Certificate in Professional Communication Skills
Course Overview
The Certificate in Professional Communication Skills at the London School of International Business and Management (LSIBM) is a Level 3 entry-level programme for people moving into a role where the quality of a written email, an internal note or a stand-up briefing changes the outcome. Sitting inside the Entrepreneurship & Executive Studies faculty, the course teaches the practical craft of professional communication in a UK corporate context — plain English, structured writing, executive briefings and calm public speaking. CIPR’s State of the Profession review continues to identify clear, plain-English writing as the single most valued communications skill by UK employers, and the Certificate is built around that finding.
Over three to six months, students work through drafting workshops, on-camera practice and structured feedback sessions informed by CIPR-recognised practice and CMI Level 3 principles. The Certificate in Professional Communication Skills is available on-campus in central London, fully online, or by distance learning, and is the natural entry point to LSIBM’s later communication and leadership routes. Every cohort finishes with a live executive briefing to a working UK Head of Corporate Communications.
Key Features
- Curriculum designed around CIPR-recognised practice and CMI Level 3 communication principles.
- Three delivery modes — on-campus in central London, fully online, or by distance learning.
- On-camera practice with structured feedback every week.
- Real UK business writing briefs — board notes, all-staff emails, incident comms.
- Assessment blend of a written portfolio, an on-camera briefing, a peer-review log and a live briefing to a senior communicator.
- Small-cohort teaching so every student is heard and coached each week.
- Structured route toward CIPR Foundation preparation, with tutor support on the professional evidence submission.
What You Will Learn
The Certificate treats professional communication as a craft — the same discipline a working Head of Corporate Comms uses when drafting a Monday-morning update. You will graduate able to write clearly, brief calmly and present with structure inside a UK workplace.
- Plain-English writing conventions used in UK corporate communications.
- Structured writing — pyramid principle, exec summary, BLUF briefings.
- Meeting facilitation and minute-taking discipline.
- Presentation storytelling for a UK exec audience.
- On-camera and hybrid-meeting presence.
- Managing difficult conversations — feedback, escalation, disagreement.
- Internal comms — cascade emails, town halls, change updates.
- Introduction to crisis and incident-comms basics.
- Executive-summary drafting for a UK board audience.
- Working ethics — CIPR Code of Conduct at introduction.
Who This Course Is For
- Junior professionals stepping into internal or external comms support roles.
- Line managers who present to senior leadership monthly.
- Career changers whose new role requires structured written output.
- International professionals adjusting to UK plain-English business style.
- Small-business owners handling their own investor updates.
Career Pathways
Graduates of the Certificate in Professional Communication Skills typically move into communications-adjacent roles across UK employers — corporate comms teams, PMOs, executive support and marketing. Typical destinations include:
- Communications Executive (junior)
- Corporate Communications Assistant
- Internal Comms Coordinator
- Executive Assistant with comms remit
- Marketing Comms Assistant
- PMO Communications Support
- Public Affairs Assistant
The Certificate is a natural on-ramp to the Diploma in Applied Management Skills and supports CIPR Foundation-level preparation. Graduates typically pursue full CIPR Foundation membership within twelve months of first role.
Entry Requirements
- Open access — GCSE-level English and Mathematics at grade 4/C (or international equivalent), with English at grade 5/B strongly preferred for this comms-focused route.
- Applicants over 18 are welcome regardless of prior qualifications, provided a short statement of intent is submitted.
- IELTS 5.5 overall (no band below 5.0) for non-native English speakers, or an equivalent test at CEFR B2.
- Two personal references — one professional, one academic; work-based references accepted for career changers.
Why Study at LSIBM
The London School of International Business and Management (LSIBM) is a specialist business-education provider based in central London and part of Harold International College. We teach in small cohorts so every student is visible to their tutor, run a single intake schedule that students can rely on, and partner with UK professional bodies — CMI, CIM, CIPD, ACCA, CIMA, CFA UK, CIPS and IOE&IT — so qualifications carry weight with employers.
London puts the City, Canary Wharf, Whitehall, Companies House, the FCA, the Bank of England and the West End within a short tube ride of every classroom. LSIBM Certificate students frequently attend evening events at the CMI, IoD Pall Mall clubhouse, and CIM London — building a working professional network alongside their studies.
Apply for Certificate in Professional Communication Skills
Take the first step with the Certificate in Professional Communication Skills. Click Enrol Now and our admissions team will respond within one working day with intake dates, credit-transfer guidance and the current fee schedule. LSIBM runs a single intake schedule so applicants know exactly when their cohort begins.
