In Focus: 2023 Training Trends

As we enter into the New Year, it’s traditionally a time to look back and reflect on the past twelve months before looking forward to the opportunities ahead. 

For many businesses, 2022 was a year of settling back into a ‘new normal’, as the world continued to emerge and recover from the effects of the coronavirus pandemic. Technology has allowed businesses to adopt more flexible working practices, with most companies now using a combination of office-based and remote working.

If 2022 was a year of businesses finding their feet with new technological opportunities, this year is likely to be one in which these new ways of working are fully embraced – and training in skills that support that is likely to be in huge demand.

So what business learning trends can we expect to see in 2023? Here are four areas that we expect to be popular in the coming twelve months.

Hybrid Working Training

At Body Talk, we’ve seen a huge increase in demand for training in virtual and hybrid working techniques since the pandemic, and we’re expecting to see it grow further in 2023. 

A typical office now looks very different from how it did ten years ago. A recent study from global workplace consultancy AWA says that hybrid working is now considered to be the norm, with workers going ‘into the office’ on average just 1.5 days a week.

According to the study, almost 60% of companies now have a declared hybrid working policy; an increase of 50% from the previous year.

 Anyone who works in this way knows what a challenge it can be. Whilst many businesses have made great strides in adopting technology to enable smoother hybrid working, there has been much less focus on digital ‘soft skills’, to help create essential social connections in an environment that is semi-remote.

Hybrid working training can help co-workers stay engaged and connected by developing empathy, patience, and improved listening skills. 

Training can also help people working remotely to improve their non-verbal communication skills, which are traditionally more of a challenge in a virtual environment.

We expect that in 2023, businesses will focus on understanding hybrid working, both operationally (for example, managing time and making best use of technology) and also from the point of view of digital soft skills, such as creating a strong, inclusive team and having better conversations. 

You can find out more about our hybrid and virtual masterclasses here. 

Communication Skills Training

Communication skills training has been soaring in popularity in the past year. 

According to Udemy, more than half of all learning hours in 2022 were spent on leadership and communication skills, with demands for non-verbal communication skills training more than doubling. 

Training in communication skills can help individuals and teams to become much more inspiring and engaging in key meetings, pitches, and presentations. It can ensure that your messages are clear and compelling, whether your audience is face-to-face or remote, and it can also improve your relationships with clients and stakeholders.

Storytelling training is also growing in popularity, as businesses seek to communicate their messages in a more persuasive, human manner.  

We expect the surge in communication techniques training to continue in 2023 and you can find out about the specific areas of learning that Body Talk can provide here.

Conflict Resolution Training

Learning how to handle objections well is a key part of communication training, and we expect demand for conflict resolution training to increase in 2023. 

Coaching in objection handling can equip individuals and teams with the skills to take control when conflict arises. A communication coach can help to teach techniques to help you calm and open-minded when a challenge occurs, as well as learning how to ask the right questions to diffuse tense situations.

Advanced questioning and listening skills can help to make even the trickiest of conversations into a genuine opportunity to achieve productive results and ultimately form better relationships.

Body Talk can offer both face-to-face and online training in conflict resolution – you can find out about it here.

Greater Focus on Developing Learning Cultures

“If people can’t learn, they’ll leave.”

This was one of the key findings from Microsoft’s 2022 work trend index, which found that 76% of employees said they would stay longer at a company if they could benefit from learning and development support.

 A learning culture is essentially an environment for learning at organisational, team, and individual levels. The most successful companies have well-developed learning cultures – in fact, a study by IBM found that 84% of employees in the best-performing organisations receive the training they need, compared to just 16% in the worst-performing companies.

In 2023, we’re expecting businesses to continue to embrace learning opportunities, offering their employees a chance to grow in confidence and supporting them in the steps that they need to take to advance their careers. 

Let us help you make 2023 a success!

Whether you want to improve your team’s confidence in communication, establish better hybrid working techniques, learn how to use body language to support your messages, or simply start having better conversations, we’re here to help.

Get in touch with our team now so that we can help you achieve your goals in 2023. 

Body Talk has a long history of helping people to unleash their true potential. Since the start of the Millenium, we have helped over 120,000 people increase their confidence, communication skills, and presentation skills. Discover how our training can transform your business by watching or listening to our special podcast with CEO Richard Newman and Head of Communication, Alina Jenkins.