Tailored, Interactive Training

Language Matters offers a variety of highly interactive training workshops covering a wide range of skills.

Whether you require a one-off workshop or a series of sessions which build on one another, we will work with you to ensure that the material is tailored to the specific needs and challenges of your company and each individual group. We encourage sharing, feedback and collaboration and aim to build support networks within the groups. We also offer follow up 1-2-1 coaching for individuals within the group who would benefit from further support or who are facing particularly difficult situations at work.  

Our executive coaches can additionally provide 1-2-1 coaching to help individuals perform at their best and achieve their goals more quickly.

All courses are customised to suit individual client needs. Delivery is offered either face-to-face, in a blended format with webinar content or by video conference.

Investing in building the core skills of your employees can transform team engagement and performance.

Our courses include:

Presenting With Confidence

Overview

  • Understand how to anticipate your audience’s needs
  • Develop presentation content to engage your audience
  • Build awareness of body language
  • Increase your impact to become a more confident presenter
  • Practise presenting and receive feedback to fine-tune your presentation skills

Format

One day workshop

Who should attend?

Anyone who needs to present on a regular basis, internally or externally. Suitable for new or experienced presenters.

Maximum number of delegates

4

Presenting-With-Confidence.pdf

“This is probably the best training session I have attended – extremely informative, allows for self-reflection, flexible with structure.”
Seema
Polycom
Coaching Skills for Line Managers

Overview

  • Understand the value of coaching to unlock hidden potential
  • Help your direct reports build their skills and confidence
  • Learn how to give helpful feedback and take part in challenging conversations around performance
  • Practise and gain insight into developing ‘quick coaching’ skills

Format

One-day workshop, face-to-face.  Or virtually 2 x half day sessions.

Who should attend?

Line managers and anyone managing others, who want to develop or improve their coaching skills.

Maximum number of delegates

9

Coaching-Skills-for-Line-Managers.pdf

People Management Skills

Overview

  • Understand the role of a line manager, how to delegate and empower others
  • Build core skills that will enable you to manage effectively
  • Learn how to build trust and inspire strong performance
  • Discover how to hold effective one-to-one meetings, give meaningful feedback and handle challenging conversations

Format

One-day workshop, face-to-face.  Or virtually 2 x half day sessions.

Who should attend?

Those new to managing people or those needing a reminder of good practice.

Maximum number of delegates

10

People-Management-Skills.pdf

Managing Others Through Change

Overview

  • Learn how to support your teams through periods of significant change
  • Gain an understanding of how you and your team respond to change, why change might be resisted and what you can do to move the team forward
  • Discover how you can encourage new ways of team working

Format

Half-day workshop, face-to-face.  Or virtually 2 x 2 hour sessions.

Who should attend?

Line managers and those who manage others going through periods of change.

Maximum number of delegates

8

Managing-Others-Through-Change.pdf

Building Personal Resilience

Overview

  • Understand what resilience is and how we can build it
  • Gain an awareness of the causes of stress
  • Learn about the foundations of resilience and how to build resilience in your team
  • Discover how we can be at our best more of the time

Format

Half-day workshop, face-to-face.  Or virtually 2 x 2 hour sessions.

Who should attend?

Individuals and line managers who wish to build personal resilience and team resilience.

Maximum number of delegates

8

Building-Personal-Resilience.pdf

Mentoring Skills

Overview

  • Understand the difference between coaching, mentoring and line management skills, and what mentoring typically covers
  • Acquire and build the core mentoring skills
  • Learn how to plan your first mentoring meeting, recognise potential pitfalls and what to do to avoid them

Format

Half-day workshop, face-to-face.  Or virtually 2 x 2 hour sessions.

Who should attend?

Individuals who wish to develop skills for mentoring others within the organisation.

Maximum number of delegates

8

Mentoring-Skills.pdf

Time Management & Working Smarter

Overview

  • Learn about time management challenges and how to conduct a diary/calendar review
  • Discover how to prioritise and plan what is urgent vs what is important
  • ‘Big rocks vs sand’
  • Planning tools
  • Making the right choices – productivity vs activity
  • Managing energy, focus and attention
  • Delegation
  • Personal disciplines around email and meetings management
  • How to handle action planning and ’surgery’ discussions

Format

Half-day workshop, face-to-face.  Or virtually 2 x 2 hour sessions.

Who should attend?

Employees wishing to manage their time more effectively.

Maximum number of delegates

8

Time-Management-and-Working-Smarter.pdf

Effective Meetings

Overview

  • What are meetings like now? What makes an effective meeting?
  • Three phases of a meeting: preparation, running the meeting, and follow up
  • Gain insights into key skills and behaviours

Format

Half-day workshop, face-to-face.  Or virtually 2 x 2 hour sessions.

Who should attend?

Anyone who needs to improve the effectiveness of their meetings.

Maximum number of delegates

8

Effective-Meetings-Management.pdf

Business Partnering

Overview

  • Your challenges around business partnering
  • Stakeholder mapping
  • Push/pull influencing
  • Action planning

Format

Half-day workshop, face-to-face.  Or virtually 2 x 2 hour sessions.

Who should attend?

Employees who engage with business partners.

Maximum number of delegates

8

Business-Partnering.pdf

Diversity and Inclusion

Overview

This programme will enable employees and their managers to take steps towards greater fairness and inclusion at work and in wider society.

At the end of this course participants will have:

  • an increased understanding of the concepts of diversity and inclusion
  • knowledge of how working practices are impacted by unconscious bias
  • gained greater self-awareness of their own identities and how they may be perceived by others
  • learnt how to have bold conversations without causing discomfort or offence
  • an understanding of the benefits of working and living in a more diverse and inclusive environment

Format

One-day interactive training programme. Delivery is recommended face-to-face, but the course can be delivered virtually in two x half days. An abbreviated half day face-to-face or virtual programme is also available for those with limited time.

Who should attend?

All employees. Managers working with diverse teams.

Maximum number of delegates

1-2-1 or small groups of up to 12. We recommend a maximum of 6 participants if delivered virtually.

English Language and Communication Skills

Overview

This is a practical course for professionals who are already working in English in an international business environment and who would like to communicate more effectively and with greater impact in English.

  • Bespoke to address the specific needs and objectives of the participants

Format

Weekly 1.5 hour sessions

Who should attend?

Professionals who use English for business purposes.

Maximum number of delegates

1-2-1 recommended.  Alternatively, small groups of 2 – 4.

English-Language-and-Communication-Skills.pdf

Cross-Cultural Training

Overview

  • Explore and understand different cultural values, behaviours and ways of doing business related to your target country or region
  • Improve your cultural awareness, so that you operate more effectively both internally and externally in global markets

Format

One-day workshop, face-to-face.  Or virtually 2 x half days.

Who should attend?

Employees operating across international markets or relocating to other countries.

Maximum number of delegates

10

Cross-Cultural-Training.pdf

Find Out More

Cultural Training – Living and Working in the UK

Overview

  • For employees relocating to the UK, who are not familiar with the country or the way of doing business
  • Provides strategies for adjusting to a different lifestyle, culture and working environment
  • Practical guidance on life and work in the UK

Format

One day interactive training programme.  Or virtually 2 x half days.

Who should attend?

Employees on either short or long-term assignments in the UK.

Maximum number of delegates

1-2-1 or small groups of up to 6.

Cultural-Training-Living-and-Working-in-the-UK.pdf

Find Out More

Cross-Cultural Business Skills - UK and US

Overview

This programme explores differences between US and UK management and communication styles and business practices. Participants acquire the cultural knowledge and skills required to adapt their communication and working style to work effectively across both cultures.

At the end of this course participants will have:

  • an increased understanding of British and US American values, attitudes and behaviours
  • knowledge of how working practices differ between the UK and US
  • identified common conflict points when communicating with the UK and US
  • gained greater self-awareness of their own management and communication styles
  • explored the practical application of the course information and skills to increase effectiveness working across both cultures

Format

One-day interactive training programme. Delivery is recommended face-to-face, but the course can be delivered virtually in two x half days. An abbreviated half day face-to-face or virtual programme is also available for those with limited time.

Who should attend?

Anyone working with British and US American organisations. Employees working with multi-cultural UK / US teams.

Maximum number of delegates

1-2-1 or small groups of up to 12. We recommend a maximum of 6 participants if delivered virtually.

The International Profiler

Overview

A culture and communication tool aimed at supporting international managers.

  • Complete a psychometric profiling questionnaire. The results are used to help international managers understand and develop their ability to succeed in other cultures and environments
  • Get measured on 10 competencies, embracing 22 associated skills, attitudes and knowledge areas, based on an internationally recognised framework of international competencies
  • Receive a detailed report, outlining where you place your energy and attention in the workplace
  • Benefit from coaching centred on areas you feel you need to develop

Format

Online psychometric profiling questionnaire of 30-40 minutes, followed by 90 minutes’ debrief and coaching.

Who should attend?

Managers who are about to (or already) work in an international context and would like to become more effective.

Maximum number of delegates

1-2-1

International-Profiler.pdf

Leading Virtual Teams

Overview

  • Understand how to manage systems and processes needed to support effective virtual teamwork
  • Identify ways of encouraging team members to collaborate, communicate, cooperate and coordinate successfully
  • Appreciate how to manage operations effectively and efficiently across time zones
  • Use appropriate virtual tools and systems to share work across the project team
  • Find out how to keep your team engaged, while maintaining a clear sense of team identity
  • Discover how to create best practices for team communication

Format

One-day workshop, face-to-face. Or virtually 2 x half days.

Who should attend?

Junior managers or managers new to working in a virtual environment.

Maximum number of delegates

6

Leading-Virtual-Teams.pdf

Communicating Virtually with Global Partners

Overview

  • Identify and analyse the challenges of communicating virtually
  • Building positive relationships at a distance
  • Manage and participate in conference calls
  • Presenting to an online audience
  • Working across cultures
  • Using the most suitable channels of communication

Format

4 x 2 hour workshops, delivered face-to-face, blended with webinar content, or solely by video conference.

Who should attend?

Anyone new to working in a virtual environment who wants to communicate and work with international colleagues and partners more effectively.

Maximum number of delegates

4 – 6

Communicating-Virtually-With-Global-Partners.pdf

Sales and Account Development

Overview

  • Understand how to differentiate your business from the competition
  • Improve both the quantity and the quality of opportunities in your pipeline
  • Qualify and select the right opportunities for your business
  • Develop a winning sales plan
  • Learn tools and techniques to improve your chances of winning
  • Gain the fundamental skills necessary to operate effectively in sales and account development

Format

Two-day workshop, face-to-face. Or virtually 5 x 3 hour sessions.

Who should attend?

New sales people and also experienced sales professionals wishing to learn or refresh their competitive sales skills.

Maximum number of delegates

4 – 8

Executive Coaching

Overview

1-2-1 coaching helps individuals perform at their best and achieve their goals more quickly and effectively. We work with clients on the whole spectrum of business challenges.  However, we typically provide coaching in the following scenarios:

Through significant transitions:

  • Promotion to a new role
  • Return from maternity leave
  • Starting work with a new business
  • During or following periods of major restructuring or change within an organisation

To enhance performance:

  • For high-potential employees
  • For underperforming employees
  • To improve work-life balance issues

To support changes in career direction:

  • To help individuals obtain clarity on next career steps
  • To support longer-term career planning
  • To support people leaving businesses

To encourage and embed learning:

  • To develop new approaches and thinking
  • To embed learning prior to and following training events
  • To support people under significant pressure/stress

Format

Typically 3 – 6 meetings spaced over time, face-to-face, by video or by phone.

Who should attend?

Senior managers and directors who would value some time and space to work with an independent ‘third party’ to evaluate and reflect on how they are doing with the challenges they currently face. The coach acts in both a support and challenge role, encouraging individuals to think differently and build on their own personal strengths and confidence.

Maximum number of delegates

1-2-1

“One of the best training courses my team have attended.”
Ahmed Sousa
Regional Manager, Solution Architect, MEA, Turkey & Russia/CIS, Poly