Global Perspectives Empathy Workshop @Accent Global Learning
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
