Tune up your EQ

With every ounce of my usual stubbornness, I ignored the voice in my heart for as long as I could.

Yet that cry wouldn’t be denied and so, in January 2006. I gave in and began to write the Quarterly Tools for Transformation Newsletter. At first, I sent it out by email.

Andrea Williams, the Jamaican broadcaster and journalist read a copy in the first week. She invited me for an interview at IRIE FM, a leading Jamaican radio station, as part of her Change Your Life Radio series.

I offered her listeners copies of my 7 Laws of Emotional Intelligence and the Tools for Transformation Newsletter by email. Many listeners sent me messages of interest and support. I stayed in touch with many of them by email. Four listeners, Vickie Thompson, Tyrone Small, Tanika Williams and Jeanette Campbell were featured in the Me and My EQ series.

Download the free You Can Improve Your EQ E-Book here.

After one or two few false starts, Tune up your EQ was born on January 9th 2007. Some 170 articles and 260 comments later Tune up your EQ has been visited by readers from 125 different countries.

I aim to continue to offer you options about how you engage with Tune up your EQ. I plan to keep on listening to you and act on your guidance and feedback, as well as developing some new initiatives.

You’ve made my writing these articles a very enjoyable experience and I hope you continue to find Tune up your EQ useful.

Thank You For Your Comments And Trackbacks

If your name is on this list, thank you for adding to the conversation by commenting/sending trackback. You ensure that Tune up your EQ is a place where a variety of voices can be heard. your involvement gives us all the chance to learn more, about ourselves and about other people.

A - D

Adebola, From Lessons Of Life
Al, From 7P Productions
Albert, From Urban Monk
Suzette Bailey
Chuck Bartok from Beginner’s Marketing Class
Bob, From Every Minute, Every Minute
Ed Brenegar, from Leading Questions
Educated Wealth Solutions
Jean Browman–Cheerful Monk
Vanessa Byers, from Vanessa Unplugged
Jeanette Campbell
Michael Cheah, from Success Tips by Michael Cheah
Brian Clark, from Copyblogger
Jeremy Condon
Matthew Cornell, from Matt’s Idea Blog
Ross Cornwell
Liara Covert, from the Dreambuilders Blog
Danielle, from Hoshichan

E-K

Ellen, From Positive Communication Blog
Benjamin Ellis, From WOWNDADI - Productivity and Communication for Leaders
Anna Farmery, from The Engaging Brand
Joshua Freedman, from Six Seconds
Chris Garrett, from Chris Garrett Media
Chris Garrett, from Chris Garrett on New Media
Lisa Gates, from Design Your Writing Life
Alan Gee
GNIF Brain Blogger
Ingrid Hardy
Heartman, from Emotional Mastery
Eileen Heaven
Ray Hobby
Brigitt Hoo Sang Brown
Stephen Hopson, From Adversity University
Robert Hruzek, from Middle Zone Musings
Jason Ivers, from A Miracle A Day
Jenny, from the Enuff blog
Jenny and Erin
John, from 24 Hour Wealth Builder
John, from Wahoo
Glen Johnson, from GlenJohsondotcom
Jos from the NoDirecton Blog
Kelly, from momo6malloyboys
Brian Kim

L-R

Life Insurance Lowdown
Donald Latumahina, from the Life Optimiser Blog
Louise Lewis at No Experts Needed
Lucid, from Ask Lucid
Chris Marshall from Martial Development
Scott McArthur, from McArthur’s Rant
Matt J. McDonald, from A New Marketing
John W. McKenna
Robyn McMaster,from Brain Based Biz
Angela Maiers, from Maiers Educational Services Inc.
Manchild, From When Least Expected
Jeanie Marshall, from Marshall House, Empoerment Consulting
Mel, from Attitude, The Ultimate Power
Chris Melton, From Soupornuts
MT of MindTweaks
Anthony Mersino, From EQ4PM
Dawud Miracle of Healthy Web Design
Venoo Morgan
Ottayan
Priscilla Palmer, from Personal Development Demands Success
Perfection Consulting

Quais Waseeq
Quint, from Win Your Mind
Gamy Rachel, from Mind Think Success
Trevor A. Ramikie
Randomness
Steve Roesler from All Things Workplace
Barry Rutherford

S-Z

Brigitt Hoo Sang
Self Improvement Books
Alex Shalman, from the Practical Personal Development Blog
Shelia, From Black Tennis Pros
Paul A. Shope, of Success Current,
Patricia Singleton - Spiritual Journey Of A Light Worker
Carol Skolnick from the Soul Surgery Blog
Barbara Sliter, of Creatorship
Cheryll Stewart
Tina Su, from Think Simple Now
Tom van Brunschot
Verve Coaching
CG Walters, from Into The Mist
C.B. Whittemore, From Flooring The Consumer
Ellen Weber, from Brain Based Business
Tanika Williams
Troy Worman
Yulia, from Memesponge
Linda Zdanowicz from Exceptional Dental Practice Management

I’m also very happy that the following bloggers added Tune up your EQ to their blogroll:

Al, From 7P Productions
Vanessa Byers, from Vanessa Unplugged
Ellen, From Positive Communication Blog
Chris Garrett, from Chris Garrett Media
Robyn McMaster,from Brain Based Biz
MT of MindTweaks
Anthony Mersino, From EQ4PM
Mindset Matters
Ronda Muir, from The Law People Blog
Steve Roesler from All Things Workplace
Linda Zdanowicz from Exceptional Dental Practice Management

Thank you everyone for tuning up your EQ. I’ll do all that I can to make Tune up your EQ worth your investment of time and energy in 2008 and beyond.

Tell me how I can improve your experience as a Tune up your EQ reader. Leave your comments in the comment box below, or send me an email, using the contact form.

Thank you so much.

Tune up your EQ Tip

A sincere “Thank You” is good for everyone. The receivers ..and the giver.

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Every week, I write 3 original articles that help you improve your Emotional Intelligence. If you're new here, feel free to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!

Flickr Credit: Photo by: halfwaytoconcord: Creative Commons Attribution License

A retreat is announced at your organisation. Do you feel excited, apprehensive or neutral? One thing’s for sure, you’re feeling something

I’ve facilitated retreats of all sizes, from community events, to business strategy sessions to summits led by Jamaica’s (then)Prime Minister. There’s a thread that runs through every retreat encounter.

Emotions are always involved..for those taking part…and for the facilitator

Tune up your EQ reader from Jamaica, Tanika Williams, who also featured in the Me and My EQ series, asked me this question about retreats:

” is there a way by which the facilitator may get feedback as to how each participant feels? In other words, is it possible to ask each participant to give a quantitative summary of at least two strengths and weaknesses of such a process/presentation? Or what they think could have been done better?”

Here are 13 tips that I use to help my participants use their emotional intelligence (instead of leaving it at the door on their way in). It helps them to get the most out of their retreats.

Before

1) Engage participants before the programme by inviting their comments, queries and expectations. Thanks, Ellen Weber for this suggestion.
2) Gauge where people are at emotionally at the beginning of the retreat by getting them to rate how they feel.

During

3) Continue to check how they’re feeling by asking them as the retreat develops.
4) Observe participants’ body language.
5) Adjust your approach during the retreat as 3 and 4 change.

Towards The End of Each Session

6) Ask participants to rate their levels of understanding of the planned next steps.
7) Ask them about their level of commitment to the next steps.

At The End of The Retreat

Finish off the retreat with a “closing circle, where everyone gets the chance to offer his/her comments.
9) Ask everyone to complete a written evaluation form.

After The Retreat

10) Produce a report that summarises the evaluation form
11) Review the summary report with the project sponsor
12) Ask the project sponsor a series of open ended questions to help evaluate the impact of the retreat.
13) Do a follow up evaluation in six months time.

Could these tips help you achieve more at your next retreat?

What other tips would help to make it more effective?

Be sure to read the other tipsd in the Related Posts section of this article.

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The Trouble With The Old 3 Rs

In first part of this series, we learned that the traditional 3 Rs, Reading, Writing and “Rithmetic” won’t guarantee you career success. To achieve your career goals you must manage your own emotions so that you perform well and your team consistently achieves its goals. In the final part of this series, we look at how the new 3Rs, Research, Receptivity, and Reflection help you become an outstanding leader. Read the rest of this entry »

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This month’s BrightIdeas™ presentation

In You Can Improve Your EQ, four people who successfully used the Tune Up Your Emotional Intelligence Workbook share their top 10 insights.

“Your EQ materials have helped my EQ to grow immensely and it has now become an integral part of me. I am glowing/beaming; after all I am in control of myself and am so very very happy. With this immense growth I have now further realised that I need to venture into a career/vocation that activates minds to become EQ Intelligent.

Tanika Williams, Jamaica

Read the four unique success stories.

You can improve your Emotional Intelligence. What chapter are you on in your Emotional Intelligence Story?

See the BrightIdeas™ Presentation Archive

Tools For Transformation Newsletter

To receive the no cost Quarterly Newsletter fill in your details here.

If you have already signed up, your future copies are assured.

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I have long been looking at my feelings, behaviour, events, results, changes in my life. For a long time I have been trying to live by the principle that I can choose how to feel , and decide how to act. I think of my mind as like a computer with, originally, lots of negative programming.

When I had this insight long ago, I was in shock. It explained a million and one things, and I started to reprogram my mind . Right now, I think of my mind as programmed with positive programming .

Getting your notes helped me to seize and own this success Read the rest of this entry »

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