Workshop: Uncomfortable Situations in English - How to be Assertive and Responsive (B1 or Above)

Uncomfortable Situations in English - How to be Assertive and Responsive (B1 or Above)

This workshop is designed for any staff member who wants help in developing strategies to remain assertive and responsive in potentially uncomfortable or stressful situations in English, either on the telephone or face-to-face.

Target Group

Faculty & staff with a level of English of B1+ or above according to the Common European Frame of Reference for Languages; you can find a guideline for self-evaluation here >>.

Workshop Goals

In this one-day intensive workshop you will be able to develop your own individual approach to coping with uncomfortable situations in English in which you need both to be both responsive and assertive. At the end of the workshop you will feel more confident in dealing with students’ and/or clients’ requests, demands or complaints in an appropriate and professional manner.

Workshop Content

The specific skills we will work on will be based on prepared input materials and exercises which we will then be able to relate to any individual examples of situations or cases which you may bring with you.  These skills will include:

• actively listening
• dealing with misunderstandings (including asking appropriate questions)
• checking for comprehension
• showing sympathy
• communicating important information clearly and effectively
• steering and ending conversations

Location, Date and Time

Wednesday, 21 November 2018, 09.00 am - 5.00 pm

All registered participants will be informed of the location by email one week before the event.

Fees and Registration

This workshop is open to a limited number of participants. The registration deadline is 07 November 2018.

Please note that you should notify us before the registration deadline if you are unable to attend the workshop. Otherwise the full fee will be charged.
Please let the Personnel Development and Planning Office know if you will not be attending. There are often waiting lists for the workshops, and this will give one of your colleagues the chance to attend. In addition, if we can fill the vacancy with someone from the waiting list, no cancellation charges will apply for you.

To sign up for this workshop, please click "Register" at the bottom of this page. For any further information please contact Elke Rittersbacher (elke.rittersbacher@wu.ac.at, Ext. 4448).

Trainer

Anthony Copnall, M.A., P.G.C.E.   Born and educated in England, Anthony Copnall holds a bachelor’s degree in German and Swedish and a master’s degree in TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) which he gained at the Institute of Education, University of London A qualified modern languages teacher, he taught at secondary school level in England before becoming a lecturer at WU’s Institute for English Business Communication in 2002, a post which he has held full-time since 2004. He is an experienced continuing education trainer and has run a variety of popular workshops for academic, professional and business contexts for WU and external institutions