Wavelength Training and Sandy Gerber launch leadership communication partnership

Wavelength Communication Skills Training and communication coach Sandy Gerber have teamed up to build training for leaders handling difficult workplace conversations in an AI-driven workplace. Their first 90-minute webinar is set for November 2026 and aims to help managers respond with empathy when employees react to change, worry about job security or raise unexpected concerns.

Why it matters: - Leaders are facing more employee anxiety around AI, workplace change and job security. - The partnership is designed to help managers move beyond announcements and handle the harder one-on-one conversations that follow. - The training combines message planning with emotional intelligence, a mix the partners say is becoming essential for employee engagement and business performance.

What happened: - Wavelength Communication Skills Training and communication coach Sandy Gerber announced a partnership focused on difficult workplace conversations. - The first program is called Difficult Conversations at Work: The Talk You've Been Avoiding. - The webinar will run 90 minutes and is scheduled to launch in November 2026. - Jody Bruner, president of Wavelength Communication Skills Training, said emotionally intelligent communication is now a must-have for companies that want to engage employees and compete effectively.

The details: - Wavelength brings more than 50 years of experience helping professionals plan and deliver clear messages. - Gerber contributes tools for managing emotional reactions, listening with empathy and responding to employee concerns. - The training is built to help leaders respond when an employee becomes anxious, pushes back or raises a concern they did not expect. - The program will bring message planning, empathetic listening and emotion management into the same conversation. - In the Ipsos AI Monitor 2026, 67% of Canadian respondents said AI products and services make them nervous, tied with Australia for the highest level among 32 countries surveyed. - In Abacus Data’s July 2025 survey, 36% of employed Canadians said their employer had encouraged, required or provided AI training at work. - The webinar will focus on helping leaders manage their own reactions, listen to employee concerns and communicate difficult news clearly. - Gerber said the partnership is meant to address the conversations that follow organizational change announcements, including questions about job security, new expectations and available support.

Between the lines: - The partnership reflects a shift in leadership training from polished delivery toward real-time emotional response. - The timing suggests companies are trying to prepare managers for AI-related change before employee resistance shows up in meetings and one-on-ones. - Gerber framed the issue as one of trust and safety, arguing that employees are more likely to accept change when leaders address emotions directly. - Wavelength is positioning communication skill as a business advantage, not just a soft skill.

What's next: - The first webinar is scheduled to debut in November 2026. - Gerber and Bruner said they are available for interviews about communication during AI-related workplace change, employee concerns and difficult conversations. - Wavelength will continue offering training in writing, presenting and interpersonal skills across industries including banking, insurance, pharmaceuticals, technology, manufacturing and the public sector. - Gerber continues to develop communication tools for leaders and teams, host the Magnetic Communication podcast and promote her book Emotional Magnetism.

The bottom line: - As AI changes how companies work, the next leadership skill may be less about what managers announce and more about how they respond when employees push back.