Experiential Learning Series

Mentor Training’s Experiential Learning series emphasizes direct experience applying new concepts over lecture and text. This form of learning is common at Stanford’s Graduate School of Business, from which come many of the course concepts and facilitators.

Research (D. Goleman, J. Gottman, P. Ekman, et al) shows that improving skills and competencies around emotional and social intelligence increases effectiveness in communication, influence, and leadership abilities, and also builds better work environments. 

Developing emotional and social intelligence through experiential learning is a very powerful method for each participant to grasp new concepts, assess individual strengths, and self-realize the specific areas where she or he most needs to improve.

Every course is structured to enable learning and retention of key concepts through brief lectures followed by multiple levels of experiential learning, practice, and application. Each Experiential Learning course requires a minimum of 10 attendees and can accommodate a maximum of 25. The courses range from one to three days,  but like all of Mentor’s courses each can be tailored to the specific needs of your learning group and company culture.

The target audience for these courses is: 1) high potential individual contributors and managers in organization; 2) high-influence employees and opinion leaders; 3) challenged intact teams.
 

Experiential Learning Course List

The Art of Interpersonal Communication (1 day)
•        Importance of effective interpersonal communication
•        Avoiding the traps of assumptions and judgments
•        Maintaining a positive and appreciative interpersonal relationship

 Managing Emotions (1 day)
•        What do emotions tell us
•        How can we better listen to emotions
•        The role of emotions in the workplace
•        Effective use of emotions at work

 Influence: How we influence each other (1 day)
•        What is influence
•        Being authentic and genuine to improve influence
•        The link between influence and leadership
•        The many forms of influence

 Feedback: How to give and receive it effectively  (1 day)
•        Feedback, not criticism
•        The cycle of giving effective feedback
•        Emotional triggers in the way of giving and receiving feedback

 Diversity: Getting the most from your team and colleagues (1 day)
•        What is diversity and why is it relevant
•        Accepting and respecting personal differences
•        How diversity enhances teams
•        Working with and through diversity

 Effective Teams (1 day)
•        Team definition and components
•        What drives effective teams; development stages, roles, etc.
•        Building positive relationship in teams
•        Leadership styles and focus

 Professional Roles and Workgroup Dynamics (1 day)
•        Diversity of complimentary roles
•        Personal tendency for roles
•        Taking on different roles
•        Roles and norms and their link to team culture

 Conflict Resolution: A dialogue, not a battle (1 day)
•        Conflict as a necessary path to the best solution
•        The emotional charge of conflict
•        No single right answer: the diversity of opinions
•        Conveying an idea versus fighting; the art of listening

  Organizational and Personal Change (1 day)
•        The emotional challenge of change
•        Change dynamics
•        Steps in change management

 Professional Creativity (1 day)
•        The link between emotions and thinking
•        Freeing your way of thinking
•        Stepping out the box

 Negotiation: Inside and Outside the Organization (1 day)
•        Negotiation is a common part of everyone’s workday
•        Understanding the negotiation process
•        Handling tough or unfair tactics
•        Developing alternatives and recognizing options

Interpersonal Effectiveness: Workshop (3-day retreat, includes weekend)
•        Manage emotionally charged situations
•        Understand how you gain and lose influence with others
•        Enhance trust and rapport with others
•        Give and receive constructive feedback that encourages learning
•        Communicate in a more verbally and emotionally congruent manner
•        Raise, explore, and resolve difficult interpersonal issues
•        Repair relationships effectively and recover from misunderstandings
•        Assess and disclose in a manner that promotes inquiry and dialogue
•        Interact productively amidst diversity
•        Understand how groups form and progress through stages
•        Coach yourself through challenging situations