Media reviews. - Emotional Intelligence - video recording review

Training & Development, Dec, 2001 by Bill Ellet

The concept of emotional intelligence has been percolating for nearly 10 years. Early brain research proved that emotions are formed in a specific part of the brain. Additional study finds that emotions have primacy of response: Essentially, stimuli are shuttled first to the emotional center of the brain and then are conveyed to the cognitive area.

What does emotional intelligence have to do with organizational performance? Many people running organizations still believe emotions don't belong in the workplace and that they should be ignored or suppressed. But CRM's video Emotional Intelligence declares that El isn't about being touchy-feely; it's about being honest. And all companies could be more honest.

The 23-minute video, which is about 10 minutes longer than the average training tape, provides a basic overview and explains current research. Using a mix of subject matter experts, slides, and video case studies and vignettes, it describes El's main categories: self-awareness, self-regulation, self-motivation, empathy, and effective relationships. An additional 11-minute video offers eight discussion vignettes.

Unfortunately, the program doesn't explore with clarity the notion that emotional intelligence is a process rather than a program. But that is due in part to the nature of training, which can do little more than provide knowledge, tools, and practice opportunities on any topic. As with all training that aims to cultivate insight-driven behavioral change, the program is just a beginning.

The materials, including leader guide, participant guide, PowerPoint slides, and reminder cards, are well done and provide reliable assistance to the facilitator. Although the leader guide is peculiar at times, it explains the content in detail, gives scoring guidelines for an El quiz, offers step-by-step instruction for five exercises, and provides guidance for discussing the vignettes. The PowerPoint slides, which include visuals and text from the video, need no modification before using.

The only negative is that the multiple-choice quiz could use some tweaking. Scoring is clumsy because the answer key refers to letters that the questions don't use. Also, the price is a little steep because CRM Learning uses a premium pricing strategy. However, US$895 for this full package is well worth the price.

Recommendation

This package provides a good introduction to emotional intelligence and ample support for the facilitator, but it needs to put greater emphasis on El as a long-term process. However, the video, leader guide, and participant resources are well done. All in all, a quality product and a solid value.

Your biggest challenge may be convincing management that training on emotional intelligence is worth the resources. Although, the role of emotion in the workplace is being acknowledged more widely, a bias against anything considered New Age or touchy-feely persists. But, in my opinion, emotional intelligence is real and valuable. Understanding why and how a person interacts with others and perceives information is equally important as understanding the basic tasks they do.

Video details

Emotional Intelligence, video, 2001, 23 minutes, CRM Learning: 800.421.0833, www.crmfilms.com. Purchase US$895. Other material: leader guide, participant workbook, discussion video, PowerPoint slides.

Emotional Intelligence


***1/2  Holds viewer interest
***1/2  Acting and presenting
***1/2              Diversity
****       Production quality
****         Value of content
***1/2    Instructional value
****      Value for the money
****           Overall rating
RATINGS KEY


****    Outstanding
***1/2  Very good
***     Good
**1/2   Above average
**      Average
*1/2    below average
*       Poor