For their staff development day in November, Glasgow Kelvin College asked us to facilitate a session about effective communication.

In between two of their twelve-week terms, they wanted their people to have some training. Not only about how to communicate effectively but also to help build their confidence to speak up, voice opinions and be comfortable in doing so.

Speaking up can be an incredibly daunting task, mostly for fear of being perceived as negative, obstructive, insensitive or just plain difficult. Humans are social creatures and (the majority) like to fit in, and this tends to get in the way.

However, with the right culture and psychological safety, challenging a situation or offering up creative ideas removes that fear of judgement.

So, in a jam-packed hour with Laura Drury, the team looked at:

• How our individual perceptions of the world, informed by our upbringing and experiences, bring different perspectives to the table
• The difference between psychological safety and trust, and the behaviours to build both.
• Positive communication tools and how best to use them
• Recognising and flexing your thinking and communication styles.
• How laughter helps to connect us, and humour helps us see a different point of view. Both are integral to the communication process!

And with Christmas coming, we started the session through the lens of the worst and best Christmas gifts! Why? Well, most of us know how we should communicate with someone who gives us a gift, which might be (how can we put this politely) unexpected, don’t we?!

Why not have a look at our Positive Communication Skills and Relationship Building session, or even better, contact Doug to find out more at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Just make sure you mention his Christmas gift is in the post – he does love baked goods!