It can be a pretty fine line between 'telling it how it is' and coming across as aggressive. Especially with the vagaries of different languages in a multinational workplace, and when people are up against it with deadlines and impatient clients. That's why our first in a series of workshops with The School of Life focused on getting back to the basics of 'Communication'.

The workshop was broken down into four parts:
– Uncovering assumptions – in our communications, how much of what we take away is assumption and how much is transference?
– Identifying communication styles – are we passive, aggressive, passive-aggressive or assertive?
– Learning to listen better – encouraging others to tell you more, and asking for permission to offer advice, rather than storming in with it.
– Learning how to give feedback and how to respond to criticism.

As a pretty close-knit, good-humoured team, miscommunications are thankfully few and far between, but it was good for everyone to get together as a reminder that we all think and feel differently. As the old adage goes, 'words have power, so use them wisely'.