In today’s professional environment, characterized by increasingly complex relationships and a growing need for collaboration across individuals, teams, and functions, the ability to communicate effectively has become a critical competency for creating value within organizations. The quality of communication directly impacts the ability to build trust-based relationships, manage complex situations, address conflicts, and support the achievement of both individual and collective goals.
The Open Program in Communication Skills is designed to help participants develop greater awareness of their communication and interpersonal style, enabling them to identify their strengths, areas for improvement, and the most effective ways to enhance their professional interactions. The program combines assessment, training, and individual coaching sessions to support each participant in a practical and personalized development journey.
Through an experiential and practice-oriented approach, the program provides tools and methodologies that can be immediately applied in the workplace to communicate more assertively, manage difficult conversations, address conflicts constructively, and leverage feedback as a driver of growth and collaboration. Learning is grounded in well-established models and practical exercises that allow participants to work on real-life situations and quickly transfer new skills to their professional context.
A distinctive feature of the program is the use of the DISC & Motivators personal profile assessment, which enables participants to gain deeper insight into their communication style and the underlying motivations that influence their behaviors and decision-making processes. This increased self-awareness helps participants maximize their interpersonal strengths, experiment with new ways of interacting, and strengthen their ability to positively influence individuals, teams, and stakeholders.
ACCREDITATIONS AND RANKINGS
Bologna Business School is EQUIS – EFMD Quality Improvement System accredited, one of the most important international quality assessment and continuous improvement systems for Schools of Management and Business Administration.
Bologna Business School’s Open Programs are included in the Financial Times Ranking in the Executive Education 2026 category.
Massimo Franceschetti
Direttore Esecutivo
massimo.franceschetti@bbs.unibo.it
"Today, communication between people is one of the most important skills to be developed, in the face of still too little education on the subject. Be it within businesses, the family, the social groups one is a part of, knowing how to communicate consciously is essential. Common sense and do-it-yourself are no longer enough. It is necessary to acquire a deeper personal and personalized knowledge of the topic. That is why it is important to invest in these paths that offer a concrete and real contribution to personal growth and communication skills."
Structure
The program includes online warm-up activities prior to its official start, designed to prepare participants for the content, tools, and learning approach that will be used throughout the course.
The learning journey consists of eight online sessions, totaling 29 hours, combining full-day workshops and evening classes to facilitate participation by professionals and managers with full-time responsibilities. The learning experience is supported by an e-learning platform providing access to materials and exercises between sessions.
The program also includes an individual DISC & Motivators assessment, featuring a personalized report and a dedicated online feedback session, as well as two one-to-one coaching sessions with the faculty member. These coaching sessions are designed to explore in greater depth a topic of particular interest among those covered during the program.
Throughout the program, participants will explore four key modules:
• Effective Communication: Fundamentals
• Assertive Communication
• Communication in Difficult Conversations
• Communication and Feedback
The final session is designed to integrate the concepts and tools developed throughout the different modules through the analysis and discussion of complex professional situations, with the aim of consolidating learning outcomes and facilitating their application in participants’ organizational contexts.
Schedule
- Saturday, January 16 | 9:15 AM – 5:45 PM
- Thursday, January 21 | 5:00 PM – 8:00 PM
- Thursday, January 28 | 5:00 PM – 8:00 PM
- Thursday, February 4 | 5:00 PM – 8:00 PM
- Thursday, February 18 | 5:00 PM – 8:00 PM
- Thursday, February 25 | 5:00 PM – 8:00 PM
- Thursday, March 4 | 5:00 PM – 8:00 PM
- Saturday, March 13 | 9:15 AM – 1:15 PM
COURSES
Il modulo introduce i principi fondamentali della comunicazione efficace, sviluppando la consapevolezza dei meccanismi che influenzano il modo di comunicare e relazionarsi con gli altri. L’attenzione è rivolta alla gestione delle percezioni, delle emozioni e del rispetto reciproco come elementi chiave per costruire relazioni professionali efficaci.
Il modulo approfondisce l’assertività come capacità di esprimere idee, bisogni e aspettative in modo chiaro ed equilibrato, valorizzando al tempo stesso l’ascolto e la comprensione dell’altro. I partecipanti acquisiranno strumenti pratici per migliorare la qualità delle interazioni e gestire con maggiore efficacia le dinamiche relazionali.
Il modulo affronta le situazioni di tensione e conflitto che possono emergere nei contesti professionali, fornendo strumenti per gestire il confronto in modo costruttivo, favorire il dialogo e prevenire l’escalation delle divergenze.
Il modulo è dedicato al feedback come leva di crescita individuale e organizzativa. I partecipanti svilupperanno competenze utili per fornire feedback efficaci, valorizzare il contributo degli altri e accogliere osservazioni e suggerimenti come opportunità di miglioramento.
Learning approach
The program adopts a highly practical and experiential approach. Each session begins with real-life situations and challenges, often brought directly by participants, which are explored together with the faculty member through exercises, role-plays, and structured debriefing sessions. Debriefing is considered an integral part of the learning process rather than a supplementary activity, providing participants with the opportunity to reflect on their experiences, consolidate insights, and translate them into practical actions.
Particular emphasis is placed on listening skills—one of the most critical yet often overlooked communication competencies. Participants develop both active and empathetic listening capabilities, learning how to better understand others, build trust, and enhance the quality of their professional interactions.
The e-learning platform supports learning and reflection between sessions by providing access to additional materials, resources, and exercises. The DISC & Motivators behavioral assessment helps participants identify and better understand their behavioral style in both professional and interpersonal contexts, increasing self-awareness and effectiveness.
Individual coaching sessions offer the opportunity to address more personal or context-specific challenges within a confidential and supportive environment, ensuring that learning can be tailored as closely as possible to each participant’s professional needs and development goals.
Faculty
Faculty members at Bologna Business School work together offering outstanding teaching standards. An international and interdisciplinary approach is guaranteed by a joint team of distinguished national core professors, adjunct, visiting professors, guest speakers and top managers.
Networking
The open program is an experience built around people and relationships, fostering valuable connections through continuous interaction among participants, faculty members, and managers. During the classroom sessions, a dynamic network develops, enriched by the diversity of experiences, roles, and industries. A vibrant ecosystem that enhances learning and continues to generate value over time.
COMPANIES
Companies within the Bologna Business School network actively contribute to the development of the Open Programs by helping shape the content and bringing real-world experience into the classroom. Managers and professionals take part through testimonials, real business cases, and direct contributions, enriching the learning journey with a practical perspective. Interaction with companies from different industries encourages a continuous exchange of experiences and best practices. This ongoing dialogue between the classroom and the business world creates a dynamic ecosystem where skills, perspectives, and approaches come together, generating value for all participants.
FEES
The enrollment fee for the program is:
- €2,000 (+ VAT) for registrations from companies and institutions
- €1,600 (+ VAT) for individual registrations
The fee includes attendance of the program, all study materials available through the online platform, and access to Bologna Business School services, including: personal Wi-Fi account and use of the study areas.
Discounts are available for:
- early registrations;
- companies belonging to the Business Network;
- Alma/BBS and Profingest Alumni;
- groups of at least 3 people.
INTERPROFESSIONAL FUNDS
Alumni and Companies can check the availability of vouchers at the Interprofessional Fund reference:
Fondimpresa – for middle management
Fondo Dirigenti PMI – for managers of industrial SMEs
Fonditalia
Fondirigenti – for managers
Fon.Coop – for Cooperatives
REQUIREMENTS
The program is limited to a maximum of 10 participants in order to ensure an effective and interactive learning experience, and is open to professionals with diverse backgrounds and levels of experience.
APPLICATION PROCESS
To participate, it is necessary to request the application form by emailing openprograms@bbs.unibo.it. The team is available to provide all relevant information and support candidates throughout the process.
FAQs
At the end of the course, a participation certificate is issued (upon reaching 80% of classroom hours).
The documents used in the classroom and any further reading or exercises will be uploaded to our platform, whose credentials will be delivered in the classroom.
Should a group of colleagues wish to participate in the program, it is possible to contact the Program Manager to evaluate an ad hoc participation price.
Our short courses do not require a specific course of study. It is important to have a few years of work experience behind you that can help you, inside the classroom, by bringing real cases dealt with and solutions adopted during your work.
