Healthy Conversation Skills (HCS) is designed for health professionals (and those training to become health professionals!) who support people in making positive health and lifestyle behaviour changes. HCS is relevant across a wide range of health and community settings and is designed to complement the expertise professionals already bring to their roles, regardless of their level of experience. From early career professionals to those with many years of practice experience, HCS provides practical communication skills to help strengthen everyday conversations and support meaningful, sustainable behaviour change.

Participants use HCS to support a wide range of health and wellbeing goals, including improving nutrition, increasing physical activity, improving sleep, reducing alcohol consumption, supporting smoking cessation, and enhancing mental and emotional wellbeing. The person-centred skills taught in HCS Training help professionals engage people in conversations that support their own goals, solutions, and positive lifestyle changes.

Participants have included:

• Physicians

• Nurses

• Dietitians

• Pharmacists

• Social workers

• Midwives

• Mental health professionals

• Health promotion professionals

• Students preparing for careers in healthcare

If you're unsure whether HCS is the right fit for you or your organization, we'd be happy to discuss your goals and how the training can be tailored to your team. You can contact us at info@hcscanada.ca.

Healthy Conversation Skills (HCS) was developed by a multidisciplinary team of health psychologists, public health researchers, and practitioners at the University of Southampton (UK). Grounded in behaviour change science, HCS was created in partnership with Southampton City Council, NHS Southampton City, and Southampton Sure Start Children's Centres to provide health professionals with practical, evidence-based communication skills that support sustainable behaviour change.

The training was originally developed for staff working in Sure Start Children's Centres to help them support parents in making healthier lifestyle choices for themselves and their families. Since then, HCS has been refined through research and implemented across a wide range of healthcare, public health, and community settings internationally.

Today, HCS continues to be supported by a growing body of research demonstrating its effectiveness in building health professionals' confidence and communication skills while empowering the people they support to make positive, sustainable health and lifestyle changes.

While other training programs exist to support health and lifestyle behavior change, Healthy Conversation Skills (HCS) Training stands apart in several ways:

• It is practical and action-oriented. HCS focuses on simple, actionable conversation techniques that can be used by a wide range of professionals and practitioners across the workforce.

• It builds on existing professional skills. Rather than replacing current approaches, HCS was designed to strengthen and complement the communication skills that health professionals already use to support behaviour change.

• It fits into everyday practice. The techniques are designed to be integrated into routine conversations, making them effective even when time with clients or patients is limited.

• It is grounded in evidence. HCS was developed by health psychologists and public health experts and is underpinned by a strong evidence base on behaviour change and effective communication.

• It delivers measurable results. Evaluations consistently show that HCS increases practitioners' confidence in having difficult or sensitive conversations about behaviour change and has a positive impact on people's attitudes and health behaviours.

• It is adaptable and scalable. HCS has been successfully implemented across a wide range of settings, professions, and countries. It is a core component of the UK's Making Every Contact Count (MECC) initiative, embedded within National Health Service (NHS) policy to support prevention and reduce the burden of non-communicable diseases. It has also been incorporated into international research initiatives such as HeLTI. Over the past 15 years, HCS training has reached a large and growing number of health professionals worldwide.

Click here to learn more about the research and evidence demonstrating the impact of Healthy Conversation Skills Training.

After completing Healthy Conversation Training, participants will be able to:

• Use person-centred communication techniques.

• Support people to identify their own priorities and solutions.

• Facilitate effective goal setting.

• Confidently integrate behaviour change conversations into routine practice.

No. Healthy Conversation Skills (HCS) and Motivational Interviewing share some core principles, including person-centred communication, collaboration, and supporting people to identify their own goals and solutions. However, HCS is a distinct, evidence-based approach designed to equip health professionals with practical communication skills that can be integrated into everyday conversations across a wide range of health and community settings. HCS emphasizes simple, transferable techniques that can be applied consistently in routine practice, even when time is limited.

Currently, our team delivers Healthy Conversation Skills (HCS) Training virtually. This provides flexible access for health professionals and teams across Canada.

For organizations interested in in-person delivery, arrangements can be made for face-to-face training across Canada. Additional considerations, such as travel requirements and associated costs, can be discussed as part of planning your training.

If you are interested in bringing HCS Training to your organization, please contact us to discuss your goals and available delivery options.

Healthy Conversation Skills (HCS) Training consists of two half-day sessions delivered at least one week apart. The time between sessions allows participants to practise using their new skills, reflect on their experiences, and bring examples and questions back to the second session.

Participants should expect to:

• Attend both half-day (3.5-4 hours) training sessions.

• Practice applying HCS skills between sessions.

• Reflect on how the skills can be integrated into their everyday practice.

Healthy Conversation Skills Training consists of two half-day sessions delivered at least one week apart. To receive a Certificate of Completion, participants must attend both sessions and complete Session 1 before attending Session 2.

If you're unable to attend Session 1, we'll work with you to reschedule you into the next available training.

If you've already completed Session 1 but are unable to attend Session 2, we'll arrange for you to join Session 2 with a different training group on a future date.

If you know in advance that you can't attend a session, please let us know as soon as possible so we can discuss the best available options.