Conversational intelligence training develops the ability to notice how a conversation is affecting trust and to steer it towards openness and shared problem-solving. Drawing on widely used ideas about transactional, positional and transformational conversations, it builds skills in curious questioning, deep listening and framing that reduce defensiveness and help teams co-create solutions.
- Recommended: 2 days in person, or 4 × 3-hour live virtual sessions with practice assignments, customised to your leadership context
- Level: Intermediate · In person · Live virtual · Blended
- Designed with the ADDIE model and customised to your context
- Offered by Bodhih since 2008 to 2,000+ organisations across 7 regions
Also known as: C-IQ concepts workshop, trust-building conversations training, levels of conversation training, co-creative conversations
Where and how: conversational intelligence training as an in-person workshop in Bengaluru, Mumbai, Delhi NCR, Gurugram, Hyderabad, Chennai, Pune, Kolkata, Ahmedabad and Jaipur; as a live online course; or delivered overseas in Dubai, Singapore and across the Middle East, Asia and Africa.
Last reviewed · Bodhih Training, Bengaluru
Why the quality of conversations is now a performance issue
Consider the restructure briefing where the leader explains, the team nods and the real conversation happens afterwards on WhatsApp. When people feel they are being told rather than asked, they protect themselves, and ideas, bad news and commitment go underground.
With AI changing roles and uncertainty high, leaders need more candid, trust-building conversations, not more announcements. Conversational intelligence training gives them a practical lens for noticing when a discussion is closing down and the skills to open it up again.
Global employee engagement fell to 20% in 2025, its lowest level since 2020.
40% of HR professionals expect transparency in leadership to become more prevalent.
What participants will be able to do
Spot the conversation level
Recognise whether a discussion is telling, defending or genuinely exploring, and adjust in the moment.
Lower the threat
Notice signs of defensiveness in yourself and others and use framing that makes people feel safe to contribute.
Ask discovery questions
Use open, curious questions you do not already know the answer to, drawing out real concerns and ideas.
Listen to connect
Listen for meaning and assumptions rather than for your turn, and check understanding before responding.
Co-create decisions
Turn one-way briefings into joint problem-solving that builds ownership of the outcome.
Repair after tension
Reopen a conversation that went badly, acknowledge impact and rebuild trust without losing face.
Who should attend
- Senior leaders and leadership teams navigating change and restructuring
- People managers whose team meetings have gone quiet or defensive
- HR business partners and OD professionals facilitating sensitive discussions
- Cross-functional teams where silos and turf protection slow decisions
- Leaders merging teams after an acquisition or reorganisation
- Coaches and mentors who want sharper conversational awareness
Program outline
Recommended design, customised to your context after a short needs analysis.
01Conversations shape cultureModule 1 · 60 min+
- Why the quality of everyday conversations drives trust and results
- Protection versus openness: what happens when people feel threatened
- Self-audit of a recent difficult conversation
02Three levels of conversationModule 2 · 2 hours+
- Transactional: telling and asking for information
- Positional: advocating and defending a view
- Transformational: sharing, discovering and co-creating
- Mapping your team's typical meetings to each level
03Questions that open mindsModule 3 · 90 min+
- Questions for discovery rather than confirmation
- Replacing 'why did you' with 'what led to'
- Drilling into the meaning behind a single word
- Practice rounds with observer feedback
04Listening beyond the wordsModule 4 · 90 min+
- Listening to connect versus listening to judge
- Noticing assumptions and filling-in gaps
- Summarising to confirm shared meaning
05Framing for trustModule 5 · 90 min+
- Opening a conversation with shared purpose
- Balancing candour and care
- Language that signals 'we' rather than 'I versus you'
06From briefing to co-creationModule 6 · 2 hours+
- Redesigning a team meeting for real participation
- Handling pushback without retreating into position
- Live practice on a current business challenge
- Personal conversation commitments
How we deliver it
Live conversation labs
Participants hold real conversations on current issues while observers track questions, listening and shifts in openness.
Slow-motion replays
Short recorded exchanges are replayed to pinpoint the exact moment a discussion closed down or opened up.
Leadership team as a unit
When a whole team attends, they practise on their own dynamics, which accelerates change in how they meet.
Between-session experiments
Each participant tries one new conversational habit at work and reports what happened in the next session.
Tailored versions
For leadership teams in transition
Focused on candid conversations during restructuring, integration or strategy shifts, using the team's live agenda.
For HR and people partners
Applies the concepts to employee relations, engagement discussions and facilitating difficult group sessions.
How we measure impact
Using ADDIE's Evaluate stage, we run a short pre- and post-program team pulse on trust, openness and meeting quality, and can add a 360° feedback cycle on AssessAll focused on listening and questioning behaviours. Participants log conversation experiments and outcomes, and managers review them in 30-60-90 day check-ins. For leadership teams, we can observe a regular meeting before and after the program and share what shifted.
Pair this program with AssessAll, Bodhih’s AI assessment platform, for pre- and post-program skill measurement.
Frequently asked questions
What is conversational intelligence?
Conversational intelligence is the ability to understand how conversations affect trust, relationships and results, and to shape them deliberately. It involves noticing when people feel threatened or defensive, and using curious questions, attentive listening and inclusive framing to move towards open, co-creative discussion. The ideas were popularised by Judith E. Glaser.
What are the three levels of conversation?
A widely used model describes transactional conversations, which exchange information and instructions; positional conversations, where people advocate and defend views; and transformational conversations, where people share openly, explore together and co-create. All three have a place, but trust and innovation grow when teams can reach the third level when it matters.
Is this an official C-IQ certification program?
No. This is Bodhih's independent program that teaches widely used concepts associated with conversational intelligence. Conversational Intelligence® and C-IQ are trademarks of their respective owners. Bodhih is not affiliated with or certified by the trademark owner and does not issue that owner's certification.
How do conversations build trust at work?
Trust grows when people feel heard, included and not judged. Conversations that ask genuine questions, acknowledge concerns, share context openly and invite input signal respect. Conversations dominated by telling, blaming or point-scoring signal threat. Small, repeated shifts in how leaders talk can noticeably change how safe people feel to speak up.
How is this different from crucial conversations training?
Crucial conversations training focuses on specific high-stakes, emotional discussions. Conversational intelligence training looks at everyday conversations, such as meetings, updates and one-on-ones, and how they build or erode trust over time. Many organisations use both, and Bodhih can sequence them within a wider leadership journey.
Who should attend conversational intelligence training?
It suits leaders and managers who shape team climate, HR partners who facilitate sensitive discussions and cross-functional teams stuck in positional debates. It works especially well when an intact leadership team attends together, because they can practise on their own real dynamics and agree new habits for how they meet.
Can the program be delivered live virtually?
Yes. The virtual version runs as four 3-hour sessions with breakout conversation labs and experiments between sessions. Bodhih delivers live virtual and in-person programs across India, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, Africa and Australia and New Zealand, with master trainers travelling from Bengaluru where needed.