Assertiveness is different from aggression. It is saying what you think and what you want without violating the rights of the people around you. Although assertiveness is essential in business, many people find it difficult to be assertive.

The objective of this course is to help participants become more confident, assertive and personally effective. The course looks at different aspects of effectiveness and assertiveness, including different approaches that are attributable to cultural and linguistic diversity. Exercises and role plays ensure the practical orientation of the course.

Coaching is a misunderstood management competency. Too often confused with on-the-job training, it is about working closely with individuals to help them develop and improve their performance. Coaching is a fundamental management skill that helps staff improve, develop, learn new skills and achieve goals. It is an essential part of the long-term development and motivation of staff.

This course is designed to help managers address and coach those performance issues that are preventing staff from realising their potential. The course focuses on how to identify the performance or behavioural issues involved and address them in a useful and well-judged way.

Conflict is an inevitable and necessary part of communication. It arises when communication partners assert differing positions, but they must agree on only one result. Although at times painful, conflict can be productive, if it achieves a positive solution. The challenge in managing conflict, therefore, is how to ensure that it achieves positive results.

The focus of this course is on managing conflict and, at the same time, improving communication among colleagues. In the course, participants will improve their understanding of communication skills, assertiveness, the causes of conflict and the ways in which they resolve conflict.

Course Content

The appraisal process is a key feature of staff development and performance management. As a management task, however, it is frequently treated as a burdensome chore. Without appraisals, staff find it difficult to judge their progress and development.

This course is designed to help managers recognise the importance of preparing, carrying out and following up on appraisals. The course explains how to conduct effective appraisals that not only give feedback, but they motivate as well.

In today's "globalised" world, contact between diverse cultures is an everyday occurrence. While cultural diversity and intercultural communication should be seen as means of widening our perspectives and enriching our own culture, they are often a source of conflict, the roots of which usually lie in a failure to understand and appreciate cultural differences.

The purpose of this course is to help participants deal with and appreciate cultural diversity and the ways in which it impacts our everyday lives in the workplace. The course looks at both verbal and non-verbal communication, focusing on confrontations between colleagues and with customers in work-related situations. Exercises, role-plays and games are used extensively in the course.

Many of the most important opportunities in business life require the ability to give effective, persuasive presentations. Even for the most naturally gifted speakers, the techniques involved in structuring and delivering a winning presentation are challenging. This course is designed to help participants become competent speakers, so that they can achieve their business goals and personal objectives.

The first day of the course focuses on the skills required to produce great presentations. The second day provides participants with the opportunity to practice their skills and assess their performance using videotaping.

How can we boost employee motivation? Motivation is not a given and needs to be nurtured. This coaching will help you manage your employees' motivation through certain stages of demotivation, doubt or even discouragement.

Motivation can't be taken for granted, and needs to be nurtured. This coaching will help you to understand, develop and manage your employees' motivation through certain phases of demotivation, doubt or even discouragement.

In the "Age of Information", written communication is more important than it has ever been before. But the many communication possibilities offered by information technology do not replace the need to write clearly and correctly. Particularly in a business environment, effective written communication is essential both internally with colleagues and externally with customers.

The objective of this course is to show participants how to produce clear and well-structured documents that communicate effectively. The course covers both the rules of good writing and the appropriate use of different document types, such as E-mail, letters, memoranda and reports. While the course is aimed primarily at written communication in the English language, it can also be adapted to other European languages, such as French, Dutch, German and Spanish.