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Description

Constructive Communication: Listening, Voicing Needs and Defusing Tension — Short Format

Replace blame and unspoken grievances with conversations that actually address the disagreement

  • 2 days — 14 h
  • In-person or virtual
  • Foundation
  • Up to 6 participants

Within a team, tension rarely comes from the facts themselves but from the way they are voiced. Blame triggers defensiveness, irony blurs the message, and what is left unsaid allows the problem to settle in until open conflict breaks out.

A short, practical format to adopt a way of speaking that separates facts from interpretation, states how a situation feels and turns it into a negotiable request. Participants practise on professional situations they bring themselves and leave with ready-to-use wording.

Learning objectives

  • Distinguish observed facts from personal interpretation
  • Formulate a request instead of a reproach
  • Practise listening that restates before responding
  • Express disagreement without attacking the person
  • Carry a difficult conversation through to an explicit agreement

What makes this programme different

The situations worked on are submitted by participants before the session
Every clumsy phrasing is rewritten collectively and then replayed
A memo of wording ready for immediate use back at work is built during the session

Programme

1Separating Facts from Everything Else

Describing instead of judging

  • Spot the judgements slipped into a description
  • Describe a behaviour in observable terms
  • Name what the situation triggers in you
  • Identify the underlying need

2Listening and Restating

Understanding before responding

  • Ask open questions about the situation
  • Restate what has been said before reacting
  • Acknowledge an emotion without commenting on it
  • Identify what is genuinely blocking the exchange

3Formulating and Negotiating

Turning tension into a request

  • State a precise and negotiable request
  • Express disagreement without attacking the person
  • Propose a solution and accept a counter-proposal
  • Close on an explicit agreement with a date

Who is it for

Employees, managers and team members who face relational tension in their day-to-day working life.

Prerequisites

No prerequisites

Dates & locations

36 scheduled dates between November 2026 and December 2027. Seats are confirmed in the order enquiries are received.

November 2026

December 2026

January 2027

February 2027

March 2027

April 2027

May 2027

June 2027

September 2027

October 2027

November 2027

December 2027

None of these dates suit you? We open additional sessions on request, and any programme can be run privately for your team.

Practical details

Before the programme
Online positioning questionnaire. Your development objectives are shared with the trainer, who tailors the practical case studies to your context.
Teaching methods
Theoretical input, workshops and practical case studies. Digital course materials and method sheets provided.
Assessment
Multiple-choice tests and role-play exercises. Assessment of learning at the start and end of the programme, with immediate and 60-day follow-up evaluations.
After the programme
One year of access to the e-learning platform. Self-assessment of the skills acquired and a 30-day follow-up session with your trainer.
How to register
Registration online or on the basis of a quotation.
Lead time
11 working days after confirmation of registration.
Accessibility
Accessible to people of determination. Contact our accessibility coordinator to design a suitable solution: contact@mpf-academy.ae
Start dates
Rolling intake: in addition to the scheduled sessions, this programme can start on request.