Advanced Communication Skills: Between Persuasion and Empathy

About

Communication shapes everything - your relationships, your impact, your ability to create change. In this Summerschool you'll discover how to communicate effectively when it truly matters.

Two experienced professionals take you beyond the 'basics', exploring communication at a deeper level. We will guide you through a unique journey where you learn to use communication to bring about positive change, balancing persuasion with empathy - while engaging in meaningful personal development.

But the real challenge is when things are hard. When stakes are high, emotions surface and pressure builds, staying grounded in your communication principles becomes key. Through practice, you'll learn to speak from your values, listen deeply, navigate complex negotiations, understand group dynamics, create dialogues that connect, and have difficult conversations in a human way - all while practicing empathy and compassion.

Most of all, you'll learn about yourself. Don't expect long presentations though - this course is highly interactive and experiential. Many exercises will help you shape your vision on communication and master invaluable skills. Last year's 24 participants rated the course 9.4 average out of 10.

Learning objectives
This course helps you to bring your communication skills to the next level. Would you like to learn to:

Align with your values and inspirational speaking

Be more confident in any communication situation

Use connecting and compassionate communication

Apply principled based negotiation and arrive at better solutions together

Get better at navigating conflict

Stay centered in hard conversations

Be more empathic in your communication

Build social intelligence and understand what has been said in between the lines

Master group dynamics and create safe spaces for open communication

Discover your unique and authentic communication style, aligned with your character strengths

If this speaks to you, then this might be the summer school for you!

Self awareness is key
This course is founded on the understanding that effective communication starts with self-awareness. You will develop deep insights into who you are, your own patterns, triggers, and needs, which leads to you being better equipped to connect with others and navigate complex conversations. This course helps you to express yourself honestly while maintaining connection and finding solutions that work for everyone.

Our methods
We integrate various proven methods, weaving them into experiential exercises that allow you to discover what works for you while practising in a safe environment. Methods include:

Non-Violent Communication - express yourself honestly while maintaining connection
Interest-based negotiation - find solutions that work for everyone by looking beyond positions to underlying needs
Deep Democracy and Dialogue - embrace all voices and perspectives, especially those harder to hear
Compassionate leadership - blend kindness with clarity in challenging conversations
Shadow Work and Deep Coaching - understand your emotions, triggers and blind spots, turning obstacles into insight
Embodied leadership - use your body and nervous system to stay grounded and access inner wisdom
Emotional Intelligence & Systemic Work - recognize patterns in relationships and groups, navigate complex emotional situations
These methods aren't taught as dry theory - they come alive through practical exercises, real-life situations, and personal exploration. You'll experience how they naturally flow together to create a comprehensive approach to communication and connection.

Feedback from previous participants
The track record of this course speaks for itself: over 100 professionals have participated in this course. The 24 participants of last year’s edition rated the course on average with a 9.5 out of 10.

Some of their feedback:

'Being primarily exercise based, this course was highly effective for me. I expected I would be on my own to construct situations but this was infinitely better.'
'I learned how to express my feelings, how to stay rational during conversations, to present myself better, to be understanding, to negotiate and tools for presentation and most of all to connect to people on a new level.'
'Some of the most important things I learned: (1) Knowing myself even better: strengths, values etc (2) Appreciating my weaknesses and vulnerabilities (3) Argumentation techniques (4) Practicing non-violent communication (5) Learning what different needs people may have.'
'The instructors’ positive vibe and experience in the different topics as well as their willingness to go above and beyond their role and make a change. Additionally, I liked their rather innovative pedagogical methods which they used to make us comprehend the topics discussed.'
'I really appreciated how in-depth we went on an emotional level, how caring the teachers both are and how they managed to create a safe space and how this affected in a positive way to the connection of the group. I will remember the exercises we did for a long time.'
'Open respectful atmosphere, knowledgeable teachers, flexibility in subjects.'
'I really appreciated the honest feedback on communication and behaviors.'
"I thoroughly enjoyed the course and how it was presented. Top marks to Jan Reinder and Imre for their energy and professional experience which pulled an incredibly diverse group together. Most enjoyable."
"I met students from around the world, sharing many new stories about life with people from different backgrounds and learning so many new things."

Course leader

Imre Végh

Target group

This course is meant for professionals and master students. The past few years, around two thirds of participants are (senior) professionals and one third are students. The maximum number of participants is 24. Participants will be admitted on a first come, first serve basis.

Fee info