Tag Archives: Accent Global Learning

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Intercultural Training: Emotions in Motion!

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When we live as #expatriates, a wide flow of #emotions naturally emerges.

Emotions are not obstacles — they are powerful #signals and #tools for #learning, #growth, and #connection.

During a recent #intercultural #workshop I facilitated, participants explored their current experience of living in a different country. What quickly became visible was something important: the highlights of their international life often outweigh the challenges, yet the challenges tend to absorb a disproportionate amount of emotional #energy #attention.

Through an #intention and #mindset-focused exercise, participants identified the internal shifts needed to make their international experience not only manageable, but meaningful and transformative.

One powerful learning practice is #journaling. Writing creates space for reflection, emotional regulation, and #awareness. It allows us to #reframe experiences and #transform discomfort into insight.

he group opened up, another realization emerged: no one was alone in feeling uncomfortable, uncertain, or “in transition.” Naming these emotions collectively reduced isolation and strengthened connection.

#Training plays a crucial role in creating #safe spaces for #dialogue, where fears can be acknowledged and new scenarios for #wellbeing, #belonging, and growth can be co-created.

I’ll leave you with a question: What experience have you had in transforming a negative emotion into a positive source of learning?

I look forward to reading your reflections, love Elena


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Global Perspectives Empathy Workshop @Accent Global Learning

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Last May, ACCENT GLOBAL LEARNING engaged my services to deliver a Global Perspectives workshop to help the students engage and have a more thought-out experience abroad. 

ACCENT GLOBAL LEARNING (https://accentglobal.com/) is an international company which has been for over 30 years an expert ally redefining global education with colleges, universities, and university systems, and is on a mission to advance global thinking.

The participants were students from Texas Christian University, in Italy between Florence and Rome on a 4-week program studying History of Music. To reach the organizational objective of assuring a successful study abroad experience, the chosen learning outcome was to develop empathy skills: the ability to understand and share the feelings of another, and psychological safety to enable individuals to perform in groups.

Empathy is always easier said than done and we all require training and development, and it can be upgraded at any point of our life. As David Goleman would quote an indispensable “emotional intelligence competency” which helps to assure learning, enjoyment of cultural diversity and integration, utterly wellbeing. Let’s not forget that we need to improve self-awareness and social skills, self-confidence, managing our emotions in stress situations, this helps with teamwork, leadership and adaptability to change.

We need to care about people. How we are with ourselves and how we are with others.

After an energizer and theoretical approach to empathy, I chose to involve students in U.lab exercise, namely coaching circles. I also connected their Music studies to Empathy, and how each one has relevance to creating the environment we are living in, just like an orchestra!

To our surprise students opened immediately, there were many case givers, and the breakthroughs were amazing. They all understood how challenging interpersonal communication is, that empathy requires deep listening skills, and suspending judgment, connecting with an open heart, head and will.

The group was amazing, and I trust they will bring this experience into their personal and professional life.

I wish to thank Francesca Pannozzo and Lilia Lamas for this opportunity, and I am looking forward to our next workshops starting September.

Want to learn more about EQ?

Click HERE for some theoretical models https://positivepsychology.com/emotional-intelligence-theories/#:~:text=Goleman’s%20EI%20Performance%20Model%20(Faltas,12%20’subscales’%20of%20EI.

I encourage you listen to Daniel Goleman introducing EQ here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y7m9eNoB3NU

or even better this one-hour interview https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXW3XH08G3M