The communication course for senior technical experts
Sign up for our flagship communication course, focused on the unique challenges of senior technical experts. Learn to:
- explain complex ideas to non-experts
- organise your thoughts under pressure
- sound articulate even when you’re unsure
Join a small group of peers in central London for two days of learning with Jonathan Kahn. Plus 1-to-1 sessions to apply it to real life.
Overcome the “senior expert” roadblock.
When you advance far enough as a technical expert, you hit the roadblock. Suddenly it’s not enough to understand your area. You’re expected to explain it to generalists—under pressure. You may need to:
- gather your thoughts off-the-cuff
- defend your approach in front of executives
- convince decision-makers to follow your advice
It’s enough to make the most accomplished expert panic. But don’t despair! This isn’t the end—it’s a sign that you need to learn a new skillset. The art of effective communication.
What we’ll cover
Core competencies
Gain the competencies senior technical experts need to be effective.
You’ll be able to:
- explain complex ideas to non-experts
- organise your thoughts under pressure
- project confidence—even when you’re nervous
- practise active listening
- deliver powerful, concise presentations
- convince any audience with storytelling
- influence stakeholders by showing that you’re credibile
- display executive presence
Course outline
The course consists of 4 modules:
- Saying “yes” (generosity vs. control)
- why we say “yes, but…” at work
- the power of “yes, and…”
- Active listening
- 3 types of listening
- active listening: theory and practice
- Status
- behaviours that endow high vs. low status
- change your status to match the situation
- Leadership styles
- the four leadership styles
- benefits of generous high status
Plus a bonus module on delivering effective feedback.
Group course or 1-to-1? Choose both.
Get the best of both worlds. Our flagship course with 1-to-1 coaching sessions included.
Gain new skills fast
Combine 1-to-1 coaching with in-person training
2-day intensive course
Immerse yourself in the skills you need to thrive
Max. 8 per group
Small group—time for practice & individual input
Central London location
A welcoming studio space to try out new approaches
1-to-1 coaching calls
Includes 3 × coaching calls to apply skills in real life
Expert coach
Led by Jonathan Kahn (10 years’ experience)
How it works
One week before the course
First 1-to-1 coaching call. You’ll work with Jonathan to:
- identify areas where you’re blocked
- choose bold, achievable goals
You’ll hit the ground running—because you know what you’re aiming for.
Face-to-face course, central London
Two days of intensive training in a group of up to 8 technical experts. You’ll:
- try out skills and techniques
- rehearse common scenarios in groups
- apply new approaches to real workplace challenges
- get direct coaching from Jonathan
The intimate studio and small group of peers provides the time and space to absorb new skills. So you’re ready to use them in action.
Two-month period after the course
Your chance to apply your new communication skills in real life.
During this period you’ll schedule 2 × 1-to-1 coaching calls with Jonathan. Use the calls to:
- identify opportunities to use the new techniques at work
- unpick challenges, get feedback and generate new ideas
- track progress towards your goals (and set new ones)
The coaching calls let you apply what you learned in the course to your specific workplace goals.
A communication coach who groks technical experts.
Jonathan Kahn has spent the last decade showing techies how to connect.
He started out as a web developer, but realised the value of effective communication. He found a talent for coaching and hasn’t looked back. Since 2013 he’s run conferences, courses and countless coaching sessions. And he’s trained teams like the Government Digital Service.
Today Jonathan coaches senior technical experts from any discipline. From engineers to designers, surgeons to research scientists, financial experts to UN peacekeepers. He understands techies’ unique communication needs, because:
- he used to be one, and learnt the hard way
- he’s coached hundreds of technical experts
This experience lets him zoom in on the skills you need right now to succeed at work. Combined with his expert listening and coaching skills, you’ll unblock challenges with ease. And see immediate improvements to your impact.
Trusted by senior engineers, designers, researchers, devops consultants, product managers & more…
“I needed to understand how to communicate clearly with a diverse audience. We learnt communication techniques with targeted demonstrations. The active role-playing and feedback worked well. I will recommend the course to colleagues.”Jude, Energy Systems Engineer, BP
“The role-playing exercise imitated real life events and prepared me better for them. Acting out aspects such as high and low status showed me how impactful they are in real life. I learned many things that will improve my professional career.”Gil, Full Stack Engineer, Unmade
“I wanted to communicate more confidently but didn’t know where to start. The course helped me identify the aspects I want to improve, and showed me how. The contents are well organized, interesting and applicable to day-to-day conversations.”Judit, Aircraft Safety Engineer, Amaris Consulting
“Kept you focused on what you wanted from it more than any other course I’ve been on. Jonathan is a skilled, open and honest facilitator who didn’t shy away from difficult topics and kept us engaged.”Urmi, Delivery Manager, Government Digital Service
“It was great to have the environment and guidance to practise. I liked the improv, the games and practical exercises. Having the group involved in exercises was great and representative of reality. The course can make workplaces more humane.”Andrew, DevOps Consultant, The Scale Factory
“It gave me tools & insights to modify/improve my skills. The best part was the instructor’s observations and the try, try, try again method—until it was fine tuned.”Vitor, Product Design, Farfetch
“I took away lots of practical ways to rethink language and physicality. Also, more broadly I think it has helped with confidence. I think plenty of professionals would benefit from this, and get a lot from how practical it is.”Dan, UX Designer, Ministry of Justice
“Covers lots of bases, gives you a set of tools/frameworks and insights into your strengths and weaknesses to build on. The role-playing exercises were very helpful as was Jonathan’s feedback. I liked the way he built the course around our different priorities.”Emma, Innovation Programme Lead, The National Gallery
“This is the best course I’ve ever been on. It transformed how I communicate and hard-wired these changes into my day-to-day work (and life) through practice, analysis and repetition. Recommend for anyone who wants to get better at managing stakeholders or influencing change.”Scott, Content Designer, Scottish Government
“I enjoyed the improv, the theory like high/low status and the chance to practise real examples. Jonathan was great at challenging us with excellent feedback and trying things out again. The size of the group worked well—we each had plenty of time for practice.”Calliste, Product Manager, Oxford University Press
“It was insightful to uncover the different mechanisms that shape the way I’m being perceived. Playing the scenario made the theory more practical and listening to how you word things helped me expand my vocabulary and toolset for dealing with these situations.”Yaniv, User Research, Booking.com
“Provides a comprehensive overview of effective communication skills. I found the teacher to be engaging and knowledgeable. Plenty of opportunities for practice and feedback. In role plays I quickly realised what skills I could improve. I am confident that any colleague who takes this course would benefit from it.”Marco, Frontend Engineer, FloodFlash
Simple, inclusive pricing.
Intensive communication skills course
Tailored to the needs of senior technical experts.
What’s included
- Two days of intensive training in central London
- Instruction, coaching and feedback from Jonathan Kahn
- Practise in a peer group of up to 8 senior technical experts
- Lunch and refreshments on both days
- Digital handout (covers techniques, theory & further reading)
- 3 × 1-to-1 coaching sessions with Jonathan Kahn by video call (1 hour each)
Book a course
Upcoming dates
- 10–11 July 20259:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Central LondonBookings close: 13 Jun
Not ready to book just yet? Get started for free.
If you’re interested in the intensive course but not ready to take the plunge, we have just the thing.
A free 5-day course which you can start right now.
Spend 10 minutes per day learning key skills through:
- video lessons
- interactive exercises
- quizzes to test your skills
Did we mention it’s free?
Free online course
Daily prompts
Video lessons
Interactive exercises
In just 10 minutes per day, learn to:
- Use the right vocab
- Improve body language
- Speak off the cuff
- Be articulate
- Manage anxiety