Why the same message lands differently
A clear instruction is implemented differently, feedback feels like an attack or negotiation sticks to positions rather than interests. Relationship, role, tone and situation affect meaning. Repeating the same words is rarely enough.
Testing models against real conversations
Sender–receiver models, the four-sides model, transactional analysis and Watzlawick’s axioms offer different perspectives. We use them to understand your situation: what did you intend, what was heard and what changes with a different role or channel?
Exercises include preparing a difficult conversation, building arguments, asking questions and giving or receiving feedback. Body language, voice, listening and checking understanding are all part of the work.
Negotiation and intercultural cooperation
Negotiation combines preparation with attention to interests and scope for action. Cultural expectations of directness, hierarchy and courtesy can differ. We examine context without reducing individuals to supposed national traits.
Preparing a difficult conversation
Separate intention from observation. What happened, what did you observe and what do you want in future? This makes your concern more verifiable. Prepare for the possibility that the other person experienced the same event differently.
- Which observation can you describe without assumptions?
- Which shared understanding would you like to check?
- Which next agreement is specific enough to act on?
When a conversation alone is no longer enough
Better conversation skills address misunderstandings, but entrenched conflict needs its own remit and approach. Communication and mediation are connected yet serve different purposes. Conflict resolution is therefore a separate consulting concern.