NPD Skills Training - Effective Communication in the Food Industry
Self-paced online course designed to help food professionals strengthen one of the most essential skills
Course information
- Level
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Practice for food professionals with citizenship of one of RIS countries
- Applications
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Register now for the new course within NPD Skills Training Programme – Effective Communication in the Food Industry, open until 31/12/2025.
- Price
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Free of charge
About : Part of NPD Skills Training
Effective Communication in the Food Industry is a practice-level, self-paced online course designed to help food professionals strengthen one of the most essential skills: communicating with clarity, confidence, and impact.
You will discover how effective communication elevates collaboration, supports leadership, and drives meaningful progress in the food system. You will build practical skills in interpersonal communication, persuasive speaking, storytelling, presenting ideas, and crafting messages tailored specifically to the food industry.
Grounded in real examples and hands-on exercises, this course helps you transform communication from a support function into a strategic tool for innovation.
Advantages :
This course approaches communication as a practical, everyday skill that truly shapes how we work, collaborate, and lead within the food industry. Rather than treating communication as something abstract or “nice to have,” it focuses on tools and behaviours you can bring straight into your professional environment.
You will:
- Learn: Build a solid understanding of key communication principles — from verbal and non-verbal cues to interpersonal dynamics, listening, persuasion, and communication styles.
- Practice: Strengthen your skills through hands-on activities in storytelling, public speaking, group communication, presentation preparation, and crafting clear, engaging messages.
- Apply: Learn how to communicate effectively in food-sector contexts, including stakeholder communication, strategy development, real-world case studies, and planning purposeful communication campaigns.
- Grow: Develop greater confidence, clarity, and presence as a food professional, supporting stronger teamwork, more thoughtful decision-making, and more meaningful collaboration.
Take your food innovation skills to the next level – learn, apply, and make an impact in the food industry!
Details & Structure :
Estimated learning time: up to 15 hours
Level: Practice
Format: Online, self-paced (Canvas)
Language: English
Eligibility: Exclusively for EIT Food RIS participants
Key Topics:
The course focuses on communication skills you can immediately apply in your professional work. You will work with concrete methods, real examples, and practical situations from the food industry, all designed to help you strengthen your confidence, refine your communication style, and collaborate more effectively across teams and stakeholders. It includes:
- Foundations of communication and interpersonal dynamics
- Verbal, non-verbal, and paraverbal communication
- Communication styles and adaptation strategies
- Listening, persuasion, assertiveness, and collaborative communication
- Storytelling and public speaking techniques
- Effective presentations and elevator pitches
- Food-sector-focused communication strategies
- Stakeholder communication and message targeting
- Real industry case studies and communication problem-solving
- Co-design and prosperity thinking in campaign development
By the end of the course learners will be able to:
- Apply the fundamental principles of effective communication in professional settings.
- Use verbal and non-verbal communication intentionally and with greater awareness.
- Recognise different forms of speech and adjust intonation to strengthen their message.
- Interpret body language and use it purposefully in interactions.
- Practise interpersonal communication techniques that support trust, collaboration, and strong working relationships.
Who can attend : The Training is designed for food professionals who wish to improve their competencies in a particular area
The ideal applicant should:
- Be a food professional employed in companies, academia, or research institutes
- Have an entrepreneurial approach to problem-solving and a willingness to share their knowledge with other participants
- Have relevant knowledge and experience in the food sector
- Have working knowledge of the English language (the course will be held in English)
- Be a citizen of one of the RIS countries, including:
● EU Member States: Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain.
● Horizon Europe Associated Countries: Montenegro, Republic of North Macedonia, Serbia, Turkey, Ukraine, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Israel
● Outermost Regions: Guadeloupe, French Guiana, Réunion, Martinique, Mayotte and Saint-Martin (France), the Azores and Madeira (Portugal), and the Canary Islands (Spain).
Practical : Self-paced course
- Fully online
- Start anytime
- Open until 31/12/2025
- Self-paced completion
- Learning materials include videos, summaries, readings, presentations, and practical tasks
- Free of charge
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