Communication & Conflict Resolution in Business
“Brilliantly simple” or “simply brilliant”? — There is no substitute for clear communication. Communication is not everything, but without communication, everything is nothing. Whether among colleagues or with clients, mono- or intercultural, real or virtual — good collaboration is a prerequisite for business success. We train teams to consciously use the HOW of communication, rather than talking past the WHAT.
Service Overview:
We train your team: Decoding people and their motivations, group dynamic management, formulating goals clearly, language as a leadership technique, feedback and consensus building.
Suitable for:
This service is aimed at:
- Leaders and decision-makers
- Teams in intercultural collaboration
- Organizations with conflict needs
- Multinational and binational teams
What ICO Communication Training Addresses:
Most conflicts in organizations are not factual conflicts but relationship conflicts — and subject-matter expertise is useless if the connection with the other person is not established. Four specific areas of tension show where communication in teams typically breaks down:
- Misunderstandings despite speaking the same language
- Escalated conflicts within the team
- Intercultural barriers in business contact
- Lack of feedback culture
ICO offers a dedicated training module for each of these areas — pragmatic, industry-neutral, and with clear transfer to everyday work.
Topics and Goals:
Communication training at ICO rests on three pillars — communicating effectively, working successfully across cultures, and navigating conflicts constructively. Three focal points that complement each other and require their own methods and settings:
Communicate Effectively
Contact first – then information: The HOW dominates the WHAT. We train the nonverbal 90%, Schulz von Thun models, and your own voice and presence profile — for convincing impact in the team.
Interculturally Strong
Culture is mental programming. With Hall/Hofstede, perspective shifts, and conflict early-warning systems, we equip teams for mergers, expansions, and international collaboration.
Master Conflicts
From thin to elastic branch: Conflict perception, factual-vs-emotional analysis, de-escalation, and mediation according to Thomann/Schulz von Thun. Tension becomes clarification.
Included in every seminar:
Our quality promise: Every ICO program follows the same standards — methodologically sound, individually tailored, sustainably effective.
Expectation Survey:
We ensure that we work on the specific needs of the participants. Flexibility in execution is our core philosophy.
Seminar Materials:
Every participant receives our method manuals & work tools in physical and digital form, as well as e-learning videos where applicable.
Method Mix:
We use modern, field-tested, agile, and stable methods that integrate optimally and are compatible with all industries.
Online Seminars:
A meaningful combination of in-person seminars, webinars, and e-learning means optimal resource use with maximum effect. Fast, lean, effective.
Feedback:
Your feedback is our quality assurance. We look forward to reflecting with you for our continuous improvement process.
Free Bonus Material:
PDF Download: "Fit 4 Life" Method Pool
A compact overview of the models and tools we work with: 4 sides of a message according to Schulz von Thun, cultural dimensions according to Hall and Hofstede, WEV (Perceive-Feel-Assume), stress model, energram, feedback rules, voice and presence profile, as well as pacing & leading from NLP
Schedule a Consultation
Peter Tümmers von Schoenebeck
Contact first — then information. The HOW dominates the WHAT.
Good conflict perception is a prerequisite for conflict clarification and helps find effective solutions for tense situations. Less than 10% of human communication is verbal — over 90% is nonverbal. Anyone who wants to effectively reach teams must engage the whole person. Three principles shape every ICO communication training:
Relationship Before Content
Subject-matter expertise and years of experience are useless if the connection with the other person is not established. We consciously build the relationship level — only then does the content land.
Culture is Mental Programming
In contact between different cultures, worlds collide. With Hall/Hofstede, perspective shifts, and empathy, we train the recognition of invisible codes — a prerequisite for a common wavelength.
From Thin to Elastic Branch
Conflicts are unavoidable but not always destructive. Early perception, factual-vs-emotional analysis, and mediation according to Thomann/Schulz von Thun turn a brittle branch into a resilient one.
What Your Participants Take Away from the Training
We do not talk about communication — we change it. Four areas where ICO has made a difference for over two decades — and what participants concretely take away from the training in each:
Pragmatic Models from 25 Years of Practice
Schulz von Thun, Hall/Hofstede, Thomann, NLP — we use the best from communication psychology, mediation, and systemic work. But not academically, rather reduced to what actually works on the job. Application guarantee instead of textbook.
Language as a Leadership Technique
From “I just talk this way” to “I consciously decide how I speak.” Participants train their voice and presence profile (with video training upon request) and learn to use their impact deliberately — especially where words must carry decisions.
Outdoor Transfer to Reality
Understand indoors, experience outdoors, apply on the job. In the experiential outdoor setting, real group dynamics emerge — not dry exercises in a seminar room. What participants learn about themselves and the team at the river or in the forest, they do not forget.
Formulate Goals Clearly
Vague expectations lead to vague results. With Schulz von Thun models and WEV (Perceive-Feel-Assume), participants practice cleanly separating factual and relationship levels — and formulating goals so that the team does not have to interpret them first.
Intercultural Expertise at Corporate Level
We have supported teams from Daimler to international mid-sized companies to merger partners from Asia. This experience flows into every intercultural training — with concrete case studies instead of general theory.
Prepare and Conduct Negotiations
Strategic conversation planning instead of gut improvisation: Handling objections, anticipating objections, and pacing & leading from NLP. From “I hope this works” to “I know how to approach this.”
Conflict Mediation at the Highest Level
When a conflict has already escalated, our certified ICO coaches act as mediators — methodology according to Christoph Thomann and Friedemann Schulz von Thun. Speed, emphasis, and the necessary sensitivity to turn the thin branch into an elastic one.
Factual vs. Emotional — Reading Conflicts Correctly
Those who recognize conflict status early choose the right tool — and avoid escalation. Participants learn to distinguish factual differences from emotional tension, read conflict escalation levels, and choose the appropriate format: clarification conversation, moderated session, or external mediation. From “We’ll just talk” to a consciously chosen clarification path.
How a Communication Training at ICO Works
From First Inquiry to Changed Team Dynamics:
A communication training at ICO follows a clear arc — from the non-binding initial conversation to anchoring in team daily life. Not a template, but a learning journey tailored to your team.
01 Initial consultation
Non-binding, free of charge. We clarify the occasion, target group, industry and desired effect—and whether the format is a good fit at all.
02 Needs & Concept
Optional preliminary interviews or online diagnostics, then a tailored training concept with method mix (indoor/outdoor/online) and transfer plan.
03 Training
1-day impulse, 2-day intensive, or process distributed over multiple modules. Indoor, in an outdoor setting, or as a hybrid with webinar components.
04 Transfer & Anchoring
Reflection session at the end of training, individual implementation commitments per participant, and optionally 1–2 follow-up webinars after 4–8 weeks.
Testimonials from Communication & Conflict Resolution at ICO
Request Team Training — Schedule Initial Consultation
Would you like to make your team articulate, clarify a simmering conflict, or bring your international team to a common wavelength? We tailor format, content, and setting individually with you — the first conversation is free of charge.
Frequently Asked Questions
From a short one-day impulse to a multi-day intensive program or a process-accompanying series over several months — everything is possible. We advise you on the appropriate duration based on your objectives.
All three are possible and we often combine them. Outdoor settings (in the Allgäu or elsewhere) are particularly effective for group dynamics and conflict topics. Indoor workshops and online seminars for method transfer.
Then our ICO coaches work as mediators according to Christoph Thomann and Friedemann Schulz von Thun. With speed, emphasis, and the necessary sensitivity — usually as closed clarification sessions.
Yes, in German and English, on-site or online. Intercultural training is a dedicated focus with models according to Hall and Hofstede.
Schulz von Thun (4 sides of a message), Hall/Hofstede (cultural dimensions), WEV (Perceive-Feel-Assume), voice and presence profile, pacing & leading from NLP — a compact overview can be found in the "Fit 4 Life" PDF.
Charisma Leadership
Language as impact. How leaders deliberately build their communicative presence — voice and presence profile, pacing & leading, stage charisma.
Crisis Leader
Decision-making capacity under pressure, stakeholder management, and leadership in unstable situations.
More about Peter Tümmers
CV, awards, and media presence of ICO founder Peter Tümmers von Schoenebeck.
Outdoor Activities & Team Events
Experiential learning instead of theory — raft building, canyoning, igloo expedition: Communication becomes immediately tangible in the outdoor setting.