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Speak like Silk

Authentic and confident
communication in German

Silk is always fluent.
You can be, too.

Table of contents

1. What is Speak like Silk ?
2. Who is it for?
3. What will I learn?
4. What will change for me?
5. How is it organised?
6. What do we actually do?
7. Where is it?
8. What does it cost?
9. How can I register?

What is Speak like Silk ?

In our workshop Speak like Silk , we get together for two days to talk, discuss, learn, feel, laugh, … to try something new. To just be yourself in German. To find out how you want to communicate in German and discover what feels right for you.

Together, we talk and we listen, and we ask the following questions:

• How can I say what I mean in German?
• How can I understand what others want to say?
• What can I do when I feel that it’s all going wrong?
• What can I do when I feel insecure or self-conscious?
• How can I be me when I’m speaking German?

Here’s one answer: Silk is gentle to the touch. It keeps you warm when you need warmth. And it helps you to stay cool when things get hot. Silk is flexible to the needs of the moment. When we communicate, we need to be flexible, too. We might feel that others are cold to us. And we might worry when things get too hot. But to flow like silk, we need to stay gentle.

We’re different from other language courses and communication workshops:

• We don’t worry about your grammar.
  We focus on getting the message across.
• We don’t tell you to get rid of your accent.
  We want you to speak like you.
• We don’t give you rules to follow.
  We show you how to let go of the rules.
• We don’t teach you words to learn.
  We want you to find your own words.
• We show you that Kindness Communication is the key.

Please note that our workshops are not suitable for complete beginners. To participate, you need to be able to speak and understand the language of the workshop on at least a basic level. This means understanding what we say and talking to the others in the group. If you understand the sentences on this page, then you understand enough to participate.

Who is it for?

Speak like Silk is for everyone who already has a good knowledge of German (level B1 or higher) and wants to develop their communication potential in German for their professional and everyday needs.

• Do you get stressed if you have to use German without time to think about what you should say? Do you get nervous when you make presentations or speak at meetings in German?
• Do you feel insecure when talking to native speakers of German?
• Do you worry that other people will say that your German isn’t good enough?
• Do you want to make sure that you’ve understood the most important things and can ask productive questions?
• Do you want to improve your German to take the next step in your career?
• Would you like to be able to check whether the German from Google Translate and ChatGPT actually says what you want to say?
• Would you like to discover how to communicate authentically and confidently with other people in Austria?

If your answer to any of these questions is yes, then Speak like Silk is right for you. The workshop will give you the know-how you need and the tools to put it into practice.

What will I learn?

You will:

• learn to trust your German and communicate with greater confidence.
• develop strategies to help you communicate successfully in different situations.
• be able to understand what people really mean, not just what they say or write.
• bring your knowledge of different languages and cultures into the German you speak.
• better understand typical Austrian communication patterns.
• enhance your personal communication profile in German.

What will change for me?

When you’ve learned how to Speak like Silk :

• You won’t get stressed about talking to others.
  You will start enjoying it.
• You won’t be looking for words.
  You will always know what you want to say.
• You won’t worry about how other people speak.
  You will be speaking your way.

How is it organised?

Speak like Silk Speak like Silk runs for three (consecutive) days, from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm, including coffee and lunch breaks.

We speak German during the workshop; all teaching materials and discussions will be in German.

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 3-day workshop consists of the following:

• Day 1: Introduction; basic communication principles; 1-on-1 activities; authentic communication; accent; making sense of ‘mistakes’; defining successful communication; influence of non-verbal factors on communication (proximity/distance; status and hierarchy; spatial awareness etc.); communicative agency in specific situations; presentations with individual feedback.
• Day 2: Cooperation, not competition; speaking spontaneously; paraphrasing and letting go of the ‘right’ word; active listening; understanding without words; writing requests and refusals using Kindness Communication; possible interpretations and different reaction patterns; role-playing specific communication situations based on your input.
• Day 3: Writing German for different communicative goals; the role of empathy in communication; practicing persuasive communication; improvisation activities; speaking German under pressure; 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 cost?

Price for 2-day workshop per person: €1,920 – €1,600 plus 20 % VAT. (€320)

The price includes:

• your personal piece of silk so you can continue to practice flowing at home
• a Go like Silk box also useful for storing the silk
• “How to Go like Silk” folder with 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 Speak 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 Speak like Silk are the following. To register for a specific date, please click on it in the list below.

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