What’s probably the worst thing that can happen to you as an internal trainer, business consultant, or facilitator? After hours of successful planning and preparation to implement a vital training program, something goes horribly wrong…. you don’t resonate with your audience and make that all-important connection. You were unmemorable and you know the training won’t have a lasting impact.
Think back to different turning points and periods during your life and professional development. I’ll bet there were a handful of mentors and leaders whose message “stuck” with you through the years…like you just spoke yesterday. The resonating connection happens because for whatever reason…it was emotionally important for your personal or professional development at that particular stage in your life.
As a trainer, resonating with peers and employees is probably one of the single most important resources in your human relations tool kit. Yet, if you don’t make that “human” connection, your words of wisdom and guidance will be here today, long gone tomorrow.
One part inherent and one part “learned”
Connecting with others is one part inherent with an equal part “learned” emotional intelligence. What is emotional intelligence? It is making that all important connection with individuals utilizing emotion in an intelligent, positive way. This is widely used quite effectively by well-respected leaders, coaches, and facilitators. They often attribute their success to telling personal stories and giving examples individuals and employees can relate to.
Story telling is a huge part of human evolution – it is impactful and creates a visual, emotional memory that can be drawn upon time after time. The secret…however….of telling a story and creating an emotional memory is to be empathetic and genuine to what an individual, employee, or organization is struggling with. You won’t resonate with your audience if you don’t clearly understand the problem or issue at hand. Trainers…if emotional intelligence is missing from your vast arsenal of resources, you are losing out on an integral key facilitation strategy.
Do women have an advantage?
Very possibly so according to research conducted by David Matsa, an assistant professor of finance at the Kellogg School of Management and Amalia Miller, an associate professor at the University of Virginia. As the nurturer of relationships, women already have an innate ability of using emotional intelligence to connect and relate to others through empathetic stories of how they overcame similar obstacles etc. as their counterparts.
As a case in point, in 2006, Norway mandated that all publicly listed companies in the country have 40% of their board members be female within the next 2 years. In most ways, Matsa and Miller found, the quota had no effect on firms. They looked at companies that were similar in size, industry, profits, etc and found that revenue, most costs, and rates of mergers and acquisitions all stayed about the same. However, costs were higher in one area. “But it didn’t seem like it was coming from higher wages as much as it was coming from higher relative employment,” Matsa said. Companies impacted by the quota were not laying off workers as often as companies unaffected by the new law. Similar studies have shown that women place a higher premium on what are known as self-transcendent values like benevolence and universalism. With a broad view and understanding of human relation concepts, women successfully incorporate empathy with emotional intelligence to connect with peers and employees alike.
Does this mean that women make better facilitators and trainers? Not by any means! Remember, we said earlier that emotional intelligence is one part inherent and one part “learned.” Many successful leaders and motivators such as Steve Jobs had an uncanny ability to make that human connection to spark creativity and loyalty among his top managers as well as employees.
Licensed facilitation adds “emotional intelligence “resources to trainers’ toolbox
Currently I am opening my facilitation certification to the right candidates. If you are an internal or external trainer, facilitator, educator, or leadership consultant looking for proven resources to complement the tools you already have, I would like to speak with you. My TIGERS facilitation certification will give you the tools to resonate and connect with your audience when implementing training programs with employee-championed results. “Royalty free” facilitation certification provides opportunities to “brainstorm” with like-minded thought leaders. You can also get the proven TIGERS Team Wheel which was instrumental in providing the catalyst to emotional intelligence with companies such as Costco and Northrup-Grumman. Resonate with employees and make your training programs “stick” as a TIGERS facilitator.
Copyright TIGERS Success Series by Dianne Crampton
About Dianne:
Dianne Crampton is the Founder of TIGERS Success Series. She is the leader in building successful quality-focused and cooperative team culture communities. As a thought leader in the team culture movement, she has been published by Barrett Koehler, Pfeiffer (an in print of John Wiley & Sons) and Three Creeks. Her latest work, TIGERS Among Us: Winning Business Team Cultures and Why They Thrive has received international acclaim. Nominated by Merrill Lynch for Inc. Magazine’s Entrepreneur of the Year Awards for a team culture change system that helps leaders bring about desired team culture change remarkably fast, she certifies and licenses consultants, facilitators, and HR leader to use the proven TIGERS team culture system within their organization with measurable success. TIGERS helps leaders build and improve trust, interdependence, genuineness, empathy, risk, and success in teams which results in a dynamic work environment that attracts and retains very talented, quality-focused people. Subscribe today to receive instant access to Dianne’s general membership where like-minded professionals discover valuable resources for team, leadership, and cooperative work environment development that grow organizations in a scalable and measured way.
