Real change begins with conversation.
Harness the power of dialogue-based leadership to foster a willingness to embrace change and develop your communication skills in a targeted manner.
Team communication
Leadership through communication: providing impetus, fostering motivation
Change begins with dialogue. When staff are hesitant or react with uncertainty, conventional conversation strategies often reach their limits. What is needed then is an understanding of dialogue that uses ambivalence as an opportunity for development
Registration
- German
- hybrid
- 2 , 500 €
- Next start: 03.11.2026
- 3 Tage
- Campus Rheingau
Room for development
In order to make constructive use of ambivalence in the change process, a conversational approach is required that offers guidance rather than causing uncertainty. This is precisely where Motivational Interviewing comes in.
The seminar is based on Motivational Interviewing (MI), an evidence-based approach developed in the 1980s by psychologists William R. Miller and Stephen Rollnick. MI combines the client-centred methods of Carl Rogers’ humanistic psychology with practical strategies for supporting change and is now firmly established in leadership, coaching and organisational development.
Managers learn how to activate their employees’ willingness to change through targeted listening, mirroring and focusing, rather than stifling it through pressure or appeals. The dialogue places the focus on employees’ personal responsibility and strengthens their intrinsic motivation – based on psychological insights and following a clear, structured approach.
Ihre Vorteile auf einen Blick
- Strong practical focus underpinned by comprehensive theory
- Coaching in small groups
- Direct application within the peer group
- Structured and transparent modules and learning objectives
- Renowned lecturers with industry experience and an academic background
- Dedicated programme managers ensure prompt feedback and comprehensive support
- There are no additional costs. Our programmes are ‘all-inclusive’.
- Individual programme modules and exams can be retaken at any time
- A qualification from the Executive School at EBS University is a recognised mark of quality
- Strong alumni network
- There is the option of an individual and non-binding consultation
Who should take part?
This programme is aimed at executives, team leaders, HR managers and anyone who, in their day-to-day work, conducts discussions with staff in which ambivalence, uncertainty or resistance play a part.
You will benefit particularly if you…
- wish to develop your communication skills in a targeted manner.
- want to handle difficult conversations with greater confidence.
- wish to support change processes through dialogue and in a constructive manner.
- are responsible for the development of teams or organisational units.
- initiate or support change.
- wish to reflect on and strengthen your leadership style in order to foster trust, personal responsibility and motivation.
Prof. Dr. Myriam Bechtold
Prof. Dr Myriam Bechtoldt, a qualified psychologist, is Professor of Leadership at EBS University of Business and Law. She has been conducting research and teaching for many years at the intersection of leadership, emotion, motivation and organisational change. A particular focus of her work is on how leaders can remain capable of taking action in the face of uncertainty and inspire others to develop.
Programme structure
Three steps to dialogue-oriented leadership: Discover how to use ambivalence as an opportunity for development, encourage a willingness to change, and conduct conversations that provide lasting impetus – even when traditional strategies reach their limits.
Upon completion of the seminar, participants will receive a certificate attesting to the knowledge and skills acquired during the course in the application of motivational interviewing. A prerequisite for the award of the certificate is the successful completion of an assessed conversation sequence, in which participants put the core MI methods – active listening, mirroring, focusing and fostering a willingness to change – into practice. The certificate confirms the participants’ competence in applying these methods in the context of leadership, coaching and organisational development.
Part I: Psychological Foundations of Motivation and Change
- Ambivalence as a psychological phenomenon: Contradictions in change processes
- Autonomy, relatedness, competence – Deci & Ryan’s (2000) self-determination theory
- Reactance and the need for control in organisational change situations
Part II: An Introduction to Motivational Interviewing (MI)
- Approaches and principles of motivational counselling
- Four counselling processes: building rapport, focusing, evocation, planning
- Key techniques: open-ended questions, reflective listening, summarising, encouraging ‘change talk’
- Dealing with resistance without reinforcing it: managing dissonance and stagnation
Part III: Application in management practice
- Management meetings in times of uncertainty: from setting targets to discussing performance
- Engaging staff who feel “left out”
Recognised by the Financial Times
The Financial Times has ranked the leading providers of executive education for 2026. EBS Universität's Executive School achieved an outstanding position nationally among open programmes. Among the criteria in which the Executive School particularly excelled were graduate satisfaction, programme design and faculty. The Financial Times Ranking confirms the excellence of the Executive School's programmes and underlines our commitment to enabling successful careers through further education.
An overview
Next start date:
3–4 November 2026, 09:00–17:00 (face-to-face)
5 December 2026, 09:00–13:00 (online)
The total cost of the certificate course ‘Leadership through Communication: Providing Inspiration, Fostering Motivation’ is 2,500 euros. This service is exempt from VAT in accordance with Section 4(21)(a)(bb) of the German Value Added Tax Act (UStG).
I will be happy to help you
Sina Röther
Head of EBS Coaching and Leadership Hub