Duration: 3 hours

Level: Foundational

Format: Interactive workshop with simulated-client practice

The importance of ensuring veterinary graduates develop effective communication skills is well established, and accreditation standards explicitly require communication instruction. Effective teaching, however, must be supported by assessment. Despite this, communication skills assessment remains underdeveloped and inconsistently implemented across veterinary curricula, in both high- and low-stakes contexts.

A recent scoping review identified defining the communication skills construct to be assessed as a critical first step. In response, a rigorous rapid blueprinting process was undertaken to define the communication domains expected of veterinary graduates. This blueprint aims to guide the selection of assessments that support communication skills development throughout the veterinary curriculum.

In the spirit of “it takes a village,” this session will draw on participants’ collective knowledge and experience to explore how the blueprint can inform and strengthen veterinary communication assessment. Following an overview of the framework and its intended use, participants will examine its communication domains, develop assessable learning objectives for selected areas, and consider appropriate assessment strategies. They will discuss the opportunities and challenges associated with different methods, considering varied educational contexts and institutional needs.

Participants will also identify external resources that could support the effective and efficient implementation of communication assessment within their institutions. Insights gathered during the session will inform ongoing work to develop scalable, shared resources for use in academic and clinical practice settings.

Duration: 3 hours

Level: Foundational

Format: Interactive workshop

Effective communication is fundamental to veterinary practices, influencing clinical outcomes, client adherence, veterinarian-client relationships, and professional satisfaction. Consequently, the intentional integration of communication skills training and assessment is essential to competency-based veterinary education.

This interactive workshop will introduce participants to evidence-based approaches for assessing veterinary communication, for both low-stakes (assessment for learning) and high-stakes (assessment of learning) purposes. Participants will explore a practical toolbox of assessment methods and consider their alignment with learning outcomes, learner progression, and a helical veterinary communication curriculum.

Through facilitated discussions, small group activities, and hands-on exercises, participants will examine the application of targeted communication skills exercises and communication Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCEs). This workshop will also introduce emerging technologies including Artificial Intelligence (AI) and explore their potential to enhance communication skills assessment and feedback.

Participants will critically consider the feasibility, strengths, evidence, and limitations of different assessment approaches, and opportunities for implementation across different stages of veterinary training.

Learning outcomes: By the end of the workshop, participants will have developed a practical, adaptable framework for integrating communication skills assessment into their curricula, supporting progressive competency development.

Suggested reading prior to workshop: Validity evidence for communication skills assessment in health professions education: a scoping review

Duration: 3 hours

Level: Foundational

Format: Interactive workshop with simulated-client practice

Effective clinical communication can be taught, learned, and improved through deliberate practice. However, helping learners develop communication skills requires more than providing feedback. Veterinary educators need practical coaching skills that support reflection, build confidence, and translate observation into meaningful change.

This interactive workshop introduces a structured approach to coaching clinical communication using principles of the Calgary–Cambridge Guide (CCG). Participants will explore how to initiate a coaching conversation, assess a learner's prior knowledge and goals, identify observable communication behaviours, facilitate self-assessment, and provide specific, constructive feedback. Through paired exercises, small-group practice, and simulated veterinary consultations, participants will practise coaching learners through reflection, feedback, and rehearsal. Psychological safety will be addressed as an essential condition for productive learning and respectful challenge.

Participants will leave with a practical coaching framework, observation prompts, and strategies they can adapt to communication teaching in their own educational and clinical environments.

Learning outcomes: Participants will be able to initiate a structured coaching conversation, use CCG-based observations to support feedback, and facilitate a brief reflection-and-practice cycle.