Building Confidence in Patient-focussed Interpersonal Skills as a Returning Trainee (RTT14MAY26)

You will leave this session with practical, actionable strategies you can implement immediately in clinical settings. By exploring real-world scenarios and receiving personalised feedback, you will strengthen your ability to navigate difficult conversations, deliver sensitive information with clarity and compassion, and foster stronger therapeutic relationships.

In addition, the workshop offers a supportive environment to practise new techniques, learn from colleagues, and gain insight into one’s own communication style. Whether you’re looking to enhance teamwork, reduce misunderstandings, or improve patient outcomes, this workshop provides the tools and confidence needed to communicate with greater purpose, presence, and professionalism.

Join us to elevate your communication skills and enrich the care experience for both patients and providers.

Booking courses

Please ensure that you check your availability before booking a place and add the booking to your diary / calendar. Please ensure that you also book the relevant study leave in advance with your employer.

Please refrain from booking multiple instances of the same course or course type to ensure that places are available to your colleagues. If a course is full, please add yourself to the waiting list and you will receive a notification if a place becomes available.

Joining Instructions

This is a virtual course, the joining instructions for the virtual meeting will be added to the documents section (above) before the course. Please ensure that you are able to access this before the course so that you are ready to join on the day.

Booking cancellation

Participants must make every effort to attend courses they have booked. If your availability changes after booking, please cancel your place through Maxcourse as soon as possible. This will release the place for colleagues on the waiting list.

If you need to cancel within 1 week of the course or the course has started and you are not able to attend, please email england.lsfdcourses.yh@nhs.net to give your apologies.

This course is restricted to trainee doctors and dentists who are taking time out of training or who have returned to training within the last 3 months. IMG trainee doctors may also attend within their first 6 months of working within the NHS. (IMG = International Medical Graduate.) Please only book if you meet these criteria.

Mandatory: Dentist, or Doctor, or Public Health Professional

• Gain a heightened sense of self-awareness, allowing you to better understand your own behaviour's and reactions.
• Master techniques to demonstrate empathy and confidence through both verbal and non-verbal communication.
• Learn how to build strong rapport with patients and colleagues while developing strategies to stay calm and manage emotions in high-pressure or uncomfortable situations.

Emotional Intelligence Under Pressure - Learn to recognise emotional triggers and take control of your reactions, even in high-stress situations. Develop the ability to stay composed and respond effectively rather than react impulsively.

The Power of Body Language - Discover the hidden language of non-verbal communication. Understand key body language signals, interpret unspoken cues, and refine your own gestures to enhance clarity and trust.

Active Listening: More Than Just Hearing - Unlock the power of true listening—grasp the importance of perspective, improve patient engagement, and ensure every conversation is meaningful and productive.

Mastering Effective Questioning - Craft the right balance of open and closed questions to gather clear, concise patient histories. Learn to navigate unstructured narratives and encourage meaningful dialogue. Gain practical strategies for influencing conversations and achieving win-win outcomes.

Refining Your Verbal Communication - Enhance the impact of your speech with the right speed, emphasis, articulation, and well-placed pauses. Cut through the complexity—ditch the medical jargon and ensure clarity for all.

Empathy & Delivering Difficult News - Master the delicate balance of professionalism and compassion. Learn when and how to show empathy, and understand that the way bad news is delivered can leave a lasting impact. Develop essential skills for breaking difficult news with sensitivity and care.

By the end of this training, participants will be able to:

Emotional Intelligence Under Pressure Identify their own emotional triggers in high-stress situations and apply strategies to regulate their responses. Demonstrate the ability to remain composed and respond thoughtfully rather than react impulsively.

The Power of Body Language - Interpret key non-verbal cues in patient interactions to enhance understanding and rapport. Apply effective body language techniques to improve clarity, trust, and communication.

Active Listening: More Than Just Hearing - Use active listening skills to accurately understand patient perspectives and concerns. Engage patients more effectively by ensuring conversations are purposeful, empathetic, and productive.

Mastering Effective Questioning - Formulate appropriate open and closed questions to obtain clear, concise patient histories. Structure and guide conversations to manage unstructured narratives and support collaborative, win-win outcomes.

Refining Your Verbal Communication - Communicate clearly by adjusting speed, emphasis, articulation, and pauses to suit patient needs. Replace jargon with accessible language to ensure patient understanding and reduce miscommunication.

Empathy & Delivering Difficult News - Demonstrate empathy appropriately while maintaining professional boundaries. Apply recognised frameworks for delivering difficult news sensitively, ensuring a supportive and respectful experience for patients.