have an account, you can take free courses like the University of Pennsylvania's ''English for Career Development''. It's a flexible, 40-hour course that touches on communication techniques, professional networking, and more.

6. Communications from HP Life

For almost a decade, HP Life has been making it easy for people across the globe to upskill. One of the company's many free offerings includes four communications-based courses.

The course materials cover everything from business email to presenting data. If you take all of these courses, you're sure to have more effective communication skills by the end.

7. Gesturing from upGrad

Like Coursera, upGrad is an upskilling platform featuring over 80 university partnerships. If you're just starting out with communications, upGrad's free course can teach you the fundamentals.

It only takes one hour and covers everything from gesturing to broadcasting. After you complete it at your own pace, you'll get a shareable certificate.

8. Human Relations from Dale Carnegie

You can find both online and in-person courses at Dale Carnegie. While they're not free, Dale Carnegie has tuition assistance partnerships through the Society of Human Resource Management and others.

One learning option is the online, live-ed course on effective communications and human relations. It'll help you build confidence in a leadership role and more.

9. Data Visualization from Yale University

Anyone who attends Yale University or has earned a postdoc can access a wealth of free online courses on the institution's Skillsoft Library. Some of the in-depth topics include storytelling through data visualization and salary negotiations. Undergraduates at Yale can have 100% of their financial needs met without the use of loans.

10. Community Journalism from Young African Leaders Initiative

The Young African Leaders Initiative is a government program designed to help aspiring leaders have professional development resources without financial barriers. You don't have to be located in Africa to take advantage of them.

There's a wide range of courses to choose from, including ones that focus on effective communication for health outcomes, community journalism, and grant writing fundamentals. Once complete, you can expect to receive an email with your certificate of professional success.

FAQs About Free Online Courses in Communications

You might be wondering about certain aspects of free courses online. The following questions and answers can help you have a much clearer idea of what to expect from them.

What Communications Skills Will I Learn With a Free Online Course?

By taking free online courses, you can learn everything from presentation skills to artificial intelligence integration. The course content is often at the beginner level, but some are intermediate or higher.

Where Can I Find Free Online Courses To Enhance My Communication Skills?

If you strive to improve your communication skills, you can take any of the above online courses. You can also check other university websites for courses that are either free or can be covered by financial aid.

What Certifications and Credentials Can I Earn Through Communication Skills Courses on Coursera?

The number of certifications and credentials you can get on Coursera is wide-ranging. When taking communication skills courses, you can earn anything from active listening credentials to a career certificate in wireless communications from Yonsei University.

Find Free Online Courses

With free online courses, you can learn valuable communication strategies from the comfort of your home. Upskilling is one of the best ways to stand out as a sought-after employee. There are many other online courses and university programs worth looking into and applying to, so be sure to read the content published on Learn.org.