Go like Silk
Professional like Silk
Confident communication in English for your job
Flow through texts
with the ease of silk.
Table of contents
- What Professional like Silk?
- Who is it for?
- What will I learn?
- What will change for me?
- How is it organised?
- What do we actually do?
- Where is it?
- What does it cost?
- How can I register?
What is Professional like Silk?
Nearly everyone needs to use English at work. For many people who haven’t grown up speaking English, this can sometimes be a challenge. We can feel stressed, nervous or have the feeling that we cannot be our best professional selves when we communicate in English.
What can you do about this? English, like any other language, is about communicating with other people. It’s not just the words and grammar you use that count. It’s about getting your message across with clarity and respect in a way that helps you feel comfortable.
Our workshop Professional like Silk is designed to get the best out of your English so that you can say what you want to say confidently and efficiently. Together, we explore ways in which you can develop your own communication style that is adaptable to all professional contexts in English.
Who is it for?
Professional like Silk is for everyone who uses English at work and is looking to develop their communication potential for international and other settings in which English is required.
- Do you get stressed if you have to use English without time to think about what you should say? Do you get nervous when you make presentations or speak at meetings in English?
- Do you feel insecure when talking to native speakers of English?
- Do you worry that other people will say that your English isn’t good enough?
- Do you want to make sure that you’ve understood the most important things and can ask productive questions?
- Would you like to be able to check whether the English from Google Translate and ChatGPT actually says what you want to say?
- Would you like to be able to chat to people informally at work and feel that you can be yourself when networking in English?
- Would you like to discover how to communicate in English with colleagues, partners and clients in a global context in a way that is both authentic and professional?
If your answer to any of these questions is yes, then Professional like Silk is right for you. The workshop will give you the know-how you need and the tools to put it into practice.
We also offer this workshop for in-house training purposes for employees at your company or organisation and would be happy to arrange additional dates with you. Please get in touch.
If you are looking for personalised coaching tailored to your individual communication needs and goals, you can also book Professional like Silk as individual sessions.
What will I learn?
You will:
- learn how to speak and understand English fluently in your workplace.
- be able to understand what people really mean, not just what they say or write.
- develop strategies for managing stress in different communication situations so that you stop worrying about using English.
- develop a communication style in English that suits both you and your job profile.
- be able to approach the different varieties of English used in global communication in a cooperative and professional manner free from stereotypes.
- learn to negotiate different expectations and dynamics in English international communication with confidence and respect.
What will change?
When you’ve learned how to be Professional like Silk:
- You will no longer trip over unexpected words and phrases. You will be able to say everything you want to say.
- You will no longer feel that speaking English is a struggle. You will find your own voice in English and enjoy using it.
- You will no longer want to look up every other word. You will be able to express yourself in your own words.
- Global English will no longer feel strange to you. You will feel at home in English as a global language.
How is it organised?
Professional like Silk runs for five (consecutive) mornings, from 9:00 am to 12:30 pm, including coffee breaks.
We speak English during the workshop; all teaching materials and discussions will be in English.
The workshop is held by both Michèle and Michael with 6 to 10 participants. Upon completion of the workshop, you will receive a certificate on paper confirming your successful participation.
What do we actually do?
The programme for the workshop consists of the following:
- Day 1: Introduction; communication basics; identifying individual stress moments and problematic situations when communicating in English; practical comprehension strategies.
- Day 2: English as a lingua franca; accents and varieties of English; English as a ‘native’ and ‘foreign’ language.
- Day 3: Communication in English as cooperation, not competition; phone calls and e-mail communication; managing misunderstandings; formulating productive questions.
- Day 4: International communication styles; negotiating different expectations and politeness strategies; smalltalk; rapport management.
- Day 5: Presentations with individual feedback. Discussing individual questions and concerns. Workshop feedback and certificates.
Where is it?
For our workshops, we invite you to our office in Vienna, Austria. Read more about where we work.
What does it costs?
Price for the 5-morning workshop per person: €1,620 – €1,350 plus 20 % VAT (€270)
The price includes:
- your own piece of silk in a Go like Silk box so you can continue to practice flowing at home
- “How to Go like Silk” folder with summary and further reading recommendations
- coffee, tea and non-alcoholic drinks when the workshop is held at our office
- your certificate upon completion of the workshop
We offer a reduced rate of €840 – €700 plus 20 % VAT (€140) – for students, people doing their military service or Zivildienst as well as others on a reduced income.
We would like to offer our services to everyone who wants to learn more about Kindness Communication. If our regular prices exceed your financial resources, please get in touch with us. We wish to find a solution that works for us and for you.
How can I register?
We offer Professional like Silk on fixed dates throughout the year as well as on request. If you would like to arrange individual dates for your organisation or company, please get in touch.
Our next regular dates for Professional like Silk are the following. To register for a specific date, please click on it in the list below.
- Professional like Silk (24.03.–28.03.2025)
- Professional like Silk (02.06.–06.06.2025)
- Professional like Silk (22.09.–26.09.2025)
Please note our terms and conditions for participating and our information on accessibility.
To be fluent means to flow.
Go like Silk