Welcome and setting objectives
- 6 min reading
- 9 min activity
Read the transcript
SMILE · Module 1 · Session 1 · Lesson 1: Welcome and setting objectives · lesson video (English)
Monday, 7:55. You arrive for your shift and greet the team. You follow a quick instruction, answer a customer and send a message about next week. Most of a working day is communication.
This module is for young people building a working life in a new country. You do not need perfect English, or a perfect local language. Good communication at work is not about perfect grammar. It is about being clear and polite, checking that you understood, and listening well. These are skills, and skills grow with practice.
The module has six sessions and takes about 8 hours. You learn at your own pace. It takes you from the basics to a job interview simulation and your own action plan.
How does it work? Lessons are short, and you can repeat activities. Other learners do not see your written answers, but do not write personal data in them. At the end, you take a short knowledge check, and you can try again. Pass it, finish all lessons, and you get a certificate that employers can check.
Why set goals? 35 years of research show this: specific goals that are a bit difficult lead to better results than the advice: just do your best.
Compare. A general goal: I want to communicate better. A specific goal: In team meetings, I will ask at least one question each week. The specific goal says what you will do, when, and how often. Now you try. Make this goal specific: I want to be confident in interviews. For example: Before my next interview, I will practise five common questions with a friend. Your goal can be small. A small goal that you really do is better than a big goal on paper.
Now it is your turn. Later in this lesson, write your starting point and one specific goal. This week, tell one person about your goal. Ask them to check with you in two weeks: How is your goal going?
Sources: Locke, E. A., & Latham, G. P. (2002). Building a practically useful theory of goal setting and task motivation: A 35-year odyssey. American Psychologist, 57(9), 705-717.
Narration: AI-generated voice (OpenAI)
Music: AI-generated (Google Lyria)
Animation: SMILE project, Smart Leap
Monday, 7:55. You arrive for your shift, greet the team, follow a quick instruction, answer a customer and send a message about next week. Most of a working day is communication. This module helps you do it with more confidence, even in a language you are still learning.
- Understand how this module and the learning platform work.
- See what you will practise in the six sessions.
- Set a personal goal for your communication at work.
Welcome
This module is for young people who are building a working life in a new country. You may live in Türkiye, Greece, Italy, Germany, the Netherlands or somewhere else in Europe. Maybe you are looking for your first job. Maybe you already work and want to feel more sure of yourself with your team leader, your colleagues or your customers.
You do not need perfect English or a perfect local language. Good communication at work is not about perfect grammar. It is about being clear and polite, checking that you understood, and listening well. These are skills, and skills grow with practice.
What you will practise
The module has six sessions and takes about 8 hours in total. You can learn at your own pace, in short parts, on your phone or on a computer.
- Introduction and foundations
Why communication matters at work, and your own communication story.
- Understanding communication challenges
Language barriers, cultural differences, unwritten rules at work, and the challenges many young migrants share.
- Verbal and non-verbal skills
Speaking and writing clearly, body language, and your first role-plays.
- Interpersonal skills and inclusive communication
Respect, active listening and a case study from a care home.
- Practical strategies for the workplace
Feedback, conflict, diverse teams, a job interview simulation and a conflict simulation.
- Reflection and action planning
A self-assessment, your personal action plan and a closing reflection.
How the module works
Tap each card to see how lessons, activities, points and the certificate work.
How this module works
Eight things to know before you start.
Both work. You can do every activity alone on your phone. If you take part in a SMILE workshop or a youth centre group, your trainer may ask you to do some activities together.
Why set goals?
Goals give your learning a direction. The researchers Edwin Locke and Gary Latham summarised 35 years of research on goals at work. They found that specific, challenging goals led to better results than the general advice "just do your best".
- "In team meetings, I will ask at least one question each week."
- "By the end of this month, I will learn ten words from my job and use them at work."
- "Before my next interview, I will practise five common questions with a friend."
- "I want to communicate better."
- "I want to improve my language."
- "I want to be confident in interviews."
Your goal can be small. A small goal that you really do is better than a big goal that stays on paper. In Session 6 you will come back to these goals and build a full action plan.
My starting point and my goals
Write short answers. There are no wrong answers. You will use them again in Session 6.
Tell one person about your goal: a friend, someone in your family, a youth worker or a colleague. Ask them to check with you in two weeks: "How is your goal going?"
- Module
- A course about one skill. This module is about communication.
- XP (experience points)
- Points you get for lessons and activities on this platform.
- Knowledge check
- A short test at the end of the module. It helps you see what you learned.
- Specific goal
- A goal that says exactly what you will do, when and how often.
In short
- Six sessions take you from the basics to a job interview simulation and your own action plan.
- Lessons are short, activities can be repeated, and you can learn at your own pace.
- Pass the knowledge check and finish all lessons to get a certificate that employers can check.
- Specific goals help more than "do your best". Start with one or two small ones.
Sources
- Locke, E. A., & Latham, G. P. (2002). Building a practically useful theory of goal setting and task motivation: A 35-year odyssey. American Psychologist, 57(9), 705-717.