Name: The two sides of the moon: interpersonal communication
Start: 2026-02-06T17:00:00+00:00
End: 2026-02-06T19:00:00+00:00
Location: Loughborough University London

The two sides of the moon: interpersonal communication

Dive into the ups and downs of how we chat and connect face-to-face—let's uncover the real talk!
About this Event

In a world shaped by technology, fast decisions, and constant interaction, people skills are more than ever essential.

When we learn people skills, we need to focus on two different aspects:

· the rational, conscious and structured component of human communication which we can be trained on. This is like the near side of the moon that we see all the time.
· and the unconscious, emotional component, which most of the times we can’t see. This is like the dark side of the moon.

This 1.5-hour interactive session helps university students develop self-awareness, communication skills, and ethical negotiation capabilities by first understanding how we think, feel, and react. Rather than teaching influence as a strategic trick, the session focuses on trust as an authentic quality supported by empathy, collaborative approaches, and responsibility.

Participants will explore:

· The key people skills required to be successful
· Practical tools for communicating, listening, and handling disagreement constructively
· How unconscious bias shapes everyday decisions and relationships
· Why trust starts with understanding people
· How negotiation is part of daily life (not just business deals)

The session is highly interactive, reflective, and based on real-world scenarios. It will cover both the rational (and often conscious) and the emotional (and sometimes unconscious) components of interpersonal relations.

Agenda (1.5 Hours)
1. Why “effective communication” matters
2. Perception, Bias & Assumptions
3. How to develop real trust-based relationships
4. Negotiation as a Life Skill
5. Experiential learning

👤 The Instructors

Massimo Maltempi is an expert in business transformation, strategy, and change. He helps leaders align their teams with future-focused, purpose-driven visions.

Guglielmina Barbieri, Chartered Psychologist, brings experiential methods and emotional intelligence into leadership development, empowering leaders to access both reason and intuition.