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August 17, 2025FURTHER EXPERTISE
How to know if communication skills training will work for your team
Expert Opinion from Rich Watts published August 11, 2025
Before you invest in communication skills training (or any training!) it’s always worth pressing pause for a moment, taking a deep breath and quickly reflecting.
This isn’t to slow things down unnecessarily, but to make sure you’re choosing the right solution for the right reason.
To be successful when designing, developing and purchasing training solutions, we need to be clear on why you’re training in the first place, and whether training is the tool that will truly get you the result you want.
(Yes, yes, we know this might mean that we are here at Further are talking ourselves out of work by publishing this article. But going Further sometimes means saying, “Hang on… this might not be a training problem at all.”)
Here are six quick but powerful questions we recommend asking before you begin any training project.
These are great whether it’s a short skills session or the start of a longer programme.
Training that is linked to a bigger picture ensures relevance and that you are heading in the right direction. But then you need to ask…
FIRST QUESTION...
1. What are our organisational objectives?
Start big. What is your organisation aiming for right now? Growth? Culture change? Stronger client relationships?
Training that is linked to a bigger picture ensures relevance and that you are heading in the right direction. But then you need to ask…
SECOND QUESTION...
2. How does our team contribute to those objectives?
Zoom in. How does this group of people move the business forward?
For example:
- If your goal is stronger client relationships, your account managers might need to handle tricky conversations with more confidence.
- If your aim is faster project delivery, project leads might need sharper meeting skills.
Making that connection keeps training relevant and purposeful.
THIRD QUESTION...
3. What skills or behaviours do these people need?
Get specific. Instead of “better communication,” think:
- Giving clear, constructive feedback
- Managing virtual meetings that actually get things done
- Communicating complex ideas simply and persuasively
Specific needs lead to focused, effective training.
FOURTH QUESTION...
4. What’s holding them back right now?
It’s not always a skills gap. Sometimes the blockers are:
- Confidence issues
- Unspoken cultural norms
- A lack of examples showing what “good” looks like
When you know what’s really in the way, you can decide if training is the right fix. You may find that it is something else needs to change first.
FIFTH QUESTION...
5. Is training the best way to meet this need?
Be honest. Training can be brilliant, but it’s not magic. If the problem is structural or cultural, training alone won’t solve it.
We sometimes recommend holding off until other barriers are addressed. We’ll support you to make the right decision, even if it is the harder one.
SIXTH QUESTION...
6. How will we know it worked?
Set clear success measures from the start. Whether that’s improved client feedback, quicker project delivery, or stronger collaboration.
Knowing what success looks like helps you prove the impact and keeps everyone accountable.
IN CONCLUSION
Our approach at Further
We work through these questions with every Further Communications client before designing a single session. It means your training is always targeted, relevant, and tied to your real business goals.
Sometimes, the answer isn’t training and that’s fine. Because the real aim isn’t to run a workshop. It’s to make a difference and give your people the skills that they need to go further (see what we did there?!).
Have a communication challenge right now?
Let’s explore it together. We’ll help you work through these questions (and more) so that you can be confident you’re making the right investment.
If you want more insight, ideas and powerful questions, then check out all of our free communication skills resources here.
