SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                             WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549


                                    FORM S-8

                             REGISTRATION STATEMENT
                                      UNDER
                           THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933


                          SPANLINK COMMUNICATIONS, INC.
             (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)


        MINNESOTA                                       41-1618845
(State of incorporation)                   (I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)


                              ONE MAIN STREET S.E.
                          MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA 55414
              (Address of Principal Executive Offices and Zip Code)


                          SPANLINK COMMUNICATIONS, INC.
                             1996 OMNIBUS STOCK PLAN
                            (Full title of the plan)

                                  Brian P. King
                             Chief Financial Officer

                              One Main Street S.E.
                          Minneapolis, Minnesota 55414
                            Telephone (612) 362-8000
                      (Name, address, and telephone number,
                   including area code, of agent for service)

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                      Calculation of Registration Fee
======================================================================================================
                                                  Proposed             Proposed
                                                   maximum               maximum            Amount of
Title of securities         Amount to be        offering price          aggregate         registration
 to be registered           registered(1)        per share(2)       offering price(2)          fee
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
<S>                       <C>                      <C>                <C>                   <C>
Common Stock               750,000 shares           $3.44              $2,580,000            $889.66
(no par value)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
</TABLE>

(1)      Consists of 750,000 shares reserved for awards and for issuance upon
         exercise of options that have been or may be granted under the Spanlink
         Communications, Inc. 1996 Omnibus Stock Plan (the "Plan"). Pursuant to
         Rule 416(c) under the Securities Act of 1933, this registration
         statement also covers an indeterminate number of shares which may be
         offered or sold pursuant to the Plan as a result of the operation of
         the provisions of the Plan intended to prevent dilution in the event of
         stock splits, consolidations or similar changes in capital stock.

(2)      Estimated solely for purposes of computing the registration fee. In
         accordance with Rule 457(c) and (h)(1), the price used is the average
         of the bid and asked price of the Common Stock as traded on the Nasdaq
         SmallCap Market on October 25, 1996.




                                     PART I

              INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE SECTION 10(a) PROSPECTUS

         Pursuant to Rule 428(b)(1) under the Securities Act of 1933, as
amended, the document containing the information specified in Part I of Form S-8
will be distributed to persons who receive grants or awards under the 1996
Omnibus Stock Plan (the "Plan"). That disclosure document constitutes a Section
10(a) prospectus and is incorporated by reference in this Registration
Statement, but it is not being filed with the Commission either as part of this
Registration Statement or as a prospectus or prospectus supplement.




                                     PART II

               INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT



ITEM 3.  INCORPORATION OF DOCUMENTS BY REFERENCE

         The following documents filed with the Commission by Spanlink
Communications, Inc. (the "Company") are incorporated herein by reference:

                  (a) The Company's latest prospectus dated April 29, 1996 filed
         pursuant to Rule 424 of the Securities Act.

                  (b) All other reports and documents filed by the Company under
         Sections 13, 14, or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 since
         the filing of the latest prospectus dated April 29, 1996, filed
         pursuant to Rule 424 of the Securities Act.

                  (c) A description of the Company's Common Stock and
         Undesignated Preferred Stock is set forth under the caption
         "Description of Securities" of the Registrant's registration statement
         on Form SB-2 (Registration Number 333-02022-C).

         All documents subsequently filed by the Company pursuant to Sections
13(a), 13(c), 14, and 15(d) of the Exchange Act, prior to the filing of a
post-effective amendment which indicates that all securities offered hereby have
been sold or which deregisters all securities then remaining unsold, shall be
deemed to be incorporated by reference in this Registration Statement and to be
a part hereof from the date of filing of such documents.


ITEM 5.  INTERESTS OF NAMED EXPERTS AND COUNSEL

         There are no interests of any experts to be disclosed herein.


ITEM 6.  INDEMNIFICATION OF DIRECTORS AND OFFICERS

         Under Section 302A.521, Minnesota Statutes, the Company is required to
indemnify its directors, officers, employees and agents against liability under
certain circumstances, including liability under the Securities Act of 1933, as
amended (the "Act"). Section 5.5 of the Company's Articles of Incorporation
provide that a director of the Company shall not be liable for monetary damages
for a breach of such director's fiduciary duty, except for a breach of the duty
of loyalty, acts not in good faith or in knowing violation of law, violations of
state securities laws, or for actions from which the director derived an
improper personal benefit. The general effect of such provisions is to relieve
the directors and officers of the Company from personal liability which may be
imposed for certain acts performed in their capacity as directors or officers of
the Company, except where such persons have not acted in good faith.

         As permitted under Minnesota Statutes, the Articles of Incorporation of
the Company provide that directors shall have no personal liability to the
Company or to its shareholders for monetary damages arising from breach of the
director's duty of care in the affairs of the Company. Minnesota Statutes do not
permit elimination of liability for breach of a director's duty of loyalty to
the Company or with respect to certain enumerated matters, including payment of
illegal dividends, acts not in good faith, and acts resulting in an improper
personal benefit to the director.


ITEM 7.  EXEMPTION FROM REGISTRATION CLAIMED

         Incentive stock options were granted to purchase 362,713 shares of the
Company's common stock in reliance upon Section 4(2) of the Securities Act of
1933, as amended.

         Nonqualified stock options were granted to purchase 336,500 shares of
the Company's common stock in reliance upon Section 4(2) of the Securities Act
of 1933, as amended.


ITEM 8.  EXHIBITS


     Exhibit No.                         Description
     -----------                         -----------



4.1                     Spanlink Communications, Inc. 1996 Omnibus Stock Plan

5.1                     Opinion and consent of Counsel

23.1                    Consent of Price Waterhouse LLP

23.3                    Consent of Counsel (contained in Exhibit 5.1)

24                      Power of Attorney (included in the signature page to
                        this Registration Statement)


ITEM 9.  UNDERTAKINGS

         (a) Rule 415 Offering.

         The undersigned Registrant hereby undertakes:

         (1) To file, during any period in which offers or sales are being made,
a post-effective amendment to this Registration Statement:

                  (i) To include any prospectus required by Section 10(a)(3) of
         the Securities Act of 1933;

                  (ii) To reflect in the prospectus any facts or events arising
         after the effective date of the Registration Statement (or the most
         recent post-effective amendment thereof) which, individually or in the
         aggregate, represent a fundamental change in the information set forth
         in the Registration Statement;

                  (iii) To include any material information with respect to the
         plan of distribution not previously disclosed in the Registration
         Statement or any material change to such information in the
         Registration Statement;

         Provided, however, that paragraphs (a)(1)(i) and (a)(1)(ii) do not
apply if the information required to be included in the post-effective amendment
by those paragraphs is contained in periodic reports filed by the Registrant
pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
that are incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement.

         (2) That, for the purpose of determining any liability under the
Securities Act of 1933, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed to be
a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the
offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona
fide offering thereof.

         (3) To remove from registration by means of a post-effective amendment
any of the securities being registered which remain unsold at the termination of
the offering.

         (b) Filings Incorporating Subsequent Exchange Act Documents by
Reference.


         The undersigned Registrant hereby undertakes that, for purposes of
determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each filing of the
Registrant's annual report pursuant to Section 13(a) or Section 15(d) of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934 that is incorporated by reference in the
Registration Statement shall be deemed to be a new registration statement
relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities
at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

         (h) Request for Acceleration of Effective Date or Filing of
Registration Statement on Form S-8.

         Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities
Act of 1933 may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of
the Registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the
Registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange
Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Act
and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification
against such liabilities (other than the payment by the Registrant of expenses
incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the Registrant
in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such
director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being
registered, the Registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter
has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate
jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public
policy as expressed in the Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of
such issue.



                                   SIGNATURES

         In accordance with the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the
Registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all
of the requirements for filing on Form S-8 and has duly caused this Registration
Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly
authorized in the City of Minneapolis, State of Minnesota, on October 28, 1996.


                                   SPANLINK COMMUNICATIONS, INC.
                                   REGISTRANT



                                   By /s/ Brett A. Shockley
                                      ----------------------------------------
                                      Name:  Brett A. Shockley
                                      Title:   Chief Executive Officer




                                POWER OF ATTORNEY

         KNOW ALL BY THESE PRESENTS, that each person whose signature appears
below hereby constitutes and appoints Brett A. Shockley and Patrick P. Irestone,
each or either of them, his or her true and lawful attorney-in-fact and agents,
with full power of substitution and resubstitution for him or her and in his or
her name, place and stead, in any and all capacities, to sign any and all
amendments (including post-effective amendments) to this Registration Statement
and to file the same with all exhibits thereto, and other documents in
connection therewith with the Securities and Exchange Commission, granting unto
said attorney-in-fact and agents, and each of them, full power and authority to
do and perform each and every act and thing requisite or necessary to be done in
and about the premises, as fully to all intents and purposes as he or she might
or could do in person, hereby ratifying and confirming all that said
attorneys-in-fact and agents or any of them, or their or his substitutes, may
lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue thereof.

         In accordance with the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this
Registration Statement has been signed below on October 28, 1996, by the
following persons in the capacities indicated:


               Name                                       Title
               ----                                       -----



/s/ Brett A. Shockley                            Chairman of the Board, Chief
-------------------------------                  Executive Officer, Director
Brett A. Shockley                                (PRINCIPAL EXECUTIVE OFFICER)


/s/ Patrick P. Irestone                          President and Chief Operating
-------------------------------                  Officer, Director
Patrick P. Irestone                              (PRINCIPAL EXECUTIVE OFFICER)


/s/ Brian P. King                                Chief Financial Officer
-------------------------------                  (PRINCIPAL FINANCIAL OFFICER)
Brian King


/s/ Thomas F. Madison                            Director
-------------------------------
Thomas F. Madison


/s/ Joseph D. Mooney                             Director
-------------------------------
Joseph D. Mooney


/s/ Bruce E. Humphrey                            Director
-------------------------------
Bruce E. Humphrey


/s/ Loren A. Singer, Jr.                         Director
-------------------------------
Loren A. Senger, Jr.
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SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                             WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

                                    FORM S-8

                             REGISTRATION STATEMENT
                                      UNDER
                           THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

                          SPANLINK COMMUNICATIONS, INC.
             (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

        MINNESOTA                                       41-1618845
(State of incorporation)                   (I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)

                              ONE MAIN STREET S.E.
                          MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA 55414
              (Address of Principal Executive Offices and Zip Code)

                          SPANLINK COMMUNICATIONS, INC.
                             1996 OMNIBUS STOCK PLAN
                            (Full title of the plan)

                                  Brian P. King
                             Chief Financial Officer

                              One Main Street S.E.
                          Minneapolis, Minnesota 55414
                            Telephone (612) 362-8000
                      (Name, address, and telephone number,
                   including area code, of agent for service)
Calculation of Registration Fee
======================================================================================================
                                                  Proposed             Proposed
                                                   maximum               maximum            Amount of
Title of securities         Amount to be        offering price          aggregate         registration
 to be registered           registered(1)        per share(2)       offering price(2)          fee
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Common Stock               750,000 shares           $3.44              $2,580,000            $889.66
(no par value)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(1)      Consists of 750,000 shares reserved for awards and for issuance upon
         exercise of options that have been or may be granted under the Spanlink
         Communications, Inc. 1996 Omnibus Stock Plan (the "Plan"). Pursuant to
         Rule 416(c) under the Securities Act of 1933, this registration
         statement also covers an indeterminate number of shares which may be
         offered or sold pursuant to the Plan as a result of the operation of
         the provisions of the Plan intended to prevent dilution in the event of
         stock splits, consolidations or similar changes in capital stock.

(2)      Estimated solely for purposes of computing the registration fee. In
         accordance with Rule 457(c) and (h)(1), the price used is the average
         of the bid and asked price of the Common Stock as traded on the Nasdaq
         SmallCap Market on October 25, 1996.

                                     PART I

              INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE SECTION 10(a) PROSPECTUS

         Pursuant to Rule 428(b)(1) under the Securities Act of 1933, as
amended, the document containing the information specified in Part I of Form S-8
will be distributed to persons who receive grants or awards under the 1996
Omnibus Stock Plan (the "Plan"). That disclosure document constitutes a Section
10(a) prospectus and is incorporated by reference in this Registration
Statement, but it is not being filed with the Commission either as part of this
Registration Statement or as a prospectus or prospectus supplement.

                                     PART II

               INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT

ITEM 3.  INCORPORATION OF DOCUMENTS BY REFERENCE

         The following documents filed with the Commission by Spanlink
Communications, Inc. (the "Company") are incorporated herein by reference:

                  (a) The Company's latest prospectus dated April 29, 1996 filed
         pursuant to Rule 424 of the Securities Act.

                  (b) All other reports and documents filed by the Company under
         Sections 13, 14, or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 since
         the filing of the latest prospectus dated April 29, 1996, filed
         pursuant to Rule 424 of the Securities Act.

                  (c) A description of the Company's Common Stock and
         Undesignated Preferred Stock is set forth under the caption
         "Description of Securities" of the Registrant's registration statement
         on Form SB-2 (Registration Number 333-02022-C).

         All documents subsequently filed by the Company pursuant to Sections
13(a), 13(c), 14, and 15(d) of the Exchange Act, prior to the filing of a
post-effective amendment which indicates that all securities offered hereby have
been sold or which deregisters all securities then remaining unsold, shall be
deemed to be incorporated by reference in this Registration Statement and to be
a part hereof from the date of filing of such documents.

ITEM 5.  INTERESTS OF NAMED EXPERTS AND COUNSEL

         There are no interests of any experts to be disclosed herein.

ITEM 6.  INDEMNIFICATION OF DIRECTORS AND OFFICERS

         Under Section 302A.521, Minnesota Statutes, the Company is required to
indemnify its directors, officers, employees and agents against liability under
certain circumstances, including liability under the Securities Act of 1933, as
amended (the "Act"). Section 5.5 of the Company's Articles of Incorporation
provide that a director of the Company shall not be liable for monetary damages
for a breach of such director's fiduciary duty, except for a breach of the duty
of loyalty, acts not in good faith or in knowing violation of law, violations of
state securities laws, or for actions from which the director derived an
improper personal benefit. The general effect of such provisions is to relieve
the directors and officers of the Company from personal liability which may be
imposed for certain acts performed in their capacity as directors or officers of
the Company, except where such persons have not acted in good faith.

         As permitted under Minnesota Statutes, the Articles of Incorporation of
the Company provide that directors shall have no personal liability to the
Company or to its shareholders for monetary damages arising from breach of the
director's duty of care in the affairs of the Company. Minnesota Statutes do not
permit elimination of liability for breach of a director's duty of loyalty to
the Company or with respect to certain enumerated matters, including payment of
illegal dividends, acts not in good faith, and acts resulting in an improper
personal benefit to the director.

ITEM 7.  EXEMPTION FROM REGISTRATION CLAIMED

         Incentive stock options were granted to purchase 362,713 shares of the
Company's common stock in reliance upon Section 4(2) of the Securities Act of
1933, as amended.

         Nonqualified stock options were granted to purchase 336,500 shares of
the Company's common stock in reliance upon Section 4(2) of the Securities Act
of 1933, as amended.

ITEM 8.  EXHIBITS

     Exhibit No.                         Description
     -----------                         -----------

4.1                     Spanlink Communications, Inc. 1996 Omnibus Stock Plan

5.1                     Opinion and consent of Counsel

23.1                    Consent of Price Waterhouse LLP

23.3                    Consent of Counsel (contained in Exhibit 5.1)

24                      Power of Attorney (included in the signature page to
                        this Registration Statement)

ITEM 9.  UNDERTAKINGS

         (a) Rule 415 Offering.

         The undersigned Registrant hereby undertakes:

         (1) To file, during any period in which offers or sales are being made,
a post-effective amendment to this Registration Statement:

                  (i) To include any prospectus required by Section 10(a)(3) of
         the Securities Act of 1933;

                  (ii) To reflect in the prospectus any facts or events arising
         after the effective date of the Registration Statement (or the most
         recent post-effective amendment thereof) which, individually or in the
         aggregate, represent a fundamental change in the information set forth
         in the Registration Statement;

                  (iii) To include any material information with respect to the
         plan of distribution not previously disclosed in the Registration
         Statement or any material change to such information in the
         Registration Statement;

         Provided, however, that paragraphs (a)(1)(i) and (a)(1)(ii) do not
apply if the information required to be included in the post-effective amendment
by those paragraphs is contained in periodic reports filed by the Registrant
pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
that are incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement.

         (2) That, for the purpose of determining any liability under the
Securities Act of 1933, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed to be
a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the
offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona
fide offering thereof.

         (3) To remove from registration by means of a post-effective amendment
any of the securities being registered which remain unsold at the termination of
the offering.

         (b) Filings Incorporating Subsequent Exchange Act Documents by
Reference.

         The undersigned Registrant hereby undertakes that, for purposes of
determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each filing of the
Registrant's annual report pursuant to Section 13(a) or Section 15(d) of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934 that is incorporated by reference in the
Registration Statement shall be deemed to be a new registration statement
relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities
at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

         (h) Request for Acceleration of Effective Date or Filing of
Registration Statement on Form S-8.

         Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities
Act of 1933 may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of
the Registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the
Registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange
Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Act
and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification
against such liabilities (other than the payment by the Registrant of expenses
incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the Registrant
in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such
director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being
registered, the Registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter
has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate
jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public
policy as expressed in the Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of
such issue.

                                   SIGNATURES

         In accordance with the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the
Registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all
of the requirements for filing on Form S-8 and has duly caused this Registration
Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly
authorized in the City of Minneapolis, State of Minnesota, on October 28, 1996.

                                   SPANLINK COMMUNICATIONS, INC.
                                   REGISTRANT

                                   By /s/ Brett A. Shockley
                                      ----------------------------------------
                                      Name:  Brett A. Shockley
                                      Title:   Chief Executive Officer

                                POWER OF ATTORNEY

         KNOW ALL BY THESE PRESENTS, that each person whose signature appears
below hereby constitutes and appoints Brett A. Shockley and Patrick P. Irestone,
each or either of them, his or her true and lawful attorney-in-fact and agents,
with full power of substitution and resubstitution for him or her and in his or
her name, place and stead, in any and all capacities, to sign any and all
amendments (including post-effective amendments) to this Registration Statement
and to file the same with all exhibits thereto, and other documents in
connection therewith with the Securities and Exchange Commission, granting unto
said attorney-in-fact and agents, and each of them, full power and authority to
do and perform each and every act and thing requisite or necessary to be done in
and about the premises, as fully to all intents and purposes as he or she might
or could do in person, hereby ratifying and confirming all that said
attorneys-in-fact and agents or any of them, or their or his substitutes, may
lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue thereof.

         In accordance with the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this
Registration Statement has been signed below on October 28, 1996, by the
following persons in the capacities indicated:

               Name                                       Title
               ----                                       -----

/s/ Brett A. Shockley                            Chairman of the Board, Chief
-------------------------------                  Executive Officer, Director
Brett A. Shockley                                (PRINCIPAL EXECUTIVE OFFICER)

/s/ Patrick P. Irestone                          President and Chief Operating
-------------------------------                  Officer, Director
Patrick P. Irestone                              (PRINCIPAL EXECUTIVE OFFICER)

/s/ Brian P. King                                Chief Financial Officer
-------------------------------                  (PRINCIPAL FINANCIAL OFFICER)
Brian King

/s/ Thomas F. Madison                            Director
-------------------------------
Thomas F. Madison

/s/ Joseph D. Mooney                             Director
-------------------------------
Joseph D. Mooney

/s/ Bruce E. Humphrey                            Director
-------------------------------
Bruce E. Humphrey

/s/ Loren A. Singer, Jr.                         Director
-------------------------------
Loren A. Senger, Jr.