_20121125.doc) 
  1'05 Month and Year only (M'YY) rare
  BACKUP Every day, using right-click, Send to Zip, and call it ~mcp_Ts_20121125.zip, and move to a \zArchive folder...
	or save it to a thumb drive.

use a zero in front of the time, if it's am
      so 05:11 time, am, until 10:00, then 10am or 10:23am 
      3:33pm 
	the colon has been a problem, but now that I've been doing it so long, I continue.
	(search and replace them all?)

Use of Quotes: (9.3.2016)
     single quotes (') are for 'bringing out' a word or phrase
     double quotes (") are for quoting what someone thinks, or says, or writes

Use space-equals-space ( = ) to identify a definition
     ex: EQ = Emotional Intelligence

Use double-dashes (--) to separate a definition from it's description
     ex:  3 big negatives -- fear, anger and sadness

Abbreviations and Naming Conventions:
	(!) = wow! something cool / interesting / really bad, etc.
	(?) or ?? = big, unanswered questions
	when (!) or (?) are at the end of a parenthetical, close properly with 2 ))
	      ex:  (this is a parenthetical remark, with a smiley at the end :))
	(sp?) spelling is probably wrong, if it matters, like someone's name
	?!? = ? maybe, huh, maybe ?   (lol.)
	!?! = definitely, don't you think... some ?  hmmm...
	(?) = "I think...", not sure (ex: IMS J294(?)), 8.25.2016
	', " except for book titles and actual speech ("), use single quotes within sentences (ex: your 'disorder')
	^ increase (ex: ^ Feelings = Feelings go up)
	\/ decrease (ex: \/ Logic = Logic goes down)  (wish I had a better symbol for down/decrease/less)
	A name, esp. a long, foreign one, which I don't know, exactly 
		if initial is known, use double-underscores.
		Datta__ M__
                standard arrows:  space-dash-dash-greaterthan-space
                         ex:  Event --> Meaning --> Feeling --> Behaviour
          HNG = Huge Negative Generalization

Euc Order abbreviations:
	1/2_ = 1/2 lb (of whatever), 1_, 2_, 5_
	L = Leaves
	B = Branches
	CS = Chew Sticks
	S = Starter pack (1/2 with L, CS, and a 4-6" B)
	C = Combo (leaves and branches, no CS)
	thins = thin, flexible branches
	vase = pretties, for display, 2-3', prob. both
	()) = banana leaves only
	(R) or (r) = oval leaves only
	(b) = both oval and banana leaves
	(!) = replacement order, whoops, make it nice, give extra
	:) = freebie
	(:) = (R) shower order, long strands of oval leaves
	(e) or (eco) = eco dying, colorful, in-tact leaves, smaller is better 		
	different, spots are fine/preferred!          10.21.2015
	lol = lots of leaves(!)                                              11.27.2015
         (thins) - what's most important to the customer
         (aroma)
         S(noB) = Starter with only Leaves and CS, no Branch

--- (!)
	--- = Draper-Richards    http://www.drkfoundation.org/
	MT = Madisyn Taylor
	NDW = Neill Donald Walsch
	CK = Christine Kenton
	CT/PC = Christina Tate
	CH = Christine Helman
	SP = SharePoint
	HHH = Helen's Health Hints (Tips)
         LindaD = Linda Dessault

File and folder names go from largest to smallest (ex: Facebook_MCP_20121125.txt)
	FB = Facebook (or Fort Bragg)
	LI-EIN = LinkedIn, The Emotional Intelligence Network
	      a number on the next line, ex: 20/30 = 20 requests to join/30 in submission queue (RTJ = Request to Join)
	FB-EIN = The Emotional Intelligence Network
	FB-EQE = EQ Educators and Parents Network       was EQ Educators Network, until 12.19.2016
	FB-ND
	FB-NDG = NewDirections Closed Group
	FB-Mcp - Facebook.com/MattPerelstein
	FB-EQ or FB-EQR- emotionalintelligencerocks
	FB-EP = EucProducts
	FB-2GH
	FB-IM  instant message
	FB-MCRB (racquetball)
	TW-MCP  (nd)
	TW-2GH
	EP = EucProducts.com
	MP.com = MattPerelstein.com
	NDW = NewDirectionsWorkshop.com
	EQR = EQRocks.com
	2GH = 2GetHelp.com
	2VH = 2GiveHelp.com
	2SH = 2SellHelp.com
	2GHTC = 2GetHelp Therapy Center
	2GH4Vets... guess.

-
01:37  
^^:^^	Timestamps:  new standard convention a few days ago...
		usually on a line by themselves, after a ---oadrunner@hotmail.com
     
rob@2gethelp.com  (Active)
forwarded to: rob@dreamachievers.com
     
shannon@2GETHELP.COM  (Active)
forwarded to: laclair@hotmail.com
     
sharon@2GETHELP.COM  (Active)
forwarded to: scn1616@comcast.net
     
steve@2GETHELP.COM  (Active)
forwarded to: snolan19@xtra.co.nz
     
sydney@2GETHELP.COM  (Active)
forwarded to: woods48@juno.com
     
DU (rename)  Email Forwarding - 100 Pack - Exp: 04/03/2008 94 Available Add 
 
christine@directionsunlimited.com  (Active)
forwarded to: christinehelman@sbcglobal.net
     
info@directionsunlimited.com  (Active)
forwards to:
christinehelman@sbcglobal.net
matt@2gethelp.com
paula@2gethelp.com
     
karen@directionsunlimited.com  (Active)
forwarded to: klmabry@sbcglobal.net
     
matt@directionsunlimited.com  (Active)
forwarded to: matt@2gethelp.com
     
paula@directionsunlimited.com  (Active)
forwarded to: paula@2gethelp.com
     
rob@directionsunlimited.com  (Active)
forwarded to: rob@dreamachievers.com
       
MEW Foundation (rename)  Email Forwarding - 100 Pack - Exp: 04/03/2008 92 Available Add 
 
2gethelp@mew-foundation.org  (Pending Setup)
forwards to:
matt@2gethelp.com
mew-foundation@att.net
paula@2gethelp.com
lj@2gethelp.com
     
aj@mew-foundation.org  (Active)
forwarded to: aj93720@comcast.net
     
dancingbear@touchforhealth.org  (Active)
forwarded to: dancingbear14@comcast.net
     
info@mew-foundation.org  (Active)
forwards to:
matt@2gethelp.com
paula@2gethelp.com
     
lj@mew-foundation.org  (Active)
forwarded to: ragamuffinnlove@aol.com
     
matt@mew-foundation.org  (Active)
forwarded to: matt@2gethelp.com
     
msd@mew-foundation.org  (Active)
forwards to:
matt@2gethelp.com
docdowning@att.net
mew-foundation@att.net
paula@2gethelp.com
     
paula@mew-foundation.org  (Active)
forwarded to: paula@2gethelp.com
       
NDW (rename)  Email Forwarding - 100 Pack - Exp: 04/03/2008 96 Available Add 
 
christine@NEWDIRECTIONSWORKSHOP.COM  (Active)
forwarded to: christinehelman@sbcglobal.net
     
info@NEWDIRECTIONSWORKSHOP.COM  (Active)
forwards to:
christinehelman@sbcglobal.net
matt@2gethelp.com
paula@2gethelp.com
     
matt@NEWDIRECTIONSWORKSHOP.COM  (Active)
forwarded to: matt@2gethelp.com
     
rob@newdirectionsworkshop.com  (Active)
forwarded to: rob@dreamachievers.com 

---
Brilliant, civilization-changing ideas are a dime a dozen, Matt. Physically taking action to implement them, however, beginning with baby steps that seem to accomplish very little is what gets the crowds here screaming like raving lunatics (in a good way!). 

---
Blake Griffin Edwards shared a link.
34 mins
"..Our capacity to choose changes with the activity of life. The more we fear oblivion, the more we chase ambition, and regardless of the prizes we gain, deep anxieties propel our actions and our actions, our anxieties. Our heart hardens. Conversely, the more we embody acts of courage and bear others burdens, the more our heart is enlivened. Each act which feeds integrity also increases my capacity for virtue.
Eventually it becomes more difficult for me to choose the foul rather than the virtuous action. On the other hand, each act of cowardice weakens me. Between the extreme when I can no longer do a wrong act and the extreme when I have lost all strength for right action, there are innumerable degrees. Vice sows compulsion, and virtue sows freedom. If the degree of freedom to choose the good is great, it needs less effort to choose the good. If it is small, it takes a great effort, help from others, and favorable circumstances..."

---oadrunner@hotmail.com	559-994-9217
Sandy Watson	ravenwitch_1@msn.com	559-859-4628
		
	INSTRUCTORS & ADMINISTRATION	
Matt Perelstein	matt@2gethelp.com	916-599-8597
Paula Perelstein	paula@2gethelp.com	707-962-9006
AJ Seargeant	mobileaj@outlook.com	714-770-9849
Sharon Norell	scn1616@att.net	559-312-3882

-
	Nov. 14-16, 2014 -- Fresno	
NAME	 E-MAIL ADDRESS	PHONE
		
Cary Parkins	caryparkins@gmail.com	916-769-5179
Keith Brucker	keithbrucker@comcast.net	559-360-1605
Mark Monnin, DC	markmonnindc@gmail.com	805-439-0234
Michele Soplata	mesoplata@sbcglobal.net	559-321-4086
Michelle Eaves	financialcoach23@hotmail.com	559-824-3187
Saundra Brucker	saundrabrucker@comcast.net	559-321-4203
		
	GRADUATE ASSISTANTS	
Bev Carr	beverlycarr1@yahoo.com	559-906-1857
Christina Lynn	lizardgirl727@yahoo.com	559-776-8934
Christina Tate	svdbyhim@aol.com	559-304-5882
Cynthia Morris	cynthiamorris78@gmail.com	559-801-1518
Glori Celis	bcelis@sbcglobal.net	559-301-3609
Karen Flower		559-251-6877
Lynda Abraugh	lyndaloua1@att.net	559-454-0630
Moe Speer	rspeer5371@gmail.com	559-225-3390
Ricci Choate	singer120@gmail.com	559-871-4902
Rollynne Speer	rspeer5371@gmail.com	559-225-3390
Troy Celis		
		
	INSTRUCTORS & ADMINISTRATION	
Matt Perelstein	matt@2gethelp.com	916-599-8597
Paula Perelstein	paula@2gethelp.com	707-962-9006
Karen Mabry		
Sharon Norell	scn1616@att.net	559-312-3882

-
,on PC?
	March 13-15, 2015 -- Fresno
NAME	 E-MAIL ADDRESS	PHONE
		
	STUDENTS and REVIEWERS	
Anyettah	c/o Paula@2GetHelp.com	
Chad Jackson		
Cynthia Morris	cynthiamorris78@gmail.com	559-801-1518
Erika Friedman	firedrake88@gmail.com	(559) 346-8719 
Kimra McCauley	c/o Terri McCauley	
Michael Dean		
Michelle Pauls		
Sandra LaBelle		
Sandra Michel-Jimenez		
Sandra Ward		
		
	GRADUATE ASSISTANTS	
Christina Tate	svdbyhim@aol.com	559-304-5882
Karen Flower		559-251-6877
Katie Nowell		
Linda Lou Wall	lady21878@att.net	559-860-8413
Lynda Abraugh	lyndaloua1@att.net	559-454-0630
Michelle Donaldson		
Pat Jackson	patjacks.lakeside@hotmail.com	559-269-2071
Patrick McCauley		
Ricci Choate	singer120@gmail.com	559-871-4902
Rollynne Speer	rspeer5371@gmail.com	559-225-3390
Terri McCauley		
Todd Chrisman		

	INSTRUCTORS & ADMINISTRATION	
Matt Perelstein	matt@2gethelp.com	916-599-8597
Paula Perelstein	paula@2gethelp.com	707-962-9006
Sharon Norell	scn1616@att.net	559-312-3882

-
	Nov. 4-6, 2016 -- Fresno		
NAME	 E-MAIL ADDRESS	PHONE
		
STUDENTS and REVIEWERS		
Aubree Medlock	aubreemedlock@gmail.com	720-202-4256
Preston Davis	prestondavis31@gmail.com	559-410-7718
Christina Coronado	lizardgirl727@yahoo.com	559-776-8934
Sandra Brucker	saundrabrucker@comcast.net	559-399-3364
Keith Brucker	keithbrucker@comcast.net	559-360-1605
Peggy Mitchell	peggym917@gmail.com	559-457-9629
		
GRADUATE ASSISTANTS		
Christina Tate	PrplChristina@aol.com	559-304-5882
Glori Celis	bcelis@sbcglobal.net	559-301-3609
Michelle Pauls	michellesfaces@sbcglobal.net	559-545-5412
Linda Lou Wall	lady21878@att.net	559-860-8413
Troy Celis	troy.celis@gmail.com	559-760-8872
Gloria Watson	gloria.watson@comcast.net	559-269-5419
		
INSTRUCTORS		
Matt Perelstein	matt@2gethelp.com	916-599-8597
Sharon Norell	scn1616@att.net	559-312-3880

-
	April 25-27, 2014 -- Fresno	
 	STUDENTS	
NAME	 E-MAIL ADDRESS	PHONE
Aaron Eaves		559-824-4600
John Osborne	dr-john@dr-john.net	530-518-9097
LJ Medlock	ellejaymedlock1978@gmail.com	303-886-0883
Lilla Hill	onehill57@gmail.com	559-230-9930
Nicole McManus	nicoleh716@gmail.com	559-917-3040
Peter McManus	macpete0406@gmail.com	559-451-1245
Scott Farrell	firemanscott6@sbcglobal.net	559-479-0392
		
	GRADUATE STUDENT ASSISTANTS	
Christina Tate	svdbyhim@aol.com	559-304-5882
Cynthia Morris	cynthiamorris78@gmail.com	559-312-6742
Erika Friedman	firedrake88@gmail.com	559-346-8719
Karen Flower		559-251-6877
Linda Lou Wall	lady21878@att.net	559-860-8413
Michele Soplata	mesoplata@sbcglobal.net	559-321-4086
Miles Scrivner	tracer0511@yahoo.com	559-240-3783
Gloria Watson	gloria.watson@comcast.net	559-269-5419
Glori Celis	bcelis@sbcglobal.net	559-301-3609
Melann Kenel	bear.kenel@sbcglobal.net	559-674-2257
Bev Carr	beverlycarrl@yahoo.com	559-906-1857
Troy Celis	troy.celis@gmail.com	559-760-8872
		
	INSTRUCTORS & ADMINISTRATION	
Matt Perelstein	matt@2gethelp.com	916-599-8597
Michelle Pauls	michellesfaces@sbcglobal.net	559-351-1597
Sharon Norell	scn1616@att.net	559-312-3882

-
	March 4-6, 2016 -- Fresno	
		
NAME	 E-MAIL ADDRESS	PHONE
		
STUDENTS and REVIEWERS		
Chris McEwen	chrisamcewen@hotmail.com	707-489-3087
Gay Storm	stormyg45@yahoo.com	559-240-3438
Lilla Hill	onehill57@gmail.com	559-240-9054
Michelle Pauls	michellesfaces@sbcglobal.net	559-545-5412
Patty Wilcox-McEwen	patriciamcewen@yahoo.com	801-870-4395
Peggy Mitchell	peggymitchell810@yahoo.com	559-457-9629
Saundra Brucker	saundrabrucker@comcast.net	559-321-4203
Shauna Wright	ucmswright@aol.com	559-801-3800

GRADUATE ASSISTANTS		
Christina Lynn	lizardgirl727@yahoo.com	559-776-8934
Christina Tate	svdbyhim@aol.com	559-304-5882
Glori Celis	bcelis@sbcglobal.net	559-301-3609
Karen Flower		559-251-6877
Katie Nowell	reneekatelyn@yahoo.com	559-978-2363
Linda Lou Wall	lady21878@att.net	559-860-8413
Lynda Abraugh	lyndaloua1@att.net	559-454-0630
Michele Soplata	mesoplata@sbcglobal.net	559-321-4086
Tony Ambra	tonyambra@yahoo.com	559-5877-7706
		
INSTRUCTORS		
Matt Perelstein	matt@2gethelp.com	916-599-8597
Paula Perelstein	paula@2gethelp.com	707-962-9006
Sharon Norell	scn1616@att.net	559-312-3880

-
	May 20-22, 2016 -- Fresno	
NAME	 E-MAIL ADDRESS	PHONE
		
STUDENTS and REVIEWERS		
Mr. John Cupido	quickserve100@comcast.net	559 977-4244
Lourie Brown		559-860-8851
Ricci Choate	singer120@gmail.com	559-871-4902
Mia Lambert	mia.lambert@gmail.com	559-455-3128
Michele Soplata	mesoplata@sbcglobal.net	559-321-4086
Keith Brucker	keithbrucker@comcast.net	559-360-1605
		
GRADUATE ASSISTANTS		
Christina Tate	svdbyhim@aol.com	559-304-5882
Glori Celis	bcelis@sbcglobal.net	559-301-3609
Karen Flower		559-251-6877
Linda Lou Wall	lady21878@att.net	559-860-8413
		
INSTRUCTORS		
Matt Perelstein	matt@2gethelp.com	916-599-8597
Sharon Norell	scn1616@att.net	559-312-3880

-
NDs

Date -- Location                           #Students            #Assistants               Instructors
Nov. 4-6, 2016 -- Fresno                   6                              6                         Mcp & Sharon
May 20-22, 2016 -- Fresno	              6                             4                          Mcp & Sharon
March 4-6, 2016 -- Fresno                8                             9                          Mcp, Pkp, Sharon
March 13-15, 2015 -- Fresno           10                          12                           Mcp, Pkp, Sharon
Nov. 14-16, 2014 -- Fresno	             6                             11                         Mcp, Pkp, Karen, Sharon
April 25-27, 2014 -- Fresno	              7                            12                         Mcp, Sharon, Michelle Pauls
Feb 7-9, 2014 -- Fresno                    9                              7                          Mcp, Pkp, Sharon, AJ Seargeant

---)
FB-EIN, FB-EIA
1-year study on whether EQ can be taught, effectively...

Conclusion:
Results reveal that the level of emotional competencies increased significantly in the intervention group in contrast with the control group. This increase resulted in lower cortisol secretion, enhanced subjective and physical well-being, as well as improved quality of social and marital relationships in the intervention group. 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21443316

---)
The research that Dr. Fredrickson and others have done demonstrates that the extent to which we can generate positive emotions from even everyday activities can determine who flourishes and who doesnt. More than a sudden bonanza of good fortune, repeated brief moments of positive feelings can provide a buffer against stress and depression and foster both physical and mental health, their studies show.

Continue reading the main story
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Continue reading the main story

This is not to say that one must always be positive to be healthy and happy. Clearly, there are times and situations that naturally result in negative feelings in the most upbeat of individuals. Worry, sadness, anger and other such downers have their place in any normal life. But chronically viewing the glass as half-empty is detrimental both mentally and physically and inhibits ones ability to bounce back from lifes inevitable stresses.

Negative feelings activate a region of the brain called the amygdala, which is involved in processing fear and anxiety and other emotions. Dr. Richard J. Davidson, a neuroscientist and founder of the Center for Healthy Minds at the University of Wisconsin  Madison, has shown that people in whom the amygdala recovers slowly from a threat are at greater risk for a variety of health problems than those in whom it recovers quickly.

Both he and Dr. Fredrickson and their colleagues have demonstrated that the brain is plastic, or capable of generating new cells and pathways, and it is possible to train the circuitry in the brain to promote more positive responses. That is, a person can learn to be more positive by practicing certain skills that foster positivity.

For example, Dr. Fredricksons team found that six weeks of training in a form of meditation focused on compassion and kindness resulted in an increase in positive emotions and social connectedness and improved function of one of the main nerves that helps to control heart rate. The result is a more variable heart rate that, she said in an interview, is associated with objective health benefits like better control of blood glucose, less inflammation and faster recovery from a heart attack.

Dr. Davidsons team showed that as little as two weeks training in compassion and kindness meditation generated changes in brain circuitry linked to an increase in positive social behaviors like generosity.

The results suggest that taking time to learn the skills to self-generate positive emotions can help us become healthier, more social, more resilient versions of ourselves, Dr. Fredrickson reported in the National Institutes of Health monthly newsletter in 2015.

In other words, Dr. Davidson said, well-being can be considered a life skill. If you practice, you can actually get better at it. By learning and regularly practicing skills that promote positive emotions, you can become a happier and healthier person. Thus, there is hope for people like my friends parents should they choose to take steps to develop and reinforce positivity.

Well
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In her newest book, Love 2.0, Dr. Fredrickson reports that shared positivity  having two people caught up in the same emotion  may have even a greater impact on health than something positive experienced by oneself. Consider watching a funny play or movie or TV show with a friend of similar tastes, or sharing good news, a joke or amusing incidents with others. Dr. Fredrickson also teaches loving-kindness meditation focused on directing good-hearted wishes to others. This can result in people feeling more in tune with other people at the end of the day, she said.

Activities Dr. Fredrickson and others endorse to foster positive emotions include:

Do good things for other people. In addition to making others happier, this enhances your own positive feelings. It can be something as simple as helping someone carry heavy packages or providing directions for a stranger.

Appreciate the world around you. It could be a bird, a tree, a beautiful sunrise or sunset or even an article of clothing someone is wearing. I met a man recently who was reveling in the architectural details of the 19th-century houses in my neighborhood.

Develop and bolster relationships. Building strong social connections with friends or family members enhances feelings of self-worth and, long-term studies have shown, is associated with better health and a longer life.

Establish goals that can be accomplished. Perhaps you want to improve your tennis or read more books. But be realistic; a goal that is impractical or too challenging can create unnecessary stress.

Learn something new. It can be a sport, a language, an instrument or a game that instills a sense of achievement, self-confidence and resilience. But here, too, be realistic about how long this may take and be sure you have the time needed.

Choose to accept yourself, flaws and all. Rather than imperfections and failures, focus on your positive attributes and achievements. The loveliest people I know have none of the external features of loveliness but shine with the internal beauty of caring, compassion and consideration of others.

337
COMMENTS
Practice resilience. Rather than let loss, stress, failure or trauma overwhelm you, use them as learning experiences and steppingstones to a better future. Remember the expression: When life hands you a lemon, make lemonade.

Practice mindfulness. Ruminating on past problems or future difficulties drains mental resources and steals attention from current pleasures. Let go of things you cant control and focus on the here-and-now. Consider taking a course in insight meditation.

This is the second of two columns on positive emotions.

A version of this article appears in print on April 4, 2017, on Page D5 of the New York edition with the headline: Turning Negative Thinkers Into Positive Ones. Order Reprints| Today's Paper|Subscribe

---elated brain circuits after people had 2 weeks of training in a simple form of meditation that focuses on compassion and kindness. These changes, in turn, were linked to an increase in positive social behaviors, such as increased generosity.

Fredrickson and her colleagues are also studying meditation. They found that after 6 weeks of training in compassion and kindness meditation, people reported increased positive emotions and social connectedness compared to an untrained group. The meditation group also had improved functioning in a nerve that helps to control heart rate. The results suggest that taking time to learn the skills to self-generate positive emotions can help us become healthier, more social, more resilient versions of ourselves, Fredrickson says.

Dr. Emily Falk, a neuroscientist at the University of Pennsylvania, is taking a different approach. Falk is exploring how self-affirmationthat is, thinking about whats most important to youcan affect your brain and lead to positive, healthful behaviors. Her team found that when people are asked to think about things that they find meaningful, a brain region that recognizes personally relevant information becomes activated. This brain activity can change how people respond to health advice.

In general, if you tell people that they sit too much and they need to change their behavior, they can become defensive. Theyll come up with reasons why the message doesnt apply to them, Falk says. But if people reflect on the things they value before the health message, the brains reward pathways are activated.

This type of self-affirmation, Falks research shows, can help physically inactive couch potatoes get more active. In a recent study, inactive adults received typical health advice about the importance of moving more and sitting less. But before the advice, about half of the participants were asked to think about things that they value most.

The self-affirmation group became more physically active during the month-long study period that followed compared to the group that hadnt engaged in self-affirmation. The study shows one way that we can open the brain to positive change and help people achieve their goals, Falk says.

Being open to positive change is a key to emotional wellness. Sometimes people think that emotions just happen, kind of like the weather, Fredrickson says. But research suggests that we can have some control over which emotions we experience. As mounting research suggests, having a positive mindset might help to improve your physical health as well.

References: 
Compassion training alters altruism and neural responses to suffering. Weng HY, Fox AS, Shackman AJ, Stodola DE, et al. Psychol Sci. 2013 Jul 1; 24(7):1171-80. doi: 10.1177/0956797612469537. Epub 2013 May 21. PMID: 23696200.

Mind of the meditator. Ricard M, Lutz A, Davidson RJ. Sci Am. 2014 Nov;311(5):38-45. PMID: 25508292.

How positive emotions build physical health: perceived positive social connections account for the upward spiral between positive emotions and vagal tone. Kok BE, Coffey KA, Cohn MA, Catalino LI, et al. Psychol Sci. 2013 Jul 1;24(7):1123-32. doi: 10.1177/0956797612470827. Epub 2013 May 6. PMID: 23649562.

Happiness unpacked: positive emotions increase life satisfaction by building resilience. Cohn MA, Fredrickson BL, Brown SL, Mikels JA, Conway AM. Emotion. 2009 Jun;9(3):361-8. doi: 10.1037/a0015952. PMID: 19485613.

Self-affirmation alters the brain's response to health messages and subsequent behavior change. Falk EB, O'Donnell MB, Cascio CN, Tinney F, et al. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2015 Feb 17;112(7):1977-82. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1500247112. Epub 2015 Feb 2. PMID: 25646442.

Beyond Brain Mapping: Using Neural Measures to Predict Real-World Outcomes. Berkman ET, Falk EB. Curr Dir Psychol Sci. 2013 Feb;22(1):45-50. PMID: 24478540.

NIH News in Health, August 2015

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To develop a more positive mindset:

Remember your good deeds. Give yourself credit for the good things you do for others each day.
Forgive yourself. Everyone makes mistakes. Learn from what went wrong, but dont dwell on it.
Spend more time with your friends. Surround yourself with positive, healthy people.
Explore your beliefs about the meaning and purpose of life. Think about how to guide your life by the principles that are important to you.
Develop healthy physical habits. Healthy eating, physical activity, and regular sleep can improve your physical and mental health.
Adapted from U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration.

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Editor: Harrison Wein, Ph.D.
Managing Editor: Vicki Contie

Contributors: Vicki Contie, Alan Defibaugh (illustrations), Christen Sandoval, Carol Torgan, Samantha Watters, and Harrison Wein

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---)
http://www.casel.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Final-CDI-Report-3-17-17.pdf

A multiyear effort to help
school districts integrate social
and emotional learning across
all aspects of their work

What have we learned?
What impact have we seen?
Whats next?
MARCH 2017
2
The Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional
Learning (CASEL) was formed in 1994 with the goal
of helping to make high-quality, evidence-based
social and emotional learning (SEL) an integral part
of preschool through high school education. Over the
years and through deep collaborations with multiple
organizations and individuals, we have steadily
advanced this goal. Our work has focused on three
areas: research to build the evidence base; practice
to implement, refine, and demonstrate high-quality
SEL in school districts, and create scalable tools and
resources; and state and federal policy to help create
the conditions for success.

Today we are at a tipping point. The evidence is
clear that SEL works. Models for implementation
exist. Supportive policies are spreading. Most
important, students are benefitting. Students with
strong social and emotional competence not only do
better academically in school, they lead healthier,
happier, more fulfilling lives. They better understand
themselves, build constructive relationships, are more
kind and caring, and make more responsible decisions.

In order to help practitioners bring more of these
benefits to more students, in 2010 CASEL, in
partnership with NoVo Foundation, launched a largescale
action research project that sought to address
the next-generation questions. Can large urban school
districts put into place the policies and practices that
would promote the social and emotional competencies
of all students throughout the district? If so, how? And
what outcomes would we see for kids?

The Collaborating Districts Initiative (CDI) became
the learning lab for addressing those questions. We
have worked closely with school districts on strategies
for embedding SEL into all aspects of their work. We
spent our first two decades collaborating to establish
the evidence base documenting that SEL works for
students. Now, through the CDI, we know a lot more
about the specifics of how to do it. This report describes
what districts did, shares what we have learned, and
previews how we intend to scale these insights to many
more districts.

We are committed to an ongoing process for continuing
to increase the knowledge and expertise about
how to implement systemic SEL. Through our deep
collaboration with the CDI districts, partnerships with
researchers, educators, and organizations serving the
field, and broader efforts to commission, curate, and
distribute resources, CASEL is poised to serve as the
know-how lab for the SEL field. Our work combines the
Know of research with the How of practical application,
along with advancing policies that create the conditions
for SEL to flourish. We will continue collaborating with
educators, scholars, and others to share this know-how
with those who can put it to immediate use.

The CDI has been a pivotal step in the evolution and
maturation in the field of SEL. We are profoundly
thankful for the generosity of NoVo Foundation
and several other funders and for the vision and
commitment of our district partners. They are helping
to transform how student success is defined in
American education.

Through our work and the work of many people in the
field, we are making a difference. Our goal: by 2025, 50%
of districts are systemically integrating high-quality
SEL across their schools and classrooms.
Its time.
1
Contents
Preface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 1
CHAPTER 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PAGE 2
Collaborating
Districts Initiative:
A LEARNING LAB
CHAPTER 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PAGE 6
Key Insights
CHAPTER 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PAGE 20
Impact on Students
and Schools
CHAPTER 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PAGE 24
Scaling SEL
Know-How
Preface
Karen Niemi
President and CEO
Roger P. Weissberg, PhD
Chief Knowledge Officer
Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL). (2017)
Key Insights from the Collaborating Districts Initiative. Chicago: Author.
2 3
Collaborating
Districts
Initiative:
A Learning Lab
6 YEARS 10 DISTRICTS 900,000 STUDENTS
Six years ago CASEL took the unprecedented
step of launching an effort to study and scale
high-quality, evidence-based academic,
social, and emotional learning in eight of the
largest and most complex school systems in
the country: Anchorage, Austin, Chicago,
Cleveland, Nashville, Oakland, Sacramento, and
Washoe County, Nev. With the recent addition
of Atlanta and El Paso, the Collaborating
Districts Initiative (CDI) now includes 10
districts, enrolling 900,000 students a year. It
is one of the most comprehensive and ambitious
school district improvement initiatives ever.
Educators around the world rely on CASEL
resources to support their knowledge and
understanding of SEL, which in turn affects
millions of additional students. And with the
spring 2017 launch of the online District Resource
Center, the knowledge gleaned from the CDI will
benefit millions more.

The goal of the CDI was to create a comprehensive
shift in how superintendents and entire school
districts approach education. We knew we had
to help redefine quality education (beyond test
scores alone), and to prioritize the practices
in classrooms, schools, and communities for
promoting the social and emotional development
of children.

As a result, the CDI is focused on systemic
SEL implementation SEL across all district,
school, and classroom activities, increasingly in
partnership with parents and communities. SEL as
a once-a-week program is not enough to establish
sustainable teaching and learning environments
where students truly thrive. SEL is sustained and
students thrive when it is promoted and reinforced
throughout the school day, modeled and taught
by teachers, families, and community members 
and supported by district policies, practices, and
investments.

CHAPTER 1 Study
     Anchorage
     AUSTIN
     CLEVELAND
3 DISTRICTS
171K STUDENTS

2011 Study
     Anchorage
     ATLANTA
     AUSTIN
     CHICAGO
     CLEVELAND
     EL PASO
     NASHVILLE
     OAKLAND
     SACRAMENTO
     WASHOE COUNTY
10 DISTRICTS
900K STUDENTS

TODAY
SEL helps all students reach their full
potential as caring, contributing, responsible,
and knowledgeable friends, family members,
coworkers, and citizens.

It helps them build positive skills, such as
greater self-awareness and self-management,
improved relationship skills, and responsible
decision-making in safe and supportive learning
environments. These skills and behaviors are
important in their own right, but they also
benefit students in other ways. For example, a
major review of research studies on SEL school
programs revealed 11 percentile-point gains in
academic performance.

1
Benefits extend beyond students to the
broader society as well. Another study
demonstrated statistically significant
associations between social-emotional
skills in kindergarten and key young adult
outcomes in education, employment, criminal
activity, substance use, and mental health.
2
Overall, quality SEL yields an 11:1 return on
investment, according to a 2015 Columbia
University study.
3
 Scholars from the fields
of neuroscience, health, employment,
psychology, classroom management,
learning theory, economics, and youth
development also have identified benefits.
SEL also helps avoid or reduce negative outcomes
for kids. For example, more than 40% of teens are
chronically disengaged. 

4 In the past year, one in 13 students has been in at least one fight,
one in six has carried a weapon, and one in 10
has had sex with more than four people.
5
 Teen depression has increased five-fold since the 1950s.
6
 Half of college students report feeling overwhelmed.
7
 SEL helps students overcome
challenges such as these and gives students the
opportunity to succeed in school and in life.
4
5
1 Child Development, January/February 2011 2 Robert Wood Johnson Foundation/American Journal of Public Health 3 Center for Benefit-Cost Studies in Education, Teachers College, Columbia University 4 University of Michigan, Personality and Social Psychology Review 5 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 6 Birth Cohort Differences in Self-Esteem, 19882008: A cross-temporal 7 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Child Development, January/February 2011
Why SEL is NeededRaises Stu
dent
Performance Higher academic
achievement
Better socialemotional
skills Improved attitudes
about self, others,
and school
Positive classroom
behavior
R
e
duces Ri
s
k
for
F
a
ilure
Fewer conduct
problems
Less emotional
distress
SELs
Benef
its
A 2011 meta-analys
is foun
d t
hat SEL

7
To learn more, visit CASELs District Resource Center
drc.casel.org
6
Key
Insights
Insight 1
Systemic SEL
is possible.
Implementation WORKS even with leadership
changes and relatively small budgets.
The CDI began with strong leadership from the
top. Superintendents and their districts committed
to an ambitious agenda of change: systemic
implementation of SEL across all district, school,
and classroom activities and in partnership with
parents and communities. This was not SEL as a
once-a-week program but instead a paradigm shift
where district leaders committed to:
 Cultivate commitment and organizational
support for SEL.
 Assess SEL resources and needs.
 Support classroom, school, and community
SEL programming.
 Establish systems for continuous improvement.
Significantly, unlike many major district efforts,
districts received minimal financial incentives to
undertake these sweeping reforms. Each of the first
eight districts received annual grants of $250,000
for up to six years. That represents less than 0.04%
of the average CDI districts annual budget for all
expenses (excluding Chicagos budget, which is
larger than the other seven CDI district budgets
combined). The districts supplemented NoVo
Foundation grants with their own investments.
None of the districts has the same superintendent
as when the CDI began. Indeed, Chicago Public
Schools has had four superintendents since 2010,
yet SEL is still growing throughout the district,
supported by 25 dedicated staff in the Office of
Social and Emotional Learning.
Despite this turnover, after five years of
independently evaluating the CDI, the American
Institutes for Research (AIR) concluded: Our
findings suggest that districts participating in the
CDI have sustained, deepened, and broadened their
commitment to SEL and developed capacities to
support its implementation. Participation in the
CDI and in district-initiated activities has enhanced
the readiness of the districts and their schools
to implement and sustain SEL. More staff and
stakeholders know about it and want it, and SEL
has been embedded as a pillar in strategic plans.
Furthermore, districts are increasingly aligning SEL
with other districtwide activities.
Districts were able to withstand leadership
turnover and budget cuts, especially when they
had broad stakeholder commitment to SEL, when
they focused on deepening the SEL expertise of
central office staff, effectively integrated SEL across
district departments and initiatives, and began
to see evidence of improvements in climate and
attendance, and reductions in suspensions.
Since 2011 we have been working with our
partner districts in an intensive ongoing cycle
of implementation, refinement, evaluation, and
documentation to deepen our understanding
of how to embed SEL into their work. We are
working closely with superintendents, district
SEL leaders, research and evaluation teams,
principals, teachers, parents, and community
members to support and promote systemic SEL.
We are providing hands-on, practical consulting
and support. And we are connecting districts
virtually and in-person with each other, in small
peer-to-peer learning groups, and in large
cross-district meetings, so that they can learn
and benefit from each others experiences.
We promised no quick fixes, but rather
sustained commitment, access to the smartest
leaders, high-quality research, and a passion
for evidence and results. Our initial research
questions asked what does systemic SEL mean?
What does it look like in practice, and how is
it achieved? This chapter highlights seven key
insights drawn from our experience.
1. Systemic SEL is possible even with
leadership changes and relatively small
budgets.
2. SEL ideally is integrated into every aspect
of the districts work, from the strategic
plan and budgets to human resources and
operations.
3. SEL ideally is integrated into every aspect
of the school, from classroom instruction to
school climate and culture to communityfamily
partnerships.
4. Successful implementation can follow
multiple pathways, based on each districts
unique needs and strengths. Regardless
of the approach, the engagement and
commitment of both school and district
leadership is essential.
5. Adult SEL matters, too.
6. Data for continuous improvement are
essential.
7. Districts benefit from collaborating with
each other.
The CDI demonstrates that
it is possible for large urban
school districts to adopt and
maintain SEL as an essential
element of education, even
amid budgetary stress and
leadership turnover.
American Institutes for Research
CHAPTER 2 SEL Grants
REPRESENTED
ONLY
ABOUT 0.04%
OF EACH
DISTRICTS
BUDGET
VISION
Develop a district wide
vision and long term plan
9
To learn more, visit CASELs District Resource Center
drc.casel.org
INTEGRATION
Integrate SEL
with district initiatives
For example, Oakland Unified School Districts
commitment to social and emotional learning is
evident across the systemincluding the districts
vision and strategic plan, SEL board policy, SEL
standards, classroom curricula, restorative justice
practices, and professional learning. The districts
new performance frameworks for teachers,
principals, schools, and the superintendent are
all based on the districts SEL standards, as
is professional learning for all principals and
assistant principals. Oakland is also beginning to
use SEL school-quality indicators to help schools
align and prioritize resources and goals for
student success.
In Chicago SEL is integrated into the districts
overall strategic plan. The district also has
established a districtwide code of conduct and
climate standards. A progressive discipline
policy limits the use of exclusionary discipline
practices and encourages all schools to respond
to misbehavior using supportive, restorative
discipline practices to promote social and
emotional development. SEL is part of professional
development for core academic content in areas
such as math and literacy. SEL is integrated into
the districts Multi-Tiered Systems of Support
(MTSS), which provides differentiated support for
students.
Anchorage School District has embedded
SEL instructional strategies into leadership
meetings, professional development sessions, and
curriculum. It is creating a MTSS approach that
integrates SEL curriculum and strategies with
Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports
(PBIS). A district SEL leadership team of 30
leaders from the classroom to the superintendent
guides this work.
In Sacramento City Unified School District,
over 50 schools have adopted evidence-based
curriculum and are explicitly teaching SEL
lessons across all grade levels. Leadership
teams from all K-12 schools were trained on
SEL core competencies, restorative practices,
and equity. Equity coaches regularly work with
schools to support their SEL/Equity leadership
teams, facilitate professional growth opportunities
for staff, model lessons, and support individual
teachers. In year five an interdepartmental
professional learning community was created to
develop expertise and deepen collaboration among
central office staff.
To complement the in-district work, CASEL is
partnering with The Wallace Foundation to help
districts align their SEL work with out-of-schooltime
efforts.
8
Insight 2
SEL is ideally integrated
throughout the district. When implemented well, SEL is embedded into every aspect of the
districts work, from the strategic plan and budgets to human
resources and operations.
Systemic SEL is not a siloed approach or standalone
program, but a new way of doing business.
At the district level, we have worked closely with
superintendents, district SEL leaders, school
boards, curriculum and instruction departments,
research and evaluation teams, and others in
multiple ways to help districts adopt systemic
strategies that embed SEL into every aspect of
school life.
Districts are building SEL into their strategic plans
and budgets. They are reorganizing leadership
structures so that SEL is not a separate priority
but is integrated into core functions such as
academics, professional development, and equity.
They are integrating SEL into the development and
implementation of districtwide policies on hiring and
discipline. They are systematically collecting and
analyzing data for continuous improvement (more
in Insight 6). And they are regularly communicating
with and engaging multiple stakeholders.
For us, its not about one more thing we have to
budget for. SEL is in the blood of what we do in the
district. Its not just an off-the-shelf program. Its
really about what we do every day for kids.
Traci Davis, Superintendent of Schools,
Washoe County School District
Theory of Action
for Districtwide SEL
  Vision & Long-Term
Plan
  Stakeholder
 Communications
  Aligned Resources
  Central Office
 Expertise
  Professional Learning
  SEL Integration
  SEL Standards
& Assessments
  Evidence-Based
Programs
CULTIVATE
COMMITMENT &
ORGANIZATIONAL
SUPPORT FOR SEL
ESTABLISH
SYSTEMS FOR
CONTINUOUS
IMPROVEMENT
ASSESS SEL
RESOURCES &
NEEDS
SUPPORT
CLASSROOM,
SCHOOLWIDE, &
COMMUNITY SEL
PROGRAMMING
10 11
Systemic SEL is a new way of doing business at the
school level as well. District leaders have worked
closely with principals, teachers, parent leaders,
community partners, and others in multiple ways to
help schools adopt systemic strategies that embed
SEL into every aspect of school life.
In classrooms implementing well, SEL is promoted
through explicit instruction, often using an
evidence-based program identified in CASELs
program reviews. It is integrated across classroom
instruction and academic curriculum, from the math
class organized around cooperative learning to the
social studies class that routinely helps students
learn empathy by trying out different perspectives to
understand their world.
In schools implementing well, there is a culture and
climate that supports learning, respect, and caring
relationships throughout the school day. Adults are
regularly modeling SEL behavior in classrooms
and hallways, and on playgrounds. SEL shapes how
principals run their staff meetings, how teachers
handle their classrooms, how custodians and
cafeteria workers know and are known by students,
how safety officers interact with students, and how
receptionists welcome visitors.
In Washoe County School District, staff members
at each school attend a three-day training focused
on culture and climate, evidence-based programs,
student voice, and the integration of SEL into math,
English, history, and other classes. Teachers use
SEL strategies to engage students in learning core
academic content. Students demonstrate listening
skills, empathy, and other SEL competencies as they
work in pairs, in small groups, and as a whole class.
Sacramento has developed Common Core State
Standards curriculum maps for English Language
Arts and math, explicitly identifying related SEL
skills such as being able to collaborate, persevere in
solving difficult problems, develop viable arguments,
and critique the reasoning of others. SEL skills also
are embedded in the districts college and career
readiness graduate profile, which will serve as a
guide for students successful matriculation.
Family and community partnerships extend and deepen
the work occurring in schools. Austin Independent
School Districts citywide Ready by 21 Youth
Services Mapping program helps students and
families locate services and supports that address
academic enrichment and support, as well as social,
emotional, and behavioral health. The district has
also provided training in SEL to multiple out-ofschool
providers. And a local philanthropic matching
program has raised $2.4 million in three years.
Sacramento has integrated SEL into its nationally
recognized Parent Teacher Home Visit Project, the
districtwide Parent Information Exchange, parent
training modules, and its Family Night Toolkit on
Math, which now includes information on growth
mindset. Washoe County has offered more than 80
Parent University SEL courses, including College
and Career Success and Building Resiliency in
Children.
We changed from everything
being punitive to making
everything a teaching moment:
What did you do? Why did you do
it? Do you know it was wrong?
What could you do differently?
The staff was on board. There
was a lot of buy-in.
Janet McDowell,
Principal, Wade Park Elementary School,
Cleveland Metropolitan School District
Student and Teacher Voice
A supportive climate and culture results when
there are opportunities for multiple voices to
be heard. In Cleveland Metropolitan School
District, for example, about 450 high school
students meet quarterly to review their
individual schools Conditions for Learning
data, participate in activities with their
peers, and provide feedback directly to the
CEO about proposed district improvements.
In Chicago students sat on the committee
that rewrote the districts discipline policy
and created supports for school staff
members. They helped create a video to
teach all stakeholders about the important
shift to a restorative practices approach.
In order to help our
students learn, we have to
build relationships with
our students. Thats what
they say to us.
Antwan Wilson,
former superintendent of Oakland Unified
School District, currently chancellor of
Washington, DC Public Schools
Insight 3
SEL ideally is integrated
throughout the school. When implemented well, SEL is embedded into every aspect of the school,
from classroom instruction to school climate and culture to partnerships
with the community and families.
I dont know that
there are any kids out
there, in any school
district, that dont
have some needs for
SEL support.
Jos Banda,
Superintendent, Sacramento City Unified
School District
To learn more, visit CASELs District Resource Center
drc.casel.org
INTEGRATION
Integrate SEL
with district initiatives
12 13
Insight 4
Successful implementation can
follow multiple pathways.
Each district has unique needs and strengths, but regardless of the
approach, DISTRICT AND school leadership is key.
Districts have chosen a variety of approaches
for rolling out their SEL implementation to
schools. There is no single path to successful
implementation. Some built from the classroom up,
using SEL programming as an anchor. Others built
from the central office down, focused on strategy
and organization. Some start with clusters of K-12
schools (high school and feeder middle and
elementary schools).Others roll out districtwide at
specific grade levels.
For example, Austin started with two feeder
patterns of elementary, middle, and high schools,
then added three more the following year, then two
more each year until all schools in the district were
implementing SEL. On the other hand, Cleveland
implemented the PATHS program districtwide,
starting with all K-2 grades one year and grades
3-5 during the following year. Second Step was
introduced in grade 6 in 2015. It was enhanced with
the inclusion of grades 7-8 in 2016.
Regardless of the pathway, implementation needs
to get down to the school level where the students
are  and where relationships are formed,
curriculum is taught, and partnerships with
families and community happen. And the principals
understanding of and commitment to SEL are
critical to leading these efforts. To ensure effective
implementation at the school level, Washoe County
uses school-based SEL teams comprising at
least one administrator and four to six site-based
staff including teachers, counselors, and speech
pathologists. In addition, 21 teacher leaders receive
additional professional development and then train
their school colleagues and parents. Austin uses a
coaching and strategic planning model, with each
SEL specialist responsible for up to 12 schools.
Building on Strengths
Needs assessments help districts identify and
build on strengths. Surveys and focus groups,
for example, helped Washoe County discover
the central role of counselors. The district then
developed more inclusive training for teachers,
principals, and others. In Austin a survey of
SEL liaisons, principals, and coaches helped
identify the quality of school implementation.
The district used that information to help scale
up best practices. To focus on school leadership,
the districts new planning team now includes
three principals and the chief of schools, who
supervises principals.
The way weve
implemented SEL,
instruction happens
every single day in
the classroom, not
something we do
separate and apart.
Paul Cruz,
Superintendent, Austin Independent School District
SEL is the way
we go about
our business.
Relationships
matter most. I see
the whole world
through the lens
of SEL.
Brian Singleton,
Principal, Begich Middle School,
Anchorage School District
To learn more, visit CASELs District Resource Center
drc.casel.org
ALIGN
RESOURCES
Align financial and
human resources
14 15
Social and emotional competence among staff
improves teaching and leadership by strengthening
relationships, creating safer learning environments,
reducing staff burnout, and building trust among
colleagues. It also helps those working directly
with children to teach, model, and reinforce SEL
competencies in their academic and interpersonal
interactions with students.
Educators who model SEL have clear expectations
and guidelines, including setting appropriate
consequences, according to Nick Yoder of the
American Institutes for Research. They find ways
to stay calm when angry. They avoid mocking or
embarrassing their students. They give students
choices and respect their wishes. They ask
questions that help students solve problems on
their own. They are culturally aware and competent.
Yet too few teachers have been formally trained
in their teacher preparation programs on SEL.
A recent University of British Columbia/CASEL
report found the overwhelming majority of teacher
preparation programs do not have courses that
help educators teach core SEL skills to students.8
Penn State Universitys Mark Greenberg observed
in a recent report: If a teacher is unable to
manage their stress adequately, their instruction
will suffer, which then impacts student well-being
and achievement. In contrast, teachers with better
emotion regulation are likely to reinforce positive
student behavior and support students in managing
their own negative emotions.9
Anchorage discovered after two years of
implementing student-centered reforms it needed
to pause to focus more on staff training. We cant
expect teachers to model what we dont give them
a chance to practice themselves, says Jan Davis,
SEL Professional Learning Specialist. Moreover,
the Anchorage team is exploring how developing
adults social and emotional competencies may
bolster their capacity to appropriately use culturally
responsive teaching practices, which ultimately will
ensure that all students are supported in reaching
their full potential.
Adult awareness, modeling, and integration of
social-emotional competencies in their teaching
practices has long been a priority for Chicago
Public Schools. All introductory SEL workshops
ask leaders to identify and reflect on their own SEL
competencies, prioritize areas where they would
like to grow, and plan how to engage colleagues
in an ongoing process of building these skills
throughout their departments, regions, or schools.
Efforts such as these helped the district to identify a
link between adult decision-making and a historical
overuse of suspensions.
To reinforce the importance of adult SEL, some
districts are explicitly embedding SEL into their
staff performance frameworks. Oakland, for
example, created performance frameworks for
adults and elementary students based on its
SEL standards. SEL factors into the evaluation
process for all classroom teachers, PreK-12.
The OUSD Leadership Growth and Development
System guides the professional development and
evaluation of all principals throughout the district.
The superintendent holds herself accountable to the
school board for specific SEL goals and objectives
included in her work plan.
We ask educators
whats that one skill
you want students to
have to be successful?
Its the social-emotional
skills they want students
to have.
Kyla Krengel,
Director, SEL, Metro Nashville Public Schools
Insight 5
Adult SEL matters, too.
Relationships are central, and adults need the expertise to teach and
model appropriate lessons and behaviors in every interaction.
8 The University of British Columbia Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology, and Special Education
9 Penn State University/Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
You walk around
the school now and
you can tell there are
relationships that exist
between teachers and
teachers, between
teachers and students,
and students with one
another. What that allows
for is a culture of calm.
Jessica,
Chicago Public Schools, ninth-grade student
To learn more, visit CASELs District Resource Center
drc.casel.org
BUILD
EXPERTISE
Develop central office SEL
expertise and competence
16 17
Having research and evaluation teams involved in SEL work from the start yields several benefits.
They help clarify goals and desired outcomes. They
ensure that progress toward these outcomes is
regularly measured, analyzed, and shared through
data dashboards, reports, and similar management
tools for continuous improvement.
In addition, clear metrics help keep everyone on
on the same page. Regular visibility helps ensure
that everyone knows the work is important. Most
important, armed with data, districts can make
more informed decisions about necessary changes
in strategies and programming.
For example,
Austin raised local funds to
help create a two-person S
EL research team,
which produced regular leadership reports
on implementation and progress.
One report
measured the impact of a specific curriculum on
absentee rates, disciplinary incidents, grades, and
standardized test scores. Another compared the
impact of program longevity to the effectiveness of
implementation, with mixed results. These reports
have helped the district create buy-in, communicate
about the importance of S
EL, and raise additional
funds to support the work. Clevelands long-term research project with AIR
produces invaluable insights into S
EL attitudes and
school climate and culture through its Conditions
for Learning surveys of students, staff, and parents,
given two times a year. District administrators and
school staff regularly analyze the information and
use it to provide practical advice on topics such
as encouraging civility and enhancing the school
culture.
Acting on the data is key. After finding staff survey
participation had dropped sharply,
Anchorage
worked with CAS
EL to use the data to inform
priorities for programming and training.
Once they
saw how the survey research helped principals
guide their work, teacher participation on the
surveys soared  from a low of 30% to 79%.
In
Washoe
County S
EL staff works closely with the
accountability department to help ensure a steady
stream of insightful analyses. Using the results of a
sophisticated 17-question survey, for example, they
made the case that students with higher S
EL skills
did better on virtually every other outcome measure
(test scores,
GPAs, attendance, etc.). And they
targeted staff development to address issues where
students reported feeling the weakest, such as the
ability to express feelings.
In
Metro
Nashville Public
Schools the resesarch
and development department has contributed
significantly to the school and classroom
observational tools now being used in 28 schools
to establish a baseline for an annual mid-year
assessment of school climate and practice. The
district also has used the tool to assess strengths
and needs in roughly 50 other schools and to
customize professional development accordingly.
Ins
i
g
ht 6
Data for continuous
improvement are essential. Research and evaluation that are focused on improvement accelerate
an
d ra
ise t
he qual
ity of t
he rollout.
To learn more, visit CASELs District Resource Center
drc.casel.org
CONTI
N
U
OUS
IMPR
O
V
E
MEN
T
Establish systems for
continuous improvement
18 19
The CDI offers an opportunity for many of the
countrys leading educators to intensively create and
explore which approaches work best, then share
that know-how with each other and the world.
To accelerate learning among CDI districts, we
created multiple peer learning communities, which
foster long-term commitment and sustainability
through regular opportunities to learn from each
other.
For example, the annual Cross-Districts Learning
Event convenes educators and others from CDI
districts to explore implementation topics such as
mindsets, academic integration, adult SEL, financial
sustainability, and assessment. More topic-specific
work groups have emerged from these large
sessions, such as our Equity Work Group, Research
and Evaluation Professional Learning Community,
and Professional Learning Series.
Through a series of in-person meetings, webinars,
and one-on-one phone calls, these groups
are learning from their peers about successes,
challenges, and innovations. A few districts have
adapted the proactive social media communications
and engagement strategies used by Austin and
Atlanta, for example. Washoe County has benefitted
from Chicagos approach to adult SEL. Other
districts have learned from Washoes innovative use
of data and student voice to support climate and
culture, using their student data summits.
The CDI superintendents connect regularly through
in-person opportunities, webinars, and one-on-one
conversations, exploring a wide range of issues
including stakeholder communication, budgeting,
data use, and strategies for crisis intervention.
Cross-district site visits occur regularly. For
example, Anchorage visited Chicago to learn more
about its MTSS implementation model and see
SEL leadership teams and integrated instruction
at schools. The Cleveland team members learned
different strategies for implementing the Closing
the Achievement Gap initiative from their visit
to Oakland. Washoe and Oakland learned about
Anchorages multiyear strategic plan for SEL
implementation and saw SEL-academic integration
in practice.
Atlanta and El Paso Benefit
Two of the newest members of the CDI are benefitting from the work of the first eight
districts. Both Atlanta Public Schools and El Paso Independent School District heeded the
recommendation to focus on adult SEL early. Atlanta is also focusing on parent engagement
and will adapt resources from the CDI in its efforts. El Paso has made use of Sacramentos
approach to teaching a growth mindset. And other CDI districts have used El Pasos hidden
backpack activity, a facilitation approach designed to build empathy for the unseen daily
burdens that affect students and adults ability to focus on their work.
CROSS-DISTRICTS LEARNING EVENTs
PARTICIPANTS SAY...
Anchorage,
Alaska
2011
Austin,
TexAS
2012
Nashville,
TennESSEE
2013
Cleveland,
Ohio
2015
Reno,
NevADA
2016
I have a deeper appreciation for why we need to
include adults in the SEL learning process and
why districts elect to work with adult SEL first,
as a foundation for districtwide implementation.
GREAT!!
I cant wait to bring this
back to our new teacher
program as well.
OAKLAND,
CALIFORNIA
2017
Insight 7
Districts benefit from
collaborating with each other.
From the start and in keeping with CASELS research roots, the CDI was
 and is  a COLLABORATIVE learning lab.
To learn more, visit CASELs District Resource Center
drc.casel.org
PROFESSIONAL
DEVELOPMENT
Design and implement
effective professional
development programs
Academic achievement improved
The three districts that use the National
Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP)
(Austin, Chicago, and Cleveland) all improved
their reading and math scores during the CDI
implementation years.
In Anchorage, Austin, Chicago, Cleveland,
Oakland, and Nashville, GPAs were higher at the
end of the 2015 school year than before the CDI
started. The improvements were particularly
noticeable in Chicago, going from an average of
2.19 in the three years before the CDI to 2.65 in
2015, an increase of nearly 21%.
Nashville, the only district that used the same
standardized tests across CDI years, showed
improvements in both ELA and math achievement.
All districts with relevant data showed gains
in ELA and math in at least one grade band
(elementary, middle, high). Chicagos graduation
rate increased 15% during the CDI years.
Student engagement and
behavior improved
Attendance improved in four of six districts that
collected this data. Chicago improved overall
attendance by eight percentage points from
before the CDI started through 2015. Anchorage
(elementary, middle) and Nashville (middle, high)
showed gains at two of three levels.
Suspensions declined in all five of the districts
that collected this data. For example, suspensions
in Chicago declined 65 percent in two years.
This translates to 44,000 fewer students being
suspended from school in one recent year alone.
In Sacramento suspension rates declined in the
five years of systemic SEL implementation:
24% districtwide and 43% in high schools.
20 21
Impact on
students and
schools
To assess the impact of the CDIs efforts, CASEL
entered into an ongoing data collection and
evaluation partnership with the districts and
American Institutes for Research (AIR). Data were
collected to measure the implementation and
resulting outcomes.
While the availability of data varied by district,
qualitative and quantitative outcomes are
promising.
The bottom line:
Even very modest investments in
SEL can pay off for individuals,
schools, and society.
CHAPTER 3
GPAs
MATH &
ELA
SCORES
GRADUATION
RATES
NAEP
SCORES
I have seen high schools
and middle schools really
change the narrative
on suspensions and
expulsions. If were
keeping students in
schools and teaching
them how to deal with
things instead of just
getting them out the
door, we are making
huge gains.
Alan Mather,
Chief Officer, Office of College and Career Success,
Chicago Public Schools
22 23
Student Social and emotional
competence improved
Districts also reported that students social
and emotional competence improved, based on
student and teacher surveys. In both Chicago and
Nashville, elementary school students improved
in all five social and emotional competencies:
self-awareness, self-management, social
awareness, relationship skills, and responsible
decision-making. In Austin, where only middle
and high school data was collected, students at
both levels also significantly improved in all five
competencies. Middle and high school students in
Cleveland also experienced growth, particularly in
the areas of self-awareness and self-management.
Sacramento (elementary only) and Anchorage
(elementary, middle, and high school) collected
an average measure of students overall social
and emotional competence. For Sacramento,
elementary students experienced significant
gains in overall competence since the start
of the CDI. Anchorage students experienced
significant growth in overall competence even
before the start of the CDI and maintained the
same positive trajectory during the CDI years.
School climate improved
Climate, as measured by district surveys in
Chicago and Cleveland, improved during
the CDI years. In Anchorage climate began
an upward trajectory before the CDI
and sustained that same significant and
positive growth during the CDI years.
In the only district in which elementary school
climate data was available for analysis (Chicago),
students reported significant improvements on
the supportive environment scale compared
to the start of the CDI in 2010-2011.
Districts use a variety of surveys to measure student and staff attitudes.
This is an excerpt from Washoe County.
THE POSITIVE IMPACTS OF Social
and emotional COMPETENCE
In collaboration with CASEL, Washoe County
documented that students with higher SEL
competencies perform better on multiple
measures: higher academic achievement,
attendance, GPAs, and graduation rates, and
fewer suspensions. For example, students with
high social and emotional competence had a
math proficiency rate that was 21 percentage
points higher than their counterparts with low
social and emotional competence. Also, students
with higher competence were 20 percentage
points higher for English/Language Arts (ELA).
Findings from the Washoe/CASEL partnership
research team also showed that having high social
and emotional competence might have buffered
students from the negative impact of factors (e.g.,
suspensions, transiency, weak attendance) that
often place them in a high-risk academic status.
2014-2015
Math and English Language Arts
(ELA) Proficiency Rates among
Students with Low vs. High Social
and Emotional Competencies
LOW SEC
HIGH SEC
MATH
23%
MATH
44%
ELA
40%
ELA
60%
VERY
EASY EASY HARD
VERY
HARD
RESPONSIBLE
DECISION-MAKING
RESPONSIBLE DECISION-MAKING:
Thinking about what might happen before making a decision
RELATIONSHIP SKILLS RELATIONSHIP SKILLS:
Getting along with my classmates
SOCIAL AWARENESS SOCIAL AWARENESS:
Learning from people with different opinions than me
SELF-AWARENESS
EMOTIONAL KNOWLEDGE:
Knowing when my feelings are making it hard for me to focus
SELF-CONCEPT:
Knowing what my strengths are
SELF-MANAGEMENT
SCHOOLWORK:
Doing my school work even when i dont feel like it
EMOTIONAL REGULATION:
Getting through something even when I feel frustrated
GOAL MANAGEMENT:
Finishing tasks even if they are hard for me
24 25
OUR GOALS:
BY THE END OF 2017 ALL EDUCATORS IN
THE COUNTRY WILL HAVE EASY ACCESS
TO HUNDREDS OF PRACTICAL TOOLS
THAT HAVE BEEN FIELD TESTED BY
SOME OF THE LEADING DISTRICTS IN
THE U.S.
By 2025 50% of U.S. school districts
will be systemically integrating
high-quality SEL across their
schools and classrooms.
Demand for SEL is at an all-time high. Teachers
recognize the importance of it. Employers are
requiring it. Parents value it. Communities are
being transformed by it. And, most important,
millions of students already are benefitting
from it.
Based on the practical knowledge gleaned
through the CDI and from the field at large,
we have extensive knowledge about how to
implement high-quality, evidence-based SEL.
With our district and philanthropic partners,
we at CASEL are uniquely poised to scale this
know-how to many more districts nationally.
Deepening SEL Know-HOW
With an ongoing commitment to deepening
the fields expertise in the practical application
of SEL, we plan to expand and formalize how
we collect, document, analyze, and translate
practices and strategies. We will continue to
partner intensively with CDI districts, and
deepen and extend partnerships in the broad field
to improve implementation and student outcomes
while increasing understanding of systemic
SEL, piloting new innovations, and refining best
practices. We will answer questions such as:
 What instructional practices maximize learning,
engagement, and achievement?
 How can SEL help promote equity in the school
and classroom?
 How can after-school programs reinforce
whats happening in school?
 How can schools engage families and
community partners in promoting SEL?
 How can schools best use data to improve
SEL competencies and school climate?
 How can districts allocate resources most
effectively?
We will amplify the case for systemic SEL with
even more meaningful, compelling data, and
cases  drawn from the CDI districts and from
other districts and schools across the country.
Sharing What We Know
Our goal is to make knowledge usable. We will
translate the knowledge and experiences from
the CDI districts and others into actionable and
innovative tools. We will offer support in using
those tools to reach the maximum number of
educators, scholars, policymakers, families,
and community partners, all while maintaining
a commitment to learning and continuously
improving our tools, approaches, and models for
implementation. For example:
 The District Resource Center, which launched
with nearly 500 practical, evidence-based,
annotated tools from the CDI districts.
 New online resources for schools and states
addressing key implementation issues.
 Virtual and online training and support for using
the guides, coupled with data collection to track
usage and impact.
We will execute new, creative strategies for
gathering input and insights from the field,
building communities of learners, and packaging
and disseminating knowledge. For example:
 An interactive, online platform for districts to
access tools and resources and track district
needs, requests, and knowledge gaps.
 Virtual communities connecting district
personnel serving in similar roles.
 In-person working groups to answer questions
on specific topics such as SEL and equity,
assessments, teacher practices, climate,
and culture.
Together, these strategies mark a significant and necessary
evolution in our workone that is focused on deepening and
advancing SEL implementation knowledge and making that
knowledge usable by any district nationwide.
The beneficiaries: Americas schoolchildren.
Scaling
SEL know-how
CHAPTER 4
COLLABORATIVE FOR ACADEMIC, SOCIAL, AND EMOTIONAL LEARNING
815 W VAN BUREN STREET, SUITE 210, CHICAGO IL 60607 | 312.226.3770 | CASEL.ORG
The Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL)
is the worlds leading organization advancing one of the most important
fields in education in decades: the practice of promoting integrated
academic, social, and emotional learning for all children. The nonprofit,
founded in 1994, provides a combination of research, practice, and
policyto support high-quality social and emotional learningin districts
and schools nationwide.
Thank you to CASELs many critical collaborators  our partner educators,
researchers, policymakers, civic leaders, program providers, funders,
and others  for contributing to and supporting efforts to help make
evidence-based social and emotional learning an integral part of
education, preschool through high school.

-
07:40
FB-EQE
The Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning (CASEL) just released a report sharing insights from 6 years supporting SEL implementation in 10 of the largest urban districts in the United States. I am so happy to see that many of these lessons are at the core of what Six Seconds does: importance of EQ for adults, SEL integration across school structures, use of assessments, and more. Read this post if you want to know more and get tips on what you can do to keep pushing SEL and EQ forward!

-
Wow, I just read this study, Lorea!

"Today we are at a tipping point. The evidence is
clear that SEL works. Models for implementation
exist. Supportive policies are spreading. Most
important, students are benefitting. Students with
strong social and emotional competence not only do
better academically in school, they lead healthier,
happier, more fulfilling lives. They better understand
themselves, build constructive relationships, are more
kind and caring, and make more responsible decisions."

Raises Student Performance (pro-social behaviours) 
 Higher academic achievement (EQ even helps IQ!!!)
 Better social emotional skills 
 Improved attitudes about self, others, and school 
 Positive classroom behavior

Reduces Risk for Failure (anti-social behaviours)
 Fewer conduct problems
 Less emotional distress

Our goal: by 2025, 50% of districts are systemically integrating high-quality SEL across their schools and classrooms.

The CDI demonstrates that it is possible for large urban
school districts to adopt and maintain SEL as an essential
element of education, even amid budgetary stress and
leadership turnover. 
- American Institutes for Research

(I repeat, wow!)  :)

-
Highest rate of teen alcoholism, DV and child abuse in the country.  The high schools had metal detectors

---)
http://www.asdk12.org/depts/SEL/
Social and Emotional Learning (SEL)

PARENTS: Review the Project Connect Survey (PDF)
The survey will collect information about how our 
military-connected students are doing in the ditrict

What is Social and Emotional Learning?
Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) is the process through which we learn to recognize and manage emotions, care about others, make good decisions, behave ethically and responsibly, develop positive relationships, and avoid negative behaviors . It is the process through which students enhance their ability to integrate thinking, feeling, and behaving in order to achieve important life tasks. Within the school setting, SEL can best be accomplished through a layered approach of skills lessons, infusion into the curricula and classroom practices, and an environment of safety, respect, and caring which models SEL values

Students in effective school-based 
programs improved social-emotional 
skills by 23 percentile points, positive 
social behavior by 9 percentile points 
and perhaps most significantly, their 
academic performance increased 11 
percentile points.  (Durlak, 2009)
http://www.asdk12.org/depts/SEL/media/Stategy_for_Student_Success.pdf, page 2

SEL becomes a habit of practice when students, adults, and the entire school community remember that we use our SEL skills all day long, not just for a 30-minute block once a week. Research and literature on effective social and emotional learning identifies three critical ways in which SEL skills are learned (CASEL, ASD).
http://www.asdk12.org/pld/sel/

SEl Standards
http://www.asdk12.org/depts/SEL/media/SEL_Standards.pdf
http://www.asdk12.org/pld/sel/aboutsocialemotionallearning/socialemotionallearningstandards/

Overview on CASEL
http://casel.org/collaborating-districts-initiative/anchorage-alaska/

About SEL
http://www.asdk12.org/pld/sel/aboutsocialemotionallearning/

Parents
http://www.asdk12.org/pld/sel/parents/

Students
http://www.asdk12.org/pld/sel/students/

Educators
http://www.asdk12.org/pld/sel/educators/

Educating Hearts: A Districtwide Initiative to Teach How to Care
In Alaska, the Anchorage School District's investment in social and emotional learning is paying off both socially and academically.
https://www.edutopia.org/anchorage-social-emotional-learning-video
https://youtu.be/mGvFnuUTukQ

---
Duke of Cambridge: Let's lose 'stiff upper lip' and talk about feelings
http://www.itv.com/news/2017-04-18/duke-of-cambridge-lets-lose-stiffer-upper-lip-and-talk-about-our-feelings/

William hopes his children will grow up willing to talk about their emotions

The famously British "stiff upper lip" should not be allowed to threaten people's mental health, the Duke of Cambridge has said.

Prince William's comments follow his brother Harry's well-received revelation that he sought counselling to come to terms with the death of their mother Diana, Princess of Wales.

---)
Why is EQ more important than IQ?
http://thegalvanicink.com/blog/2017/05/02/meg-eq-important-iq/

BOHEMIANIAC
MAY 2, 2017
Conventional wisdom has it that theres a direct connection between our IQ and our ability to succeed in life.

But there have been many studies that show IQ only accounts for about 20% of success. The major determinants of success are social and emotional intelligence. Yet theres very little emphasis put on developing emotional intelligence.

People with well-developed emotional skills are  more likely to be content and effective in their lives, mastering the habits of the mind that foster their own productivity; people who cannot marshal some control over their emotional life fight battles that sabotage their ability for focused work and clear thought. 

      Daniel Goleman, Emotional Intelligence

Emotional Intelligence refers to the ability to sense, understand, value and effectively apply the power and acumen of emotions as a source of human energy, information, trust, creativity and influence.

We have an emotional mind and a rational mind. In large part, our emotional mind developed to help us survive. When man first wandered the earth, any time he encountered some new experience he needed to make instant decisions about whether the encounter involved something he could eat or something that might try to eat him. Relying on the rational mind, which works much slower than the emotional mind, might have meant the end of mankind. The emotional mind springs into action more quickly than the rational mind. But unless we learn to control the emotional mind, we will make lots of bad decisions and poor choices.

Reasons why we need a developed EQ in life:

EQ has a greater impact on success than other factors.
The ability to delay gratification is a primary indicator of future success.
High EQ leads to healthy relationships with others.
Emotional health impacts physical health.
Poor EQ is linked to crime and other unethical behaviors.
A few statistics:

IQ by itself is not a very good predictor of job performance.  Hunter and Hunter (1984) estimated that at best IQ accounts for about 25 percent of the variance.  Sternberg (1996) has pointed out that studies vary and that 10 percent may be a more realistic estimate.  In some studies, IQ accounts for as little as 4 percent of the variance.
Sommerville study, a 40 year longitudinal investigation of 450 boys who grew up in Sommerville, Massachusetts.  Two-thirds of the boys were from welfare families, and one-third had IQ below 90.  However, IQ had little relation to how well they did at work or in the rest of their lives.  What made the biggest difference was childhood abilities such as being able to handle frustration, control emotions, and get along with other people.
a study of 80 Ph.D in science who underwent a battery of personality tests, IQ tests, and interviews in the 1950s when they were graduate students at Berkeley.  Forty years later, when they were in their early seventies, they were tracked down and estimates were made of their success based on resumes, evaluations by experts in their own fields, and sources like American Men and Women of Science.  It turned out that social and emotional abilities were four times more important than IQ in determining professional success and prestige.
It would be absurd to suggest that cognitive ability is irrelevant for success in science. One needs a relatively high level of such ability to get into colleges, programs and institutes. Once you are admitted, however, what matters in terms of how you do compared to your peers has less to do with IQ differences and more to do with social and emotional factors.

For example, if you are a scientist, you probably needed an IQ of 120 or so simply to get a doctorate and a job.  But then it is more important to be able to persist in the face of difficulty and to get along well with colleagues and subordinates than it is to have an extra 10 or 15 points of IQ.  The same is true in many other occupations.

---enowned expert in the prevention and treatment of youth mental illness).  What struck me about this dialogue was the instantaneous connection between these 4 people and then their intense curiosity to share with and to learn from each other about emotions such as anger, compassion and empathy.

My 3 key takeaways from the dialogue were:
Most of the emotion that disturbs our mind has incorrect perception as its basis  there is a gap between appearance and reality

The antidote to wrong perception is compassion  to have genuine care and concern for the other person because it is from this place that we close the gap between what we think we see and what is really happening

We are wired for empathy and His Holiness now knows what mirror neurons are!!

The remainder of the conference was spent interacting with the conference delegates (over 2000 attending the conference) at the Six Seconds stall.  We discussed the power of the Six Seconds Model, the rules of emotions (there was a lot of interest in the Plutchik model) and heard some wonderfully inspiring stories about the generosity of the people of Queensland and Brisbane during the January floods. I continue to replay the many inspirational conversations and stories I heard.  To those of you who came to visit us, thank you for your questions, stories and interest in Emotional Intelligence.

Id be keen to hear other ways youve used the Plutchik model or how you could use it with your clients.

About Latest Posts

Melissa Donaldson
For the past 15 years, I've partnered with senior executives and leaders in public and private sector organisations to execute significant change, design and implement leadership capability programs, renegotiate complex industrial agreements and build leader and team performance.

---)
Research by OfficeTeam, a staffing agency, and division of Robert Half, shows almost (95%) of HR managers and (99%) of workers agree that strong emotional intelligence is important. OfficeTeam shared with TechRepublic some additional stats that support the significance of emotional intelligence in the workplace.

21% of employees believe EQ is more valuable in the workplace than IQ;
almost 65% said the two are equally important;
92% of employees think they have strong EQ; slightly fewer (74%) believe their bosses do;
30% feel most employers put too little emphasis on EQ during the hiring process;
43% of Human Resource (HR) managers identified increased motivation and morale as the greatest benefit of having emotionally intelligent staff; and,
40% of HR managers said soft skills, such as communication, problem-solving and adaptability, are more difficult to teach workers than technical abilities.
While these stats highlight EQ in the overall workplace setting, TechRepublic got direct feedback from business owners and industry experts on the role EQ plays in their projects

Hernan Santiesteban, founder of Great Lakes Development Group, a software development company, has managed many IT projects throughout his career. In his role as a an IT project manager, he said, "emotional intelligence has allowed me to bridge the gap between customer communication and the delivery of that information to development teams. The ability to tailor your message to your audience at the smallest levels can have a huge impact on the understanding of requirements."

More for CXOs

"Unlike IQ, EQ can evolve and can scale depending on stressors, or even positive emotional states. So it's important someone understands their emotional intelligence so they can counteract whatever might sabotage not only their progress but their teams", said Caroline Stokes, founder of Forward, a team of senior search headhunters and certified executive coaches for global innovation leaders. At Forward, emotional intelligence quotient assessments, like EQ-i 2.0, are used with talent placements and leadership and career development coaches. "We get to work on their EQ within a few weeks of starting their new role to provide awareness and strategies to drive their goals forward," said Stokes.

inRead invented by Teads
When it comes to the process of merging two companies during an acquisition, EQ can play a vital role. Jose Costa, group president at automotive franchisor Driven Brands said, "When we identify a target, we begin assessing the organization financially, operationally, technologically and from a leadership standpoint. We then move on to evaluate the quality of the team and determine if they can help us achieve our 'Dream Big. Work Hard' strategy." Costa credits this strategy in developing stronger analytics around business ideas. "For us, at Driven Brands, the convergence of strategic thinking, flawless execution, and emotional intelligence create sustainable growth quarter after quarter," said Costa.

Specific project challenges that make emotional intelligence necessary

Costa said "I am a strong believer that what we do as leaders sets the tone for the team. Morale emanates from leadership; it begins, and ends with the CEO/president of the company." He added, "This is why it is so important for leaders to be aware of how their verbal communication and actions affect others," and that a leader simply cannot build a strong, cohesive team, and in turn lower employee engagement and commitment if they lack emotional intelligence.

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Stokes said, "If people aren't willing to learn, adapt and evolve their current styles, there will be trouble...in short, imagine you have a conflict seeker or avoider in your team. If left alone or not made aware of their automatic communication styles, the same political or challenging routine will play out every time resulting in winners and losers." She believes when it comes to projects, companies pay the ultimate price when teams become frustrated after spinning their wheels and that awareness, true communication, and openness are the keys to success. "From understanding comes growth," she said.

Santiesteban thinks emotional intelligence plays a key role in navigating conflicts with minimal disruption. "Understanding the frustrations and pain points of stakeholders and how to prioritize them is also a problem in which a high level of emotional intelligence can be of benefit" he said.

At Voices.com, a company that connects businesses with professional voice talent, HR director Kaitlyn Apfelbeck said that high EQ isn't necessarily required for employees who work independently, but that "EQ is necessary for success when others depend on you or are required to work closely with you." She added, "When someone has low EQ, they may not be aware of how their actions are perceived, or how they are affecting others and will often make decisions that negatively impact those around them."

What are key characteristics these leaders seek in project team members and leaders?

At Forward, individuals with quite high self-regard, strong interpersonal relationships, and empathy, high-stress tolerance and flexibility are in demand. Why? "So they're motivated to do what they need to do, whatever the circumstances. There are more aspects to the composite and subscales, but really, you're looking for balance in an individual, across all areas," said Stokes.

Apfelbeck said, "We seek action-oriented individuals who will take the reins and lead a project, but also have the intelligence to utilize the individual strengths of those team members." She said the company also wants leaders who can "read people well, so they know how best to motivate and encourage their team, which is likely made up of very unique personalities."

When Costa seeks leaders/managers, he looks for characteristics like perseverance. "Things don't always go the way you envision or plan," he said. "(That's) just a fact of business and having the strength to keep going even when you're down will often lead you to success." He looks for individuals who have an optimistic philosophy, as it instills determination. "Optimists have the ability of keep going despite the uncertainties and obstacles that life might bring. They embrace change and are not afraid to make mistakes. They always push forward. Additionally, negativity is infectious and brings down the whole team," he said. He also looks for employees who recognize the strengths of others and act in the best interest of the organization as a whole. The final thing Costa said he is key in a leader is the ability to motivate others. "Someone who understands the power of recognition and knows how to make team members and employees feel valued. Managers who are sincere and appreciative can help employees thrive at work by acknowledging their contributions," he added.

Santiesteban looks for employees with a mix of technical skills and EQ. "A team member's ability to participate in meetings and extract what's really important is a skill reliant on emotional intelligence," he said. "Self-starters who are always sought after in job descriptions are usually individuals who fit this profile."

Based on the statistics, and the feedback shared by these IT and business project leaders, it seems clear that emotional intelligence is a high-value, high-level need, regarding project leadership skills. Further, team cohesion and successful project outcomes are likely to become more reliant on its existence going forward.

Subscribe to TechRepublic's Executive Briefing newsletter and get tips on project management, budgets, and dealing with day-to-day challenges.

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Also see:
4 ways sponsors can improve project success rates
8 steps to breaking bad news to difficult project stakeholders
How to resolve project sponsors' conflicting goals
8 assumptions that can derail projects and leaders

About Moira Alexander
Moira Alexander is the author of "LEAD or LAG: Linking Strategic Project Management & Thought Leadership" and Founder & President of Lead-Her-Ship Group. She's also a project management and IT freelance columnist for various publications and a former...
Full BioContactSee all of Moira's contentGoogle+Lead_Her_Ship

---

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there's a Snapshot option in MM
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Record Movie from Webcam!

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     3 goals of EQ, 3 takeaways from all this
     https://youtu.be/4p-Ft49jGA4
     https://www.facebook.com/emotionalintelligencerocks/videos/1718404708398470/
     
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I am self-nominating, because I believe I have EXACTLY what you're looking for!

Bending the Box

Conclusion:
TEACH EQ, to self and others
change the world, from the inside out!

(EOF: ~mcp_TEDxMarin_instead.txt
     
---ight brain, thoughts and feelings
               
Why Me?
     30 years, face-to-face experience, just now coming together!
     pissed off more people than most anyone on the planet!
     uniquely qualified
     certs
     eternal optimist and hopeful romantic

My point(s)
     L/R Brain
     3 goals(?)
     ND/CABT - Emotional healing
          PTSD, Depression, Anxiety
          which lead to heart disease, some estimated that 60% of all ailments are stress-related (and therefore avoidable... thru changes in behaviour!)
          
-
PPT and VO:
     Teachings
          Quotes / hashtags
          (optional)
          CABT
          a slide of Doc's
               Emotional pain is not terminal
          a slide of mine
          a slide of faves
               4 steps to learning
               iceberg
               think of something stupid to say... don't say it.
          
-
Live
Call-to-action!
     Bend the Box
     Learn EQ, learn about You
     E1T1EQ
     ask re: EQ

-
     ND - Emotional Healing
          stills of hugs, board, doc, logo
          veteran testimonial
          other testimonials
          
-
Conclusion:
     TEACH EQ, to self and others
     change the world, from the inside out!
     
EOF ~mcp_TEDxMarin_instead1.txt

-
BOF  ~mcp_TEDxMarin.txt
5.14.2017      ~mcp_TEDxMarin_instead.txt
MITM:  Bending the Box (BTB)
(brainstorming subjects, separated with ,'s)

E:\~stuff\EQRocks\UVa\
     UVaClassSlides_20170514.pptx

Our custom Quotes (.JPGs)
https://drive.google.com/drive/u/0/folders/0B_8MWGohTkr-R2ZwSE5aU0VyajA

-
How?
tomorrow afternoon
put it all together

with phone camera
talk TO the selection committee

once I get it organized, I can probably do it in 1 take.

-
The 'box' is non-feeling.
The 'box' is about continuing to teach kids STRICTLY to pass the standardized exams.
the limits of the box are the result of not educating our youth.
the 'box' is rigid because parents don't know their feelings, and therefore cannot teach, or help, their kids with theirs.
the 'box' is actually there because we fear our feelings, and thus limit them.

let's bend the box.
let's teach kids/teens/adults EQ!
let's show people positive roll-models on how to deal with our feelings, not how NOT to deal with them.
     positive examples of how to deal with negative emotions
     
-
it's not our parents' fault... they didn't know, either... it's not apathy, it's ignorance.
     I mean, we've heard such unbelievable stories of parents who were awful, or mean, or drunk... some people do some horrific things to, and around, their kids.  However, I believe that MOST parents are caring and loving, and want the very best for their kids, so they taught us the very best they knew how.

Don't cry.
Don't be angry.
Shut up.
Sit down.
Be good.

Don't feel.
Stuff it.
Talk about something else.

(no bueno)

If we teach our kids differently... that feelings are Ok, when used properly (which I will model for you), that feelings are awesome, and necessary, and powerful, and interesting, and to be honored, and respected (and NOT always obeyed!)

-
this is going to be culmination of 30 years of studying EQ
it'll be miraculous!
     (filmed in front of the mirror in the bathroom, with my regular android 6 phone)
     (show, and briefly explain each one)

-
ND
ok, here's where I learned most of this stuff.
     face-to-face, in front of people
     for 30 years.
     doing emotions, bigger and deeper, than most anyone.
     "I've pissed off more people than most anyone on the planet"
     "but the difference is that they come back and HUG me, afterwards!"

Emotional Healing
Doc
CABT
I'm not a therapist.  Like I said, I was disappointed with my schooling.  I was even accepted to 2 law schools, but didn't go, because I wanted (needed!) to learn life, first.

when I first found out that my problems were mostly Emotional in nature, and so-so simple to resolve, I was / am so encouraged!

since taking the class, 30 years ago, I have immersed myself in EQ
I manage or own social media groups on Facebook and LinkedIn with over 150,000 members

-
it might be kinda long.
     tuff
     say it

-
read it?
     yes, some
     over bullets / PPT slides
     
-
I'm not that smart, so I need things simplified, dumbed down, a lot!
so, for 30 years, I've been trying to "sum up" EQ.
     to just a few words
     so people 'get it', quickly and profoundly and simply.
     
     Bumper sticker stuff
     that's memorable
     but even kids can read it, understand it, and (maybe) take it with them, as they go.
     (cool thing about education... no one can take it away from you... it's yours, forever.)

-
more art than science
here's my art
     the art of connecting
     the art of feeling
     the art of EQ
     
-
Doc has over 100 EQ quotes
     which I made into graphics
     so we can Share them on Facebook, LinkedIn, Pintrest and Twitter (we're mostly Facebookers, tho)
So much of Facebook is a quote on a graphic
that now we can make them on-the-fly, but applying a color background to your profound words. :)
     (show some examples)
     "Feel guilty - setup to be punished"
     "negative feelings expresses as intensely..."
     "Feelings aren't good or bad, they just are"
     "EMFB"
     
I have another 100.
     (show some more examples)

... and I have a collection of thousands.
     (show some of my faves!)
     https://drive.google.com/drive/u/0/folders/0B_8MWGohTkr-R2ZwSE5aU0VyajA
     "Every Dollar ever made, based on a relationship"
     
-
Certified
     State of CA Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault Crisis Counselor
     NLP Practioner
     Nurturing Parenting Instructor
     Microsoft Certified Professional
     6 Seconds (in Menlo Park)
          EQ for Educators (EQEC - 2013)
          EQ Assessment Test and Debrief: Social-Emotional Inventory (SEI)
     Ex-Board Member for 2 non-profits

-
here's one of my faves (and very popular with folks when they learn it)
The 4 Steps to Learning
     1.  Unconsciously Incompetent - We don't know that we don't know
     2.  Consciously Incompetent - We find out that we don't know
     3.  Consciously Competent - We figure out how to know, but we gotta think about it
     4.  Unconsciously Competent - We know, and act like we know, without having to think much about it.

-
Teach EQ: hashtags
     #FeelIt2HealIt
     #NameIt2TameIt
          #NameIt2FrameIt
     #SpinIt2WinIt     
     #ClaimIt2FrameIt (ER!)
     #FakeIt2MakeIt
     #AcceptIt2ProjectIt or #AcceptIt2DigestIt
     #LetItFlow2LetItGo

---

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     https://www.facebook.com/emotionalintelligencerocks/videos/1718404708398470/
     
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---
Emotional intelligence isnt a luxury you can dispense with in tough times. Its a basic tool that, deployed with finesse, is key to professional success.

      Harvard Business Review, April 2003

---)
Emotional Intelligence Is No Soft Skill
https://www.extension.harvard.edu/professional-development/blog/emotional-intelligence-no-soft-skill

by
LAURA WILCOX
Wilcox is the director of management programs at Harvard Extension School, as well as a committee member and planner for key industry-wide conferences in higher education.
Despite a bevy of research and best-selling books on the topic, many managers still downplay emotional intelligence as a touchy-feely soft skill. The importance of characteristics like empathy and self-awareness is understood, sure. But intelligence and technical capability are seen as the real drivers of professional success. After all, a bit of coaching can help you navigate difficult conversations. And isnt interpersonal friction simply part of organizational life?
But evidence suggests quite the opposite: that high emotional intelligence (EI) is a stronger predictor of success. In fact, high EI bolsters the hard skills, helping us think more creatively about how best to leverage our technical chops.

A KEY DIFFERENTIATOR FOR YOUR PERSONAL BRAND
When I co-teach the program Strategic Leadership, I ask participants to list the characteristics of a great mentor or role model and to classify each characteristic into one of three groups: IQ/smarts, technical skills, or emotional intelligence. Almost invariably, the majority of characteristics fall into the EI bucket.

In fact, emotional intelligencethe ability to, say, understand your effect on others and manage yourself accordinglyaccounts for nearly 90 percent of what moves people up the ladder when IQ and technical skills are roughly similar.
Although many participants are surprised by the results, scientific research has proved the point. Daniel Goleman is the author and psychologist who put emotional intelligence on the business map. He found that, beyond a certain point, there is little or no correlation between IQ and high levels of professional success.

One needs above-average intelligencewhich Goleman defines as one standard deviation from the norm or an IQ of about 115to master the technical knowledge needed to be a doctor, lawyer, or business executive. But once people enter the workforce, IQ and technical skills are often equal among those on the rise. Emotional intelligence becomes an important differentiator (hear Goleman discuss his findings in this video on YouTube).

In fact, emotional intelligencethe ability to, for instance, understand your effect on others and manage yourself accordinglyaccounts for nearly 90 percent of what moves people up the ladder when IQ and technical skills are roughly similar (see "What Makes a Leader" in the Harvard Business Review, January 2004).

Research has also demonstrated that emotional intelligence has a strong impact on organizational performance. Sanofi, the French pharmaceutical company, focused on the emotional intelligence skills of its sales force, which boosted annual performance by 12 percent (see the research by S. Jennings and B.R. Palmer in Sales Performance Through Emotional Intelligence Development, Organizations and People, 2007). After Motorola provided EI training for staff in a manufacturing plant, the productivity of more than 90 percent of those trained went up (Bruce Cryer, Rollin McCraty, and Doc Childre: Pull the Plug on Stress, Harvard Business Review, July 2003).

Emotional intelligence increases corporate performance for a number of reasons. But perhaps the most important is the ability of managers and leaders to inspire discretionary effortthe extent to which employees and team members go above and beyond the call of duty.

The core of high EI is self-awareness: if you don't understand your own motivations and behaviors, it's nearly impossible to develop an understanding of others. A lack of self-awareness can also thwart your ability to think rationally and apply technical capabilities.
Individuals are much more inclined to go the extra mile when asked by an empathetic person they respect and admire. Although discretionary effort isnt endless, managers with low emotional intelligence will have much less to draw on. If an organization has a cadre of emotionally intelligent leaders, such discretionary efforts multiply.

THE BEDROCK OF EI: SELF-AWARENESS
The ability to be an emotionally intelligent leader is based on 19 competencies in four areas: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, and relationship management.

The core of high EI is self-awareness: if you don't understand your own motivations and behaviors, it's nearly impossible to develop an understanding of others. A lack of self-awareness can also thwart your ability to think rationally and apply technical capabilities.

Two parts of the brain are constantly fighting for control. The neocortex is the cognitive center, where our IQ and working memory reside. On average, in a normal emotional state, the neocortex can process a factorial of four variables, which is 24 possible interrelationships.
RELATED ARTICLES

3 Effective Strategies to Manage Workplace Conflict
Learn to improve dynamics for yourself and your teamand together you can deliver the results you strive for.

Want to Be a Stronger Leader? Challenge Your Assumptions
The key to becoming a successful leader lies in asking a lot of questions.
Adeptly handling multiple variables is central to performing important tasks such as developing a strategy, improving a complicated process, setting priorities, understanding consequences, and gleaning keen insights from data and information.
The amygdala is the feeling side of the brain, our emotional center. As the part of our brain concerned with our survival, it responds 100 times faster than the neocortex. Such responsiveness is particularly useful when confronted with a potentially threatening situation.

But because it can be triggered by both real and perceived threats, we can fall into the trap of imagining the worst before we have all the facts. How many of us, when faced with a rumor of layoffs, are quick to envision the worst-case scenario before we learn the truth?

WHEN EMOTIONS HIJACK OUR ABILITY TO REASON
When the feeling side or our brain is triggered, it hijacks our cognitive system. With the slightest provocation, our ability to apply reason and logic can drop by 75 percent. Thus, instead of handling 24 interrelationships, we may suddenly be able to cope with only two. We may start to see only in black and white, in binary frameworks like yes or no, right or wrong, and win or lose.

Using questions instead of statements can also help managers and leaders avoid triggering emotional hijacks in others. Our feeling mind wants to sense that we are included, autonomous, competent, valued, respected, and safe. 
Throughout a work day, there are numerous emotional triggers: an e-mail from a superior saying We need to talk, a comment made by a colleague with a hidden agenda, even a funny look from someone important in the office.

It can take us nearly 20 minutes to recover from an emotional encounter. If the feelings are frequently retriggered, we can end up spending significant amounts of time with little ability to leverage our technical capability and inherent intelligence.

FOCUS ON UNDERSTANDING RATHER THAN JUDGMENT
So how can we speed up our recovery? Its important to stop and turn our attention from the emotional to the physical. Physical activity such as taking a walk or going for a drink of water reduces the amount of adrenaline and cortisol flowing through the body.

Once the body is calmed physically, we need to seek information and determine if the threat is real and, if so, what we can do to address it. Ask yourself whether an issue will matter in six minutes, six days, six weeks, six months, or six years. Questions engage your curiosityyour neocortex. Statements, however, imply judgment, triggering the feeling side of the brain.

If someone is habitually late to meetings, for example, asking yourself why that is the case will lead to a more productive conversation about the issue than stewing on the statement: I cant stand the fact that he is always late.

It is easy to consign emotional intelligence to the periphery of work life and concentrate on smarts and know-how. However, such a focus will likely hamper success.
Using questions instead of statements can also help managers avoid triggering emotional hijacks in others. Our feeling mind wants to sense that we are included, autonomous, competent, valued, respected, and safe. Something as simple as asking, Can you tell me more about how you came to that conclusion? or What information would be helpful for you? is far less likely to trigger an emotional hijack than statements such as, I dont completely agree or Im worried about what is happening.

It is easy to consign emotional intelligence to the periphery of work life and concentrate on smarts and know-how. But such a focus will likely hamper success. It can leave us without the most important differentiator for our personal brands. And an inability to manage ourselves severely constrains our capacity to use hard skills such as the technical competence that we have worked so hard to master.

By the same token, a command of emotional intelligence is a proven differentiator in the competitive climb up the corporate ladder. By inspiring others, emotionally intelligent leaders can ignite discretionary effort on the part of their teams to boost productivity and spur higher levels of employee engagement that comes from a strong company morale.
RELATED PROGRAMS

Strategic Leadership
Managing Yourself and Leading Others
Essential Management Skills for Emerging Leaders

---
What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny MATTers,
compared to what lies within us.

     - Ralph Waldo Emerson

(pic WhatLiesWithinUs)

---aise with.

I repeat,
if we can get good at fund-raising,
     we can do ANYTHING!

-

4:24am
FB-Karen Schaal
Yo K... what's up with GG?  No posts in 6 weeks.  Do you have an 'issue' with that page?  

I don't mean to be a pain, but that page has too cool of a start to let it go...

I added some more of my folks this morning.  Please process the pending posts and member requests.

Thx!
- Matt

---aising!!!!!

>> ND!
     ask good people, and organizations, to help the less fortunate.

---awpixel.jpg

9. Ask genuine questions. How are you? wont get an honest answer from most Americans. Ask directly if they have concerns, for example, and ask it sincerely.

10. Get to the why. Discuss in a group how people feel differently and explore why. This practice will help your team work better with each other, customers, and other stakeholders.

11. Try job shadowing. If someone is having a particularly hard time empathizing, you may organize job shadowing to help see a different perspective firsthand.

12. Demonstrate compassion. Show your team how to value people and make the best decisions for the most good. Guide them away from identifying too much with the people who are most similar to them because that leads to bias and suffering alongside them instead of helping them.

13. Use the pre-mortem technique. Before a project begins, get team members write down all the reasons why it might fail. This helps people think critically and consider alternatives with less emotional resistance.

14. Normalize cool downs. For any emotional situation, insist each time your team takes at least 20 minutes before they react. Thats how long it takes before people can think clearly following a fight or flight response.

Giving them a few days for bigger decisions allows them to contemplate it from different emotional states.

15. Institute slow downs. Where appropriate, establish structured processes to help your team cool down and think through decisions. Try a weighted matrix.

16. Cultivate desire to change. Emotional intelligence is too complex to motivate with external incentives or punishments. Richard Boyatzis Intentional Change theory outlines a more effective coaching approach:

Help discover personal values and compelling vision:
What is important in their life?
What is important to them at work?
What is their dream for the future?
Help connect current behavior with the future:
How do others experience their interactions?
How do you observe their emotional intelligence?
How can they develop skills to realize their vision?
How can people support them in this process?

17. Establish baselines. As with any change, you want to know where you're starting and where you're going to determine how to get there. EI assessments include the ESCI, MSCEIT, or the Emotional Intelligence 2.0 appraisal.

18. Target key competencies. Invest in developing competencies where the person is weakest and where strength would best benefit them and the organization. More Than Sounds model has 12 competencies, including adaptability, achievement orientation, positive outlook, organizational awareness, influence, conflict management, and inspirational leadership.

19. Offer growth opportunities. Many employees benefit from special projects, committees, or other stretch opportunities. They not only practice their skills with different people in different ways, but they learn from people they wouldn't normally be exposed to in their regular roles.

20. Adapt to each individual. Some people and some positions don't require as much emotional intelligence. Employees with autism can be extremely skilled at spotting patterns, but not social cues. They can be partnered with people who have exceptional emotional intelligence to help accommodate them and help their ideas and their work be understood and supported.

21. Give good feedback. Help employees understand emotional intelligence, its importance, and their levels of competencies. As with all feedback, focus on objective data and clear expectations. Give positive recognition weekly so they are confident and comfortable to receive more critical feedback in a constructive way.

22. Mentor, coach, buddy. Set up a network of specific people who can provide guidance, support, and advocacy within or beyond the organization. Coaches provide powerful support through the inevitable struggles of change and self-improvement.

Leading the organization
senior-leadership-benjamin-child.jpg

23. Meet basic needs first. People need to know they have adequate resources and stability before they devote energy to social belonging and self-fulfillment.

Employees want autonomy and meaning, but not at the expense of their minimum standard for compensation and benefits.

24. Master vision and values. Leaders should embody the organizations core values. If employees see misalignment, it feels like a broken promise. Use stories in combination with numbers to bring vision to life and inspire its achievement.

25. Get vulnerable. Levels of professional intimacy and emotional display rules vary by culture, but people are generally more likely to acknowledge and address their vulnerabilities when they see leaders role model and value the practice.

26. Show some emotion. The message should not be to avoid emotion or maintain constant happiness. A moderate level of emotion helps people make better social and financial decisions when combined with data and logic.

27. Plant prompts. When employees are engrossed in their work, its harder to remember what they learned in training or what their CEO said at the last townhall. Posters, desktop objects, or computer wallpaper/notifications are ways to trigger new habits like deep breathing and body scans when they matter most.

28. Embed recognition. When employee recognition is a part of your culture, people become more aware of how they affect others and how to express their appreciation to one another. Simply stopping to think regularly about what you'd like to recognize people for can help think before acting.

29. Incentivize with feeling. Recognizing teams and offering group incentives help people feel valued and connected to the company in a way that improves well-being, productivity, and loyalty.

30. Invest in wellness. Physical and mental health programs and policies complement emotional awareness and regulation. Fitness subsidies, free confidential counseling, and social events can help manage emotional distress at work and at home.

In summary
Everyone can and should play a role in building emotional intelligence in themselves and others. The process starts with self-awareness, but the symbiotic relationships never end. Anyone can immediately apply one of these thirty strategies to improve at the personal, professional, and organizational levels.

If you're ready to take the next step toward building an extraordinary organizational culture, check out our latest guide:
Get 10 Dead Simple Ways to Improve Your Company Culture
Related Reading
How to Sell Employee Recognition to a Skeptical Executive
How to Make Business Travel Better for Employees
3 Practical Ways to Help Employees Benefit from Emotions
 
inShare
101  
Written by Jessica Collins
Jessica Collins
LinkedIn
Jessica is an HR analyst and writer. She has a Masters degree in Industrial Relations and Human Resources from the University of Toronto. Previously, she worked in total rewards at the worlds largest mining company and in organizational development at Canadas largest home, auto, and business insurance company.

-
05:20
FB-EIA
EXCELLENT Article -- super-practical -- Skim it (at least).

http://blog.bonus.ly/30-emotional-intelligence-training-opportunities-hidden-in-your-workday

---" (Draper-Richards, a grant to change/save the world that I've been saving info for), and other keywords.
for example:  here's what would be copied from the third instance of "ND brochure"...

This is not the place they get to come each week to whine about how they feel - this is where they come to examine what is working in the present, what is not, and to go through the process of changing the "is not" part of that by taking action.

	- Penny R. Tupy, Life Coach

Feelings expressed for the following reasons are fine:
	Clarity
	Release
	Acceptance
	Remove Judgments
	Go for deeper feelings (ex: express anger to get to the hurt underneath)

not Ok:
	whining
	blaming (short-term is fine, in an effort to find your part in it all)
	one-up-manship / competition
	poor me (if you want people to feel sorry for you, you're not looking for results)
	victim (to explain how there really is NOthing you can do about it... and it's all their fault, anyhow)

---
----------------------
_20121125.doc) 
  1'05 Month and Year only (M'YY) rare
  BACKUP Every day, using right-click, Send to Zip, and call it ~mcp_Ts_20121125.zip, and move to a \zArchive folder...
	or save it to a thumb drive.

use a zero in front of the time, if it's am
      so 05:11 time, am, until 10:00, then 10am or 10:23am 
      3:33pm 
	the colon has been a problem, but now that I've been doing it so long, I continue.
	(search and replace them all?)

Use of Quotes: (9.3.2016)
     single quotes (') are for 'bringing out' a word or phrase
     double quotes (") are for quoting what someone thinks, or says, or writes

Use space-equals-space ( = ) to identify a definition
     ex: EQ = Emotional Intelligence

Use double-dashes (--) to separate a definition from it's description
     ex:  3 big negatives -- fear, anger and sadness

Abbreviations and Naming Conventions:
	(!) = wow! something cool / interesting / really bad, etc.
	(?) or ?? = big, unanswered questions
	when (!) or (?) are at the end of a parenthetical, close properly with 2 ))
	      ex:  (this is a parenthetical remark, with a smiley at the end :))
	(sp?) spelling is probably wrong, if it matters, like someone's name
	?!? = ? maybe, huh, maybe ?   (lol.)
	!?! = definitely, don't you think... some ?  hmmm...
	(?) = "I think...", not sure (ex: IMS J294(?)), 8.25.2016
	', " except for book titles and actual speech ("), use single quotes within sentences (ex: your 'disorder')
	^ increase (ex: ^ Feelings = Feelings go up)
	\/ decrease (ex: \/ Logic = Logic goes down)  (wish I had a better symbol for down/decrease/less)
	A name, esp. a long, foreign one, which I don't know, exactly 
		if initial is known, use double-underscores.
		Datta__ M__
                standard arrows:  space-dash-dash-greaterthan-space
                         ex:  Event --> Meaning --> Feeling --> Behaviour
          HNG = Huge Negative Generalization

Euc Order abbreviations:
	1/2_ = 1/2 lb (of whatever), 1_, 2_, 5_
	L = Leaves
	B = Branches
	CS = Chew Sticks
	S = Starter pack (1/2 with L, CS, and a 4-6" B)
	C = Combo (leaves and branches, no CS)
	thins = thin, flexible branches
	vase = pretties, for display, 2-3', prob. both
	()) = banana leaves only
	(R) or (r) = oval leaves only
	(b) = both oval and banana leaves
	(!) = replacement order, whoops, make it nice, give extra
	:) = freebie
	(:) = (R) shower order, long strands of oval leaves
	(e) or (eco) = eco dying, colorful, in-tact leaves, smaller is better 		
	different, spots are fine/preferred!          10.21.2015
	lol = lots of leaves(!)                                              11.27.2015
         (thins) - what's most important to the customer
         (aroma)
         S(noB) = Starter with only Leaves and CS, no Branch

--- (!)
	--- = Draper-Richards    http://www.drkfoundation.org/
	MT = Madisyn Taylor
	NDW = Neill Donald Walsch
	CK = Christine Kenton
	CT/PC = Christina Tate
	CH = Christine Helman
	SP = SharePoint
	HHH = Helen's Health Hints (Tips)
         LindaD = Linda Dessault

File and folder names go from largest to smallest (ex: Facebook_MCP_20121125.txt)
	FB = Facebook (or Fort Bragg)
	LI-EIN = LinkedIn, The Emotional Intelligence Network
	      a number on the next line, ex: 20/30 = 20 requests to join/30 in submission queue (RTJ = Request to Join)
	FB-EIN = The Emotional Intelligence Network
	FB-EQE = EQ Educators and Parents Network       was EQ Educators Network, until 12.19.2016
	FB-ND
	FB-NDG = NewDirections Closed Group
	FB-Mcp - Facebook.com/MattPerelstein
	FB-EQ or FB-EQR- emotionalintelligencerocks
	FB-EP = EucProducts
	FB-2GH
	FB-IM  instant message
	FB-MCRB (racquetball)
	TW-MCP  (nd)
	TW-2GH
	EP = EucProducts.com
	MP.com = MattPerelstein.com
	NDW = NewDirectionsWorkshop.com
	EQR = EQRocks.com
	2GH = 2GetHelp.com
	2VH = 2GiveHelp.com
	2SH = 2SellHelp.com
	2GHTC = 2GetHelp Therapy Center
	2GH4Vets... guess.

-
01:37  
^^:^^	Timestamps:  new standard convention a few days ago...
		usually on a line by themselves, after a ---oadrunner@hotmail.com
     
rob@2gethelp.com  (Active)
forwarded to: rob@dreamachievers.com
     
shannon@2GETHELP.COM  (Active)
forwarded to: laclair@hotmail.com
     
sharon@2GETHELP.COM  (Active)
forwarded to: scn1616@comcast.net
     
steve@2GETHELP.COM  (Active)
forwarded to: snolan19@xtra.co.nz
     
sydney@2GETHELP.COM  (Active)
forwarded to: woods48@juno.com
     
DU (rename)  Email Forwarding - 100 Pack - Exp: 04/03/2008 94 Available Add 
 
christine@directionsunlimited.com  (Active)
forwarded to: christinehelman@sbcglobal.net
     
info@directionsunlimited.com  (Active)
forwards to:
christinehelman@sbcglobal.net
matt@2gethelp.com
paula@2gethelp.com
     
karen@directionsunlimited.com  (Active)
forwarded to: klmabry@sbcglobal.net
     
matt@directionsunlimited.com  (Active)
forwarded to: matt@2gethelp.com
     
paula@directionsunlimited.com  (Active)
forwarded to: paula@2gethelp.com
     
rob@directionsunlimited.com  (Active)
forwarded to: rob@dreamachievers.com
       
MEW Foundation (rename)  Email Forwarding - 100 Pack - Exp: 04/03/2008 92 Available Add 
 
2gethelp@mew-foundation.org  (Pending Setup)
forwards to:
matt@2gethelp.com
mew-foundation@att.net
paula@2gethelp.com
lj@2gethelp.com
     
aj@mew-foundation.org  (Active)
forwarded to: aj93720@comcast.net
     
dancingbear@touchforhealth.org  (Active)
forwarded to: dancingbear14@comcast.net
     
info@mew-foundation.org  (Active)
forwards to:
matt@2gethelp.com
paula@2gethelp.com
     
lj@mew-foundation.org  (Active)
forwarded to: ragamuffinnlove@aol.com
     
matt@mew-foundation.org  (Active)
forwarded to: matt@2gethelp.com
     
msd@mew-foundation.org  (Active)
forwards to:
matt@2gethelp.com
docdowning@att.net
mew-foundation@att.net
paula@2gethelp.com
     
paula@mew-foundation.org  (Active)
forwarded to: paula@2gethelp.com
       
NDW (rename)  Email Forwarding - 100 Pack - Exp: 04/03/2008 96 Available Add 
 
christine@NEWDIRECTIONSWORKSHOP.COM  (Active)
forwarded to: christinehelman@sbcglobal.net
     
info@NEWDIRECTIONSWORKSHOP.COM  (Active)
forwards to:
christinehelman@sbcglobal.net
matt@2gethelp.com
paula@2gethelp.com
     
matt@NEWDIRECTIONSWORKSHOP.COM  (Active)
forwarded to: matt@2gethelp.com
     
rob@newdirectionsworkshop.com  (Active)
forwarded to: rob@dreamachievers.com 

---
Brilliant, civilization-changing ideas are a dime a dozen, Matt. Physically taking action to implement them, however, beginning with baby steps that seem to accomplish very little is what gets the crowds here screaming like raving lunatics (in a good way!). 

---
Blake Griffin Edwards shared a link.
34 mins
"..Our capacity to choose changes with the activity of life. The more we fear oblivion, the more we chase ambition, and regardless of the prizes we gain, deep anxieties propel our actions and our actions, our anxieties. Our heart hardens. Conversely, the more we embody acts of courage and bear others burdens, the more our heart is enlivened. Each act which feeds integrity also increases my capacity for virtue.
Eventually it becomes more difficult for me to choose the foul rather than the virtuous action. On the other hand, each act of cowardice weakens me. Between the extreme when I can no longer do a wrong act and the extreme when I have lost all strength for right action, there are innumerable degrees. Vice sows compulsion, and virtue sows freedom. If the degree of freedom to choose the good is great, it needs less effort to choose the good. If it is small, it takes a great effort, help from others, and favorable circumstances..."

---oadrunner@hotmail.com	559-994-9217
Sandy Watson	ravenwitch_1@msn.com	559-859-4628
		
	INSTRUCTORS & ADMINISTRATION	
Matt Perelstein	matt@2gethelp.com	916-599-8597
Paula Perelstein	paula@2gethelp.com	707-962-9006
AJ Seargeant	mobileaj@outlook.com	714-770-9849
Sharon Norell	scn1616@att.net	559-312-3882

-
	Nov. 14-16, 2014 -- Fresno	
NAME	 E-MAIL ADDRESS	PHONE
		
Cary Parkins	caryparkins@gmail.com	916-769-5179
Keith Brucker	keithbrucker@comcast.net	559-360-1605
Mark Monnin, DC	markmonnindc@gmail.com	805-439-0234
Michele Soplata	mesoplata@sbcglobal.net	559-321-4086
Michelle Eaves	financialcoach23@hotmail.com	559-824-3187
Saundra Brucker	saundrabrucker@comcast.net	559-321-4203
		
	GRADUATE ASSISTANTS	
Bev Carr	beverlycarr1@yahoo.com	559-906-1857
Christina Lynn	lizardgirl727@yahoo.com	559-776-8934
Christina Tate	svdbyhim@aol.com	559-304-5882
Cynthia Morris	cynthiamorris78@gmail.com	559-801-1518
Glori Celis	bcelis@sbcglobal.net	559-301-3609
Karen Flower		559-251-6877
Lynda Abraugh	lyndaloua1@att.net	559-454-0630
Moe Speer	rspeer5371@gmail.com	559-225-3390
Ricci Choate	singer120@gmail.com	559-871-4902
Rollynne Speer	rspeer5371@gmail.com	559-225-3390
Troy Celis		
		
	INSTRUCTORS & ADMINISTRATION	
Matt Perelstein	matt@2gethelp.com	916-599-8597
Paula Perelstein	paula@2gethelp.com	707-962-9006
Karen Mabry		
Sharon Norell	scn1616@att.net	559-312-3882

-
,on PC?
	March 13-15, 2015 -- Fresno
NAME	 E-MAIL ADDRESS	PHONE
		
	STUDENTS and REVIEWERS	
Anyettah	c/o Paula@2GetHelp.com	
Chad Jackson		
Cynthia Morris	cynthiamorris78@gmail.com	559-801-1518
Erika Friedman	firedrake88@gmail.com	(559) 346-8719 
Kimra McCauley	c/o Terri McCauley	
Michael Dean		
Michelle Pauls		
Sandra LaBelle		
Sandra Michel-Jimenez		
Sandra Ward		
		
	GRADUATE ASSISTANTS	
Christina Tate	svdbyhim@aol.com	559-304-5882
Karen Flower		559-251-6877
Katie Nowell		
Linda Lou Wall	lady21878@att.net	559-860-8413
Lynda Abraugh	lyndaloua1@att.net	559-454-0630
Michelle Donaldson		
Pat Jackson	patjacks.lakeside@hotmail.com	559-269-2071
Patrick McCauley		
Ricci Choate	singer120@gmail.com	559-871-4902
Rollynne Speer	rspeer5371@gmail.com	559-225-3390
Terri McCauley		
Todd Chrisman		

	INSTRUCTORS & ADMINISTRATION	
Matt Perelstein	matt@2gethelp.com	916-599-8597
Paula Perelstein	paula@2gethelp.com	707-962-9006
Sharon Norell	scn1616@att.net	559-312-3882

-
	Nov. 4-6, 2016 -- Fresno		
NAME	 E-MAIL ADDRESS	PHONE
		
STUDENTS and REVIEWERS		
Aubree Medlock	aubreemedlock@gmail.com	720-202-4256
Preston Davis	prestondavis31@gmail.com	559-410-7718
Christina Coronado	lizardgirl727@yahoo.com	559-776-8934
Sandra Brucker	saundrabrucker@comcast.net	559-399-3364
Keith Brucker	keithbrucker@comcast.net	559-360-1605
Peggy Mitchell	peggym917@gmail.com	559-457-9629
		
GRADUATE ASSISTANTS		
Christina Tate	PrplChristina@aol.com	559-304-5882
Glori Celis	bcelis@sbcglobal.net	559-301-3609
Michelle Pauls	michellesfaces@sbcglobal.net	559-545-5412
Linda Lou Wall	lady21878@att.net	559-860-8413
Troy Celis	troy.celis@gmail.com	559-760-8872
Gloria Watson	gloria.watson@comcast.net	559-269-5419
		
INSTRUCTORS		
Matt Perelstein	matt@2gethelp.com	916-599-8597
Sharon Norell	scn1616@att.net	559-312-3880

-
	April 25-27, 2014 -- Fresno	
 	STUDENTS	
NAME	 E-MAIL ADDRESS	PHONE
Aaron Eaves		559-824-4600
John Osborne	dr-john@dr-john.net	530-518-9097
LJ Medlock	ellejaymedlock1978@gmail.com	303-886-0883
Lilla Hill	onehill57@gmail.com	559-230-9930
Nicole McManus	nicoleh716@gmail.com	559-917-3040
Peter McManus	macpete0406@gmail.com	559-451-1245
Scott Farrell	firemanscott6@sbcglobal.net	559-479-0392
		
	GRADUATE STUDENT ASSISTANTS	
Christina Tate	svdbyhim@aol.com	559-304-5882
Cynthia Morris	cynthiamorris78@gmail.com	559-312-6742
Erika Friedman	firedrake88@gmail.com	559-346-8719
Karen Flower		559-251-6877
Linda Lou Wall	lady21878@att.net	559-860-8413
Michele Soplata	mesoplata@sbcglobal.net	559-321-4086
Miles Scrivner	tracer0511@yahoo.com	559-240-3783
Gloria Watson	gloria.watson@comcast.net	559-269-5419
Glori Celis	bcelis@sbcglobal.net	559-301-3609
Melann Kenel	bear.kenel@sbcglobal.net	559-674-2257
Bev Carr	beverlycarrl@yahoo.com	559-906-1857
Troy Celis	troy.celis@gmail.com	559-760-8872
		
	INSTRUCTORS & ADMINISTRATION	
Matt Perelstein	matt@2gethelp.com	916-599-8597
Michelle Pauls	michellesfaces@sbcglobal.net	559-351-1597
Sharon Norell	scn1616@att.net	559-312-3882

-
	March 4-6, 2016 -- Fresno	
		
NAME	 E-MAIL ADDRESS	PHONE
		
STUDENTS and REVIEWERS		
Chris McEwen	chrisamcewen@hotmail.com	707-489-3087
Gay Storm	stormyg45@yahoo.com	559-240-3438
Lilla Hill	onehill57@gmail.com	559-240-9054
Michelle Pauls	michellesfaces@sbcglobal.net	559-545-5412
Patty Wilcox-McEwen	patriciamcewen@yahoo.com	801-870-4395
Peggy Mitchell	peggymitchell810@yahoo.com	559-457-9629
Saundra Brucker	saundrabrucker@comcast.net	559-321-4203
Shauna Wright	ucmswright@aol.com	559-801-3800

GRADUATE ASSISTANTS		
Christina Lynn	lizardgirl727@yahoo.com	559-776-8934
Christina Tate	svdbyhim@aol.com	559-304-5882
Glori Celis	bcelis@sbcglobal.net	559-301-3609
Karen Flower		559-251-6877
Katie Nowell	reneekatelyn@yahoo.com	559-978-2363
Linda Lou Wall	lady21878@att.net	559-860-8413
Lynda Abraugh	lyndaloua1@att.net	559-454-0630
Michele Soplata	mesoplata@sbcglobal.net	559-321-4086
Tony Ambra	tonyambra@yahoo.com	559-5877-7706
		
INSTRUCTORS		
Matt Perelstein	matt@2gethelp.com	916-599-8597
Paula Perelstein	paula@2gethelp.com	707-962-9006
Sharon Norell	scn1616@att.net	559-312-3880

-
	May 20-22, 2016 -- Fresno	
NAME	 E-MAIL ADDRESS	PHONE
		
STUDENTS and REVIEWERS		
Mr. John Cupido	quickserve100@comcast.net	559 977-4244
Lourie Brown		559-860-8851
Ricci Choate	singer120@gmail.com	559-871-4902
Mia Lambert	mia.lambert@gmail.com	559-455-3128
Michele Soplata	mesoplata@sbcglobal.net	559-321-4086
Keith Brucker	keithbrucker@comcast.net	559-360-1605
		
GRADUATE ASSISTANTS		
Christina Tate	svdbyhim@aol.com	559-304-5882
Glori Celis	bcelis@sbcglobal.net	559-301-3609
Karen Flower		559-251-6877
Linda Lou Wall	lady21878@att.net	559-860-8413
		
INSTRUCTORS		
Matt Perelstein	matt@2gethelp.com	916-599-8597
Sharon Norell	scn1616@att.net	559-312-3880

-
NDs

Date -- Location                           #Students            #Assistants               Instructors
Nov. 4-6, 2016 -- Fresno                   6                              6                         Mcp & Sharon
May 20-22, 2016 -- Fresno	              6                             4                          Mcp & Sharon
March 4-6, 2016 -- Fresno                8                             9                          Mcp, Pkp, Sharon
March 13-15, 2015 -- Fresno           10                          12                           Mcp, Pkp, Sharon
Nov. 14-16, 2014 -- Fresno	             6                             11                         Mcp, Pkp, Karen, Sharon
April 25-27, 2014 -- Fresno	              7                            12                         Mcp, Sharon, Michelle Pauls
Feb 7-9, 2014 -- Fresno                    9                              7                          Mcp, Pkp, Sharon, AJ Seargeant

---)
FB-EIN, FB-EIA
1-year study on whether EQ can be taught, effectively...

Conclusion:
Results reveal that the level of emotional competencies increased significantly in the intervention group in contrast with the control group. This increase resulted in lower cortisol secretion, enhanced subjective and physical well-being, as well as improved quality of social and marital relationships in the intervention group. 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21443316

---)
The research that Dr. Fredrickson and others have done demonstrates that the extent to which we can generate positive emotions from even everyday activities can determine who flourishes and who doesnt. More than a sudden bonanza of good fortune, repeated brief moments of positive feelings can provide a buffer against stress and depression and foster both physical and mental health, their studies show.

Continue reading the main story
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Continue reading the main story

This is not to say that one must always be positive to be healthy and happy. Clearly, there are times and situations that naturally result in negative feelings in the most upbeat of individuals. Worry, sadness, anger and other such downers have their place in any normal life. But chronically viewing the glass as half-empty is detrimental both mentally and physically and inhibits ones ability to bounce back from lifes inevitable stresses.

Negative feelings activate a region of the brain called the amygdala, which is involved in processing fear and anxiety and other emotions. Dr. Richard J. Davidson, a neuroscientist and founder of the Center for Healthy Minds at the University of Wisconsin  Madison, has shown that people in whom the amygdala recovers slowly from a threat are at greater risk for a variety of health problems than those in whom it recovers quickly.

Both he and Dr. Fredrickson and their colleagues have demonstrated that the brain is plastic, or capable of generating new cells and pathways, and it is possible to train the circuitry in the brain to promote more positive responses. That is, a person can learn to be more positive by practicing certain skills that foster positivity.

For example, Dr. Fredricksons team found that six weeks of training in a form of meditation focused on compassion and kindness resulted in an increase in positive emotions and social connectedness and improved function of one of the main nerves that helps to control heart rate. The result is a more variable heart rate that, she said in an interview, is associated with objective health benefits like better control of blood glucose, less inflammation and faster recovery from a heart attack.

Dr. Davidsons team showed that as little as two weeks training in compassion and kindness meditation generated changes in brain circuitry linked to an increase in positive social behaviors like generosity.

The results suggest that taking time to learn the skills to self-generate positive emotions can help us become healthier, more social, more resilient versions of ourselves, Dr. Fredrickson reported in the National Institutes of Health monthly newsletter in 2015.

In other words, Dr. Davidson said, well-being can be considered a life skill. If you practice, you can actually get better at it. By learning and regularly practicing skills that promote positive emotions, you can become a happier and healthier person. Thus, there is hope for people like my friends parents should they choose to take steps to develop and reinforce positivity.

Well
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In her newest book, Love 2.0, Dr. Fredrickson reports that shared positivity  having two people caught up in the same emotion  may have even a greater impact on health than something positive experienced by oneself. Consider watching a funny play or movie or TV show with a friend of similar tastes, or sharing good news, a joke or amusing incidents with others. Dr. Fredrickson also teaches loving-kindness meditation focused on directing good-hearted wishes to others. This can result in people feeling more in tune with other people at the end of the day, she said.

Activities Dr. Fredrickson and others endorse to foster positive emotions include:

Do good things for other people. In addition to making others happier, this enhances your own positive feelings. It can be something as simple as helping someone carry heavy packages or providing directions for a stranger.

Appreciate the world around you. It could be a bird, a tree, a beautiful sunrise or sunset or even an article of clothing someone is wearing. I met a man recently who was reveling in the architectural details of the 19th-century houses in my neighborhood.

Develop and bolster relationships. Building strong social connections with friends or family members enhances feelings of self-worth and, long-term studies have shown, is associated with better health and a longer life.

Establish goals that can be accomplished. Perhaps you want to improve your tennis or read more books. But be realistic; a goal that is impractical or too challenging can create unnecessary stress.

Learn something new. It can be a sport, a language, an instrument or a game that instills a sense of achievement, self-confidence and resilience. But here, too, be realistic about how long this may take and be sure you have the time needed.

Choose to accept yourself, flaws and all. Rather than imperfections and failures, focus on your positive attributes and achievements. The loveliest people I know have none of the external features of loveliness but shine with the internal beauty of caring, compassion and consideration of others.

337
COMMENTS
Practice resilience. Rather than let loss, stress, failure or trauma overwhelm you, use them as learning experiences and steppingstones to a better future. Remember the expression: When life hands you a lemon, make lemonade.

Practice mindfulness. Ruminating on past problems or future difficulties drains mental resources and steals attention from current pleasures. Let go of things you cant control and focus on the here-and-now. Consider taking a course in insight meditation.

This is the second of two columns on positive emotions.

A version of this article appears in print on April 4, 2017, on Page D5 of the New York edition with the headline: Turning Negative Thinkers Into Positive Ones. Order Reprints| Today's Paper|Subscribe

---elated brain circuits after people had 2 weeks of training in a simple form of meditation that focuses on compassion and kindness. These changes, in turn, were linked to an increase in positive social behaviors, such as increased generosity.

Fredrickson and her colleagues are also studying meditation. They found that after 6 weeks of training in compassion and kindness meditation, people reported increased positive emotions and social connectedness compared to an untrained group. The meditation group also had improved functioning in a nerve that helps to control heart rate. The results suggest that taking time to learn the skills to self-generate positive emotions can help us become healthier, more social, more resilient versions of ourselves, Fredrickson says.

Dr. Emily Falk, a neuroscientist at the University of Pennsylvania, is taking a different approach. Falk is exploring how self-affirmationthat is, thinking about whats most important to youcan affect your brain and lead to positive, healthful behaviors. Her team found that when people are asked to think about things that they find meaningful, a brain region that recognizes personally relevant information becomes activated. This brain activity can change how people respond to health advice.

In general, if you tell people that they sit too much and they need to change their behavior, they can become defensive. Theyll come up with reasons why the message doesnt apply to them, Falk says. But if people reflect on the things they value before the health message, the brains reward pathways are activated.

This type of self-affirmation, Falks research shows, can help physically inactive couch potatoes get more active. In a recent study, inactive adults received typical health advice about the importance of moving more and sitting less. But before the advice, about half of the participants were asked to think about things that they value most.

The self-affirmation group became more physically active during the month-long study period that followed compared to the group that hadnt engaged in self-affirmation. The study shows one way that we can open the brain to positive change and help people achieve their goals, Falk says.

Being open to positive change is a key to emotional wellness. Sometimes people think that emotions just happen, kind of like the weather, Fredrickson says. But research suggests that we can have some control over which emotions we experience. As mounting research suggests, having a positive mindset might help to improve your physical health as well.

References: 
Compassion training alters altruism and neural responses to suffering. Weng HY, Fox AS, Shackman AJ, Stodola DE, et al. Psychol Sci. 2013 Jul 1; 24(7):1171-80. doi: 10.1177/0956797612469537. Epub 2013 May 21. PMID: 23696200.

Mind of the meditator. Ricard M, Lutz A, Davidson RJ. Sci Am. 2014 Nov;311(5):38-45. PMID: 25508292.

How positive emotions build physical health: perceived positive social connections account for the upward spiral between positive emotions and vagal tone. Kok BE, Coffey KA, Cohn MA, Catalino LI, et al. Psychol Sci. 2013 Jul 1;24(7):1123-32. doi: 10.1177/0956797612470827. Epub 2013 May 6. PMID: 23649562.

Happiness unpacked: positive emotions increase life satisfaction by building resilience. Cohn MA, Fredrickson BL, Brown SL, Mikels JA, Conway AM. Emotion. 2009 Jun;9(3):361-8. doi: 10.1037/a0015952. PMID: 19485613.

Self-affirmation alters the brain's response to health messages and subsequent behavior change. Falk EB, O'Donnell MB, Cascio CN, Tinney F, et al. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2015 Feb 17;112(7):1977-82. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1500247112. Epub 2015 Feb 2. PMID: 25646442.

Beyond Brain Mapping: Using Neural Measures to Predict Real-World Outcomes. Berkman ET, Falk EB. Curr Dir Psychol Sci. 2013 Feb;22(1):45-50. PMID: 24478540.

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http://www.casel.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Final-CDI-Report-3-17-17.pdf

A multiyear effort to help
school districts integrate social
and emotional learning across
all aspects of their work

What have we learned?
What impact have we seen?
Whats next?
MARCH 2017
2
The Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional
Learning (CASEL) was formed in 1994 with the goal
of helping to make high-quality, evidence-based
social and emotional learning (SEL) an integral part
of preschool through high school education. Over the
years and through deep collaborations with multiple
organizations and individuals, we have steadily
advanced this goal. Our work has focused on three
areas: research to build the evidence base; practice
to implement, refine, and demonstrate high-quality
SEL in school districts, and create scalable tools and
resources; and state and federal policy to help create
the conditions for success.

Today we are at a tipping point. The evidence is
clear that SEL works. Models for implementation
exist. Supportive policies are spreading. Most
important, students are benefitting. Students with
strong social and emotional competence not only do
better academically in school, they lead healthier,
happier, more fulfilling lives. They better understand
themselves, build constructive relationships, are more
kind and caring, and make more responsible decisions.

In order to help practitioners bring more of these
benefits to more students, in 2010 CASEL, in
partnership with NoVo Foundation, launched a largescale
action research project that sought to address
the next-generation questions. Can large urban school
districts put into place the policies and practices that
would promote the social and emotional competencies
of all students throughout the district? If so, how? And
what outcomes would we see for kids?

The Collaborating Districts Initiative (CDI) became
the learning lab for addressing those questions. We
have worked closely with school districts on strategies
for embedding SEL into all aspects of their work. We
spent our first two decades collaborating to establish
the evidence base documenting that SEL works for
students. Now, through the CDI, we know a lot more
about the specifics of how to do it. This report describes
what districts did, shares what we have learned, and
previews how we intend to scale these insights to many
more districts.

We are committed to an ongoing process for continuing
to increase the knowledge and expertise about
how to implement systemic SEL. Through our deep
collaboration with the CDI districts, partnerships with
researchers, educators, and organizations serving the
field, and broader efforts to commission, curate, and
distribute resources, CASEL is poised to serve as the
know-how lab for the SEL field. Our work combines the
Know of research with the How of practical application,
along with advancing policies that create the conditions
for SEL to flourish. We will continue collaborating with
educators, scholars, and others to share this know-how
with those who can put it to immediate use.

The CDI has been a pivotal step in the evolution and
maturation in the field of SEL. We are profoundly
thankful for the generosity of NoVo Foundation
and several other funders and for the vision and
commitment of our district partners. They are helping
to transform how student success is defined in
American education.

Through our work and the work of many people in the
field, we are making a difference. Our goal: by 2025, 50%
of districts are systemically integrating high-quality
SEL across their schools and classrooms.
Its time.
1
Contents
Preface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 1
CHAPTER 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PAGE 2
Collaborating
Districts Initiative:
A LEARNING LAB
CHAPTER 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PAGE 6
Key Insights
CHAPTER 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PAGE 20
Impact on Students
and Schools
CHAPTER 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PAGE 24
Scaling SEL
Know-How
Preface
Karen Niemi
President and CEO
Roger P. Weissberg, PhD
Chief Knowledge Officer
Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL). (2017)
Key Insights from the Collaborating Districts Initiative. Chicago: Author.
2 3
Collaborating
Districts
Initiative:
A Learning Lab
6 YEARS 10 DISTRICTS 900,000 STUDENTS
Six years ago CASEL took the unprecedented
step of launching an effort to study and scale
high-quality, evidence-based academic,
social, and emotional learning in eight of the
largest and most complex school systems in
the country: Anchorage, Austin, Chicago,
Cleveland, Nashville, Oakland, Sacramento, and
Washoe County, Nev. With the recent addition
of Atlanta and El Paso, the Collaborating
Districts Initiative (CDI) now includes 10
districts, enrolling 900,000 students a year. It
is one of the most comprehensive and ambitious
school district improvement initiatives ever.
Educators around the world rely on CASEL
resources to support their knowledge and
understanding of SEL, which in turn affects
millions of additional students. And with the
spring 2017 launch of the online District Resource
Center, the knowledge gleaned from the CDI will
benefit millions more.

The goal of the CDI was to create a comprehensive
shift in how superintendents and entire school
districts approach education. We knew we had
to help redefine quality education (beyond test
scores alone), and to prioritize the practices
in classrooms, schools, and communities for
promoting the social and emotional development
of children.

As a result, the CDI is focused on systemic
SEL implementation SEL across all district,
school, and classroom activities, increasingly in
partnership with parents and communities. SEL as
a once-a-week program is not enough to establish
sustainable teaching and learning environments
where students truly thrive. SEL is sustained and
students thrive when it is promoted and reinforced
throughout the school day, modeled and taught
by teachers, families, and community members 
and supported by district policies, practices, and
investments.

CHAPTER 1 Study
     Anchorage
     AUSTIN
     CLEVELAND
3 DISTRICTS
171K STUDENTS

2011 Study
     Anchorage
     ATLANTA
     AUSTIN
     CHICAGO
     CLEVELAND
     EL PASO
     NASHVILLE
     OAKLAND
     SACRAMENTO
     WASHOE COUNTY
10 DISTRICTS
900K STUDENTS

TODAY
SEL helps all students reach their full
potential as caring, contributing, responsible,
and knowledgeable friends, family members,
coworkers, and citizens.

It helps them build positive skills, such as
greater self-awareness and self-management,
improved relationship skills, and responsible
decision-making in safe and supportive learning
environments. These skills and behaviors are
important in their own right, but they also
benefit students in other ways. For example, a
major review of research studies on SEL school
programs revealed 11 percentile-point gains in
academic performance.

1
Benefits extend beyond students to the
broader society as well. Another study
demonstrated statistically significant
associations between social-emotional
skills in kindergarten and key young adult
outcomes in education, employment, criminal
activity, substance use, and mental health.
2
Overall, quality SEL yields an 11:1 return on
investment, according to a 2015 Columbia
University study.
3
 Scholars from the fields
of neuroscience, health, employment,
psychology, classroom management,
learning theory, economics, and youth
development also have identified benefits.
SEL also helps avoid or reduce negative outcomes
for kids. For example, more than 40% of teens are
chronically disengaged. 

4 In the past year, one in 13 students has been in at least one fight,
one in six has carried a weapon, and one in 10
has had sex with more than four people.
5
 Teen depression has increased five-fold since the 1950s.
6
 Half of college students report feeling overwhelmed.
7
 SEL helps students overcome
challenges such as these and gives students the
opportunity to succeed in school and in life.
4
5
1 Child Development, January/February 2011 2 Robert Wood Johnson Foundation/American Journal of Public Health 3 Center for Benefit-Cost Studies in Education, Teachers College, Columbia University 4 University of Michigan, Personality and Social Psychology Review 5 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 6 Birth Cohort Differences in Self-Esteem, 19882008: A cross-temporal 7 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Child Development, January/February 2011
Why SEL is NeededRaises Stu
dent
Performance Higher academic
achievement
Better socialemotional
skills Improved attitudes
about self, others,
and school
Positive classroom
behavior
R
e
duces Ri
s
k
for
F
a
ilure
Fewer conduct
problems
Less emotional
distress
SELs
Benef
its
A 2011 meta-analys
is foun
d t
hat SEL

7
To learn more, visit CASELs District Resource Center
drc.casel.org
6
Key
Insights
Insight 1
Systemic SEL
is possible.
Implementation WORKS even with leadership
changes and relatively small budgets.
The CDI began with strong leadership from the
top. Superintendents and their districts committed
to an ambitious agenda of change: systemic
implementation of SEL across all district, school,
and classroom activities and in partnership with
parents and communities. This was not SEL as a
once-a-week program but instead a paradigm shift
where district leaders committed to:
 Cultivate commitment and organizational
support for SEL.
 Assess SEL resources and needs.
 Support classroom, school, and community
SEL programming.
 Establish systems for continuous improvement.
Significantly, unlike many major district efforts,
districts received minimal financial incentives to
undertake these sweeping reforms. Each of the first
eight districts received annual grants of $250,000
for up to six years. That represents less than 0.04%
of the average CDI districts annual budget for all
expenses (excluding Chicagos budget, which is
larger than the other seven CDI district budgets
combined). The districts supplemented NoVo
Foundation grants with their own investments.
None of the districts has the same superintendent
as when the CDI began. Indeed, Chicago Public
Schools has had four superintendents since 2010,
yet SEL is still growing throughout the district,
supported by 25 dedicated staff in the Office of
Social and Emotional Learning.
Despite this turnover, after five years of
independently evaluating the CDI, the American
Institutes for Research (AIR) concluded: Our
findings suggest that districts participating in the
CDI have sustained, deepened, and broadened their
commitment to SEL and developed capacities to
support its implementation. Participation in the
CDI and in district-initiated activities has enhanced
the readiness of the districts and their schools
to implement and sustain SEL. More staff and
stakeholders know about it and want it, and SEL
has been embedded as a pillar in strategic plans.
Furthermore, districts are increasingly aligning SEL
with other districtwide activities.
Districts were able to withstand leadership
turnover and budget cuts, especially when they
had broad stakeholder commitment to SEL, when
they focused on deepening the SEL expertise of
central office staff, effectively integrated SEL across
district departments and initiatives, and began
to see evidence of improvements in climate and
attendance, and reductions in suspensions.
Since 2011 we have been working with our
partner districts in an intensive ongoing cycle
of implementation, refinement, evaluation, and
documentation to deepen our understanding
of how to embed SEL into their work. We are
working closely with superintendents, district
SEL leaders, research and evaluation teams,
principals, teachers, parents, and community
members to support and promote systemic SEL.
We are providing hands-on, practical consulting
and support. And we are connecting districts
virtually and in-person with each other, in small
peer-to-peer learning groups, and in large
cross-district meetings, so that they can learn
and benefit from each others experiences.
We promised no quick fixes, but rather
sustained commitment, access to the smartest
leaders, high-quality research, and a passion
for evidence and results. Our initial research
questions asked what does systemic SEL mean?
What does it look like in practice, and how is
it achieved? This chapter highlights seven key
insights drawn from our experience.
1. Systemic SEL is possible even with
leadership changes and relatively small
budgets.
2. SEL ideally is integrated into every aspect
of the districts work, from the strategic
plan and budgets to human resources and
operations.
3. SEL ideally is integrated into every aspect
of the school, from classroom instruction to
school climate and culture to communityfamily
partnerships.
4. Successful implementation can follow
multiple pathways, based on each districts
unique needs and strengths. Regardless
of the approach, the engagement and
commitment of both school and district
leadership is essential.
5. Adult SEL matters, too.
6. Data for continuous improvement are
essential.
7. Districts benefit from collaborating with
each other.
The CDI demonstrates that
it is possible for large urban
school districts to adopt and
maintain SEL as an essential
element of education, even
amid budgetary stress and
leadership turnover.
American Institutes for Research
CHAPTER 2 SEL Grants
REPRESENTED
ONLY
ABOUT 0.04%
OF EACH
DISTRICTS
BUDGET
VISION
Develop a district wide
vision and long term plan
9
To learn more, visit CASELs District Resource Center
drc.casel.org
INTEGRATION
Integrate SEL
with district initiatives
For example, Oakland Unified School Districts
commitment to social and emotional learning is
evident across the systemincluding the districts
vision and strategic plan, SEL board policy, SEL
standards, classroom curricula, restorative justice
practices, and professional learning. The districts
new performance frameworks for teachers,
principals, schools, and the superintendent are
all based on the districts SEL standards, as
is professional learning for all principals and
assistant principals. Oakland is also beginning to
use SEL school-quality indicators to help schools
align and prioritize resources and goals for
student success.
In Chicago SEL is integrated into the districts
overall strategic plan. The district also has
established a districtwide code of conduct and
climate standards. A progressive discipline
policy limits the use of exclusionary discipline
practices and encourages all schools to respond
to misbehavior using supportive, restorative
discipline practices to promote social and
emotional development. SEL is part of professional
development for core academic content in areas
such as math and literacy. SEL is integrated into
the districts Multi-Tiered Systems of Support
(MTSS), which provides differentiated support for
students.
Anchorage School District has embedded
SEL instructional strategies into leadership
meetings, professional development sessions, and
curriculum. It is creating a MTSS approach that
integrates SEL curriculum and strategies with
Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports
(PBIS). A district SEL leadership team of 30
leaders from the classroom to the superintendent
guides this work.
In Sacramento City Unified School District,
over 50 schools have adopted evidence-based
curriculum and are explicitly teaching SEL
lessons across all grade levels. Leadership
teams from all K-12 schools were trained on
SEL core competencies, restorative practices,
and equity. Equity coaches regularly work with
schools to support their SEL/Equity leadership
teams, facilitate professional growth opportunities
for staff, model lessons, and support individual
teachers. In year five an interdepartmental
professional learning community was created to
develop expertise and deepen collaboration among
central office staff.
To complement the in-district work, CASEL is
partnering with The Wallace Foundation to help
districts align their SEL work with out-of-schooltime
efforts.
8
Insight 2
SEL is ideally integrated
throughout the district. When implemented well, SEL is embedded into every aspect of the
districts work, from the strategic plan and budgets to human
resources and operations.
Systemic SEL is not a siloed approach or standalone
program, but a new way of doing business.
At the district level, we have worked closely with
superintendents, district SEL leaders, school
boards, curriculum and instruction departments,
research and evaluation teams, and others in
multiple ways to help districts adopt systemic
strategies that embed SEL into every aspect of
school life.
Districts are building SEL into their strategic plans
and budgets. They are reorganizing leadership
structures so that SEL is not a separate priority
but is integrated into core functions such as
academics, professional development, and equity.
They are integrating SEL into the development and
implementation of districtwide policies on hiring and
discipline. They are systematically collecting and
analyzing data for continuous improvement (more
in Insight 6). And they are regularly communicating
with and engaging multiple stakeholders.
For us, its not about one more thing we have to
budget for. SEL is in the blood of what we do in the
district. Its not just an off-the-shelf program. Its
really about what we do every day for kids.
Traci Davis, Superintendent of Schools,
Washoe County School District
Theory of Action
for Districtwide SEL
  Vision & Long-Term
Plan
  Stakeholder
 Communications
  Aligned Resources
  Central Office
 Expertise
  Professional Learning
  SEL Integration
  SEL Standards
& Assessments
  Evidence-Based
Programs
CULTIVATE
COMMITMENT &
ORGANIZATIONAL
SUPPORT FOR SEL
ESTABLISH
SYSTEMS FOR
CONTINUOUS
IMPROVEMENT
ASSESS SEL
RESOURCES &
NEEDS
SUPPORT
CLASSROOM,
SCHOOLWIDE, &
COMMUNITY SEL
PROGRAMMING
10 11
Systemic SEL is a new way of doing business at the
school level as well. District leaders have worked
closely with principals, teachers, parent leaders,
community partners, and others in multiple ways to
help schools adopt systemic strategies that embed
SEL into every aspect of school life.
In classrooms implementing well, SEL is promoted
through explicit instruction, often using an
evidence-based program identified in CASELs
program reviews. It is integrated across classroom
instruction and academic curriculum, from the math
class organized around cooperative learning to the
social studies class that routinely helps students
learn empathy by trying out different perspectives to
understand their world.
In schools implementing well, there is a culture and
climate that supports learning, respect, and caring
relationships throughout the school day. Adults are
regularly modeling SEL behavior in classrooms
and hallways, and on playgrounds. SEL shapes how
principals run their staff meetings, how teachers
handle their classrooms, how custodians and
cafeteria workers know and are known by students,
how safety officers interact with students, and how
receptionists welcome visitors.
In Washoe County School District, staff members
at each school attend a three-day training focused
on culture and climate, evidence-based programs,
student voice, and the integration of SEL into math,
English, history, and other classes. Teachers use
SEL strategies to engage students in learning core
academic content. Students demonstrate listening
skills, empathy, and other SEL competencies as they
work in pairs, in small groups, and as a whole class.
Sacramento has developed Common Core State
Standards curriculum maps for English Language
Arts and math, explicitly identifying related SEL
skills such as being able to collaborate, persevere in
solving difficult problems, develop viable arguments,
and critique the reasoning of others. SEL skills also
are embedded in the districts college and career
readiness graduate profile, which will serve as a
guide for students successful matriculation.
Family and community partnerships extend and deepen
the work occurring in schools. Austin Independent
School Districts citywide Ready by 21 Youth
Services Mapping program helps students and
families locate services and supports that address
academic enrichment and support, as well as social,
emotional, and behavioral health. The district has
also provided training in SEL to multiple out-ofschool
providers. And a local philanthropic matching
program has raised $2.4 million in three years.
Sacramento has integrated SEL into its nationally
recognized Parent Teacher Home Visit Project, the
districtwide Parent Information Exchange, parent
training modules, and its Family Night Toolkit on
Math, which now includes information on growth
mindset. Washoe County has offered more than 80
Parent University SEL courses, including College
and Career Success and Building Resiliency in
Children.
We changed from everything
being punitive to making
everything a teaching moment:
What did you do? Why did you do
it? Do you know it was wrong?
What could you do differently?
The staff was on board. There
was a lot of buy-in.
Janet McDowell,
Principal, Wade Park Elementary School,
Cleveland Metropolitan School District
Student and Teacher Voice
A supportive climate and culture results when
there are opportunities for multiple voices to
be heard. In Cleveland Metropolitan School
District, for example, about 450 high school
students meet quarterly to review their
individual schools Conditions for Learning
data, participate in activities with their
peers, and provide feedback directly to the
CEO about proposed district improvements.
In Chicago students sat on the committee
that rewrote the districts discipline policy
and created supports for school staff
members. They helped create a video to
teach all stakeholders about the important
shift to a restorative practices approach.
In order to help our
students learn, we have to
build relationships with
our students. Thats what
they say to us.
Antwan Wilson,
former superintendent of Oakland Unified
School District, currently chancellor of
Washington, DC Public Schools
Insight 3
SEL ideally is integrated
throughout the school. When implemented well, SEL is embedded into every aspect of the school,
from classroom instruction to school climate and culture to partnerships
with the community and families.
I dont know that
there are any kids out
there, in any school
district, that dont
have some needs for
SEL support.
Jos Banda,
Superintendent, Sacramento City Unified
School District
To learn more, visit CASELs District Resource Center
drc.casel.org
INTEGRATION
Integrate SEL
with district initiatives
12 13
Insight 4
Successful implementation can
follow multiple pathways.
Each district has unique needs and strengths, but regardless of the
approach, DISTRICT AND school leadership is key.
Districts have chosen a variety of approaches
for rolling out their SEL implementation to
schools. There is no single path to successful
implementation. Some built from the classroom up,
using SEL programming as an anchor. Others built
from the central office down, focused on strategy
and organization. Some start with clusters of K-12
schools (high school and feeder middle and
elementary schools).Others roll out districtwide at
specific grade levels.
For example, Austin started with two feeder
patterns of elementary, middle, and high schools,
then added three more the following year, then two
more each year until all schools in the district were
implementing SEL. On the other hand, Cleveland
implemented the PATHS program districtwide,
starting with all K-2 grades one year and grades
3-5 during the following year. Second Step was
introduced in grade 6 in 2015. It was enhanced with
the inclusion of grades 7-8 in 2016.
Regardless of the pathway, implementation needs
to get down to the school level where the students
are  and where relationships are formed,
curriculum is taught, and partnerships with
families and community happen. And the principals
understanding of and commitment to SEL are
critical to leading these efforts. To ensure effective
implementation at the school level, Washoe County
uses school-based SEL teams comprising at
least one administrator and four to six site-based
staff including teachers, counselors, and speech
pathologists. In addition, 21 teacher leaders receive
additional professional development and then train
their school colleagues and parents. Austin uses a
coaching and strategic planning model, with each
SEL specialist responsible for up to 12 schools.
Building on Strengths
Needs assessments help districts identify and
build on strengths. Surveys and focus groups,
for example, helped Washoe County discover
the central role of counselors. The district then
developed more inclusive training for teachers,
principals, and others. In Austin a survey of
SEL liaisons, principals, and coaches helped
identify the quality of school implementation.
The district used that information to help scale
up best practices. To focus on school leadership,
the districts new planning team now includes
three principals and the chief of schools, who
supervises principals.
The way weve
implemented SEL,
instruction happens
every single day in
the classroom, not
something we do
separate and apart.
Paul Cruz,
Superintendent, Austin Independent School District
SEL is the way
we go about
our business.
Relationships
matter most. I see
the whole world
through the lens
of SEL.
Brian Singleton,
Principal, Begich Middle School,
Anchorage School District
To learn more, visit CASELs District Resource Center
drc.casel.org
ALIGN
RESOURCES
Align financial and
human resources
14 15
Social and emotional competence among staff
improves teaching and leadership by strengthening
relationships, creating safer learning environments,
reducing staff burnout, and building trust among
colleagues. It also helps those working directly
with children to teach, model, and reinforce SEL
competencies in their academic and interpersonal
interactions with students.
Educators who model SEL have clear expectations
and guidelines, including setting appropriate
consequences, according to Nick Yoder of the
American Institutes for Research. They find ways
to stay calm when angry. They avoid mocking or
embarrassing their students. They give students
choices and respect their wishes. They ask
questions that help students solve problems on
their own. They are culturally aware and competent.
Yet too few teachers have been formally trained
in their teacher preparation programs on SEL.
A recent University of British Columbia/CASEL
report found the overwhelming majority of teacher
preparation programs do not have courses that
help educators teach core SEL skills to students.8
Penn State Universitys Mark Greenberg observed
in a recent report: If a teacher is unable to
manage their stress adequately, their instruction
will suffer, which then impacts student well-being
and achievement. In contrast, teachers with better
emotion regulation are likely to reinforce positive
student behavior and support students in managing
their own negative emotions.9
Anchorage discovered after two years of
implementing student-centered reforms it needed
to pause to focus more on staff training. We cant
expect teachers to model what we dont give them
a chance to practice themselves, says Jan Davis,
SEL Professional Learning Specialist. Moreover,
the Anchorage team is exploring how developing
adults social and emotional competencies may
bolster their capacity to appropriately use culturally
responsive teaching practices, which ultimately will
ensure that all students are supported in reaching
their full potential.
Adult awareness, modeling, and integration of
social-emotional competencies in their teaching
practices has long been a priority for Chicago
Public Schools. All introductory SEL workshops
ask leaders to identify and reflect on their own SEL
competencies, prioritize areas where they would
like to grow, and plan how to engage colleagues
in an ongoing process of building these skills
throughout their departments, regions, or schools.
Efforts such as these helped the district to identify a
link between adult decision-making and a historical
overuse of suspensions.
To reinforce the importance of adult SEL, some
districts are explicitly embedding SEL into their
staff performance frameworks. Oakland, for
example, created performance frameworks for
adults and elementary students based on its
SEL standards. SEL factors into the evaluation
process for all classroom teachers, PreK-12.
The OUSD Leadership Growth and Development
System guides the professional development and
evaluation of all principals throughout the district.
The superintendent holds herself accountable to the
school board for specific SEL goals and objectives
included in her work plan.
We ask educators
whats that one skill
you want students to
have to be successful?
Its the social-emotional
skills they want students
to have.
Kyla Krengel,
Director, SEL, Metro Nashville Public Schools
Insight 5
Adult SEL matters, too.
Relationships are central, and adults need the expertise to teach and
model appropriate lessons and behaviors in every interaction.
8 The University of British Columbia Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology, and Special Education
9 Penn State University/Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
You walk around
the school now and
you can tell there are
relationships that exist
between teachers and
teachers, between
teachers and students,
and students with one
another. What that allows
for is a culture of calm.
Jessica,
Chicago Public Schools, ninth-grade student
To learn more, visit CASELs District Resource Center
drc.casel.org
BUILD
EXPERTISE
Develop central office SEL
expertise and competence
16 17
Having research and evaluation teams involved in SEL work from the start yields several benefits.
They help clarify goals and desired outcomes. They
ensure that progress toward these outcomes is
regularly measured, analyzed, and shared through
data dashboards, reports, and similar management
tools for continuous improvement.
In addition, clear metrics help keep everyone on
on the same page. Regular visibility helps ensure
that everyone knows the work is important. Most
important, armed with data, districts can make
more informed decisions about necessary changes
in strategies and programming.
For example,
Austin raised local funds to
help create a two-person S
EL research team,
which produced regular leadership reports
on implementation and progress.
One report
measured the impact of a specific curriculum on
absentee rates, disciplinary incidents, grades, and
standardized test scores. Another compared the
impact of program longevity to the effectiveness of
implementation, with mixed results. These reports
have helped the district create buy-in, communicate
about the importance of S
EL, and raise additional
funds to support the work. Clevelands long-term research project with AIR
produces invaluable insights into S
EL attitudes and
school climate and culture through its Conditions
for Learning surveys of students, staff, and parents,
given two times a year. District administrators and
school staff regularly analyze the information and
use it to provide practical advice on topics such
as encouraging civility and enhancing the school
culture.
Acting on the data is key. After finding staff survey
participation had dropped sharply,
Anchorage
worked with CAS
EL to use the data to inform
priorities for programming and training.
Once they
saw how the survey research helped principals
guide their work, teacher participation on the
surveys soared  from a low of 30% to 79%.
In
Washoe
County S
EL staff works closely with the
accountability department to help ensure a steady
stream of insightful analyses. Using the results of a
sophisticated 17-question survey, for example, they
made the case that students with higher S
EL skills
did better on virtually every other outcome measure
(test scores,
GPAs, attendance, etc.). And they
targeted staff development to address issues where
students reported feeling the weakest, such as the
ability to express feelings.
In
Metro
Nashville Public
Schools the resesarch
and development department has contributed
significantly to the school and classroom
observational tools now being used in 28 schools
to establish a baseline for an annual mid-year
assessment of school climate and practice. The
district also has used the tool to assess strengths
and needs in roughly 50 other schools and to
customize professional development accordingly.
Ins
i
g
ht 6
Data for continuous
improvement are essential. Research and evaluation that are focused on improvement accelerate
an
d ra
ise t
he qual
ity of t
he rollout.
To learn more, visit CASELs District Resource Center
drc.casel.org
CONTI
N
U
OUS
IMPR
O
V
E
MEN
T
Establish systems for
continuous improvement
18 19
The CDI offers an opportunity for many of the
countrys leading educators to intensively create and
explore which approaches work best, then share
that know-how with each other and the world.
To accelerate learning among CDI districts, we
created multiple peer learning communities, which
foster long-term commitment and sustainability
through regular opportunities to learn from each
other.
For example, the annual Cross-Districts Learning
Event convenes educators and others from CDI
districts to explore implementation topics such as
mindsets, academic integration, adult SEL, financial
sustainability, and assessment. More topic-specific
work groups have emerged from these large
sessions, such as our Equity Work Group, Research
and Evaluation Professional Learning Community,
and Professional Learning Series.
Through a series of in-person meetings, webinars,
and one-on-one phone calls, these groups
are learning from their peers about successes,
challenges, and innovations. A few districts have
adapted the proactive social media communications
and engagement strategies used by Austin and
Atlanta, for example. Washoe County has benefitted
from Chicagos approach to adult SEL. Other
districts have learned from Washoes innovative use
of data and student voice to support climate and
culture, using their student data summits.
The CDI superintendents connect regularly through
in-person opportunities, webinars, and one-on-one
conversations, exploring a wide range of issues
including stakeholder communication, budgeting,
data use, and strategies for crisis intervention.
Cross-district site visits occur regularly. For
example, Anchorage visited Chicago to learn more
about its MTSS implementation model and see
SEL leadership teams and integrated instruction
at schools. The Cleveland team members learned
different strategies for implementing the Closing
the Achievement Gap initiative from their visit
to Oakland. Washoe and Oakland learned about
Anchorages multiyear strategic plan for SEL
implementation and saw SEL-academic integration
in practice.
Atlanta and El Paso Benefit
Two of the newest members of the CDI are benefitting from the work of the first eight
districts. Both Atlanta Public Schools and El Paso Independent School District heeded the
recommendation to focus on adult SEL early. Atlanta is also focusing on parent engagement
and will adapt resources from the CDI in its efforts. El Paso has made use of Sacramentos
approach to teaching a growth mindset. And other CDI districts have used El Pasos hidden
backpack activity, a facilitation approach designed to build empathy for the unseen daily
burdens that affect students and adults ability to focus on their work.
CROSS-DISTRICTS LEARNING EVENTs
PARTICIPANTS SAY...
Anchorage,
Alaska
2011
Austin,
TexAS
2012
Nashville,
TennESSEE
2013
Cleveland,
Ohio
2015
Reno,
NevADA
2016
I have a deeper appreciation for why we need to
include adults in the SEL learning process and
why districts elect to work with adult SEL first,
as a foundation for districtwide implementation.
GREAT!!
I cant wait to bring this
back to our new teacher
program as well.
OAKLAND,
CALIFORNIA
2017
Insight 7
Districts benefit from
collaborating with each other.
From the start and in keeping with CASELS research roots, the CDI was
 and is  a COLLABORATIVE learning lab.
To learn more, visit CASELs District Resource Center
drc.casel.org
PROFESSIONAL
DEVELOPMENT
Design and implement
effective professional
development programs
Academic achievement improved
The three districts that use the National
Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP)
(Austin, Chicago, and Cleveland) all improved
their reading and math scores during the CDI
implementation years.
In Anchorage, Austin, Chicago, Cleveland,
Oakland, and Nashville, GPAs were higher at the
end of the 2015 school year than before the CDI
started. The improvements were particularly
noticeable in Chicago, going from an average of
2.19 in the three years before the CDI to 2.65 in
2015, an increase of nearly 21%.
Nashville, the only district that used the same
standardized tests across CDI years, showed
improvements in both ELA and math achievement.
All districts with relevant data showed gains
in ELA and math in at least one grade band
(elementary, middle, high). Chicagos graduation
rate increased 15% during the CDI years.
Student engagement and
behavior improved
Attendance improved in four of six districts that
collected this data. Chicago improved overall
attendance by eight percentage points from
before the CDI started through 2015. Anchorage
(elementary, middle) and Nashville (middle, high)
showed gains at two of three levels.
Suspensions declined in all five of the districts
that collected this data. For example, suspensions
in Chicago declined 65 percent in two years.
This translates to 44,000 fewer students being
suspended from school in one recent year alone.
In Sacramento suspension rates declined in the
five years of systemic SEL implementation:
24% districtwide and 43% in high schools.
20 21
Impact on
students and
schools
To assess the impact of the CDIs efforts, CASEL
entered into an ongoing data collection and
evaluation partnership with the districts and
American Institutes for Research (AIR). Data were
collected to measure the implementation and
resulting outcomes.
While the availability of data varied by district,
qualitative and quantitative outcomes are
promising.
The bottom line:
Even very modest investments in
SEL can pay off for individuals,
schools, and society.
CHAPTER 3
GPAs
MATH &
ELA
SCORES
GRADUATION
RATES
NAEP
SCORES
I have seen high schools
and middle schools really
change the narrative
on suspensions and
expulsions. If were
keeping students in
schools and teaching
them how to deal with
things instead of just
getting them out the
door, we are making
huge gains.
Alan Mather,
Chief Officer, Office of College and Career Success,
Chicago Public Schools
22 23
Student Social and emotional
competence improved
Districts also reported that students social
and emotional competence improved, based on
student and teacher surveys. In both Chicago and
Nashville, elementary school students improved
in all five social and emotional competencies:
self-awareness, self-management, social
awareness, relationship skills, and responsible
decision-making. In Austin, where only middle
and high school data was collected, students at
both levels also significantly improved in all five
competencies. Middle and high school students in
Cleveland also experienced growth, particularly in
the areas of self-awareness and self-management.
Sacramento (elementary only) and Anchorage
(elementary, middle, and high school) collected
an average measure of students overall social
and emotional competence. For Sacramento,
elementary students experienced significant
gains in overall competence since the start
of the CDI. Anchorage students experienced
significant growth in overall competence even
before the start of the CDI and maintained the
same positive trajectory during the CDI years.
School climate improved
Climate, as measured by district surveys in
Chicago and Cleveland, improved during
the CDI years. In Anchorage climate began
an upward trajectory before the CDI
and sustained that same significant and
positive growth during the CDI years.
In the only district in which elementary school
climate data was available for analysis (Chicago),
students reported significant improvements on
the supportive environment scale compared
to the start of the CDI in 2010-2011.
Districts use a variety of surveys to measure student and staff attitudes.
This is an excerpt from Washoe County.
THE POSITIVE IMPACTS OF Social
and emotional COMPETENCE
In collaboration with CASEL, Washoe County
documented that students with higher SEL
competencies perform better on multiple
measures: higher academic achievement,
attendance, GPAs, and graduation rates, and
fewer suspensions. For example, students with
high social and emotional competence had a
math proficiency rate that was 21 percentage
points higher than their counterparts with low
social and emotional competence. Also, students
with higher competence were 20 percentage
points higher for English/Language Arts (ELA).
Findings from the Washoe/CASEL partnership
research team also showed that having high social
and emotional competence might have buffered
students from the negative impact of factors (e.g.,
suspensions, transiency, weak attendance) that
often place them in a high-risk academic status.
2014-2015
Math and English Language Arts
(ELA) Proficiency Rates among
Students with Low vs. High Social
and Emotional Competencies
LOW SEC
HIGH SEC
MATH
23%
MATH
44%
ELA
40%
ELA
60%
VERY
EASY EASY HARD
VERY
HARD
RESPONSIBLE
DECISION-MAKING
RESPONSIBLE DECISION-MAKING:
Thinking about what might happen before making a decision
RELATIONSHIP SKILLS RELATIONSHIP SKILLS:
Getting along with my classmates
SOCIAL AWARENESS SOCIAL AWARENESS:
Learning from people with different opinions than me
SELF-AWARENESS
EMOTIONAL KNOWLEDGE:
Knowing when my feelings are making it hard for me to focus
SELF-CONCEPT:
Knowing what my strengths are
SELF-MANAGEMENT
SCHOOLWORK:
Doing my school work even when i dont feel like it
EMOTIONAL REGULATION:
Getting through something even when I feel frustrated
GOAL MANAGEMENT:
Finishing tasks even if they are hard for me
24 25
OUR GOALS:
BY THE END OF 2017 ALL EDUCATORS IN
THE COUNTRY WILL HAVE EASY ACCESS
TO HUNDREDS OF PRACTICAL TOOLS
THAT HAVE BEEN FIELD TESTED BY
SOME OF THE LEADING DISTRICTS IN
THE U.S.
By 2025 50% of U.S. school districts
will be systemically integrating
high-quality SEL across their
schools and classrooms.
Demand for SEL is at an all-time high. Teachers
recognize the importance of it. Employers are
requiring it. Parents value it. Communities are
being transformed by it. And, most important,
millions of students already are benefitting
from it.
Based on the practical knowledge gleaned
through the CDI and from the field at large,
we have extensive knowledge about how to
implement high-quality, evidence-based SEL.
With our district and philanthropic partners,
we at CASEL are uniquely poised to scale this
know-how to many more districts nationally.
Deepening SEL Know-HOW
With an ongoing commitment to deepening
the fields expertise in the practical application
of SEL, we plan to expand and formalize how
we collect, document, analyze, and translate
practices and strategies. We will continue to
partner intensively with CDI districts, and
deepen and extend partnerships in the broad field
to improve implementation and student outcomes
while increasing understanding of systemic
SEL, piloting new innovations, and refining best
practices. We will answer questions such as:
 What instructional practices maximize learning,
engagement, and achievement?
 How can SEL help promote equity in the school
and classroom?
 How can after-school programs reinforce
whats happening in school?
 How can schools engage families and
community partners in promoting SEL?
 How can schools best use data to improve
SEL competencies and school climate?
 How can districts allocate resources most
effectively?
We will amplify the case for systemic SEL with
even more meaningful, compelling data, and
cases  drawn from the CDI districts and from
other districts and schools across the country.
Sharing What We Know
Our goal is to make knowledge usable. We will
translate the knowledge and experiences from
the CDI districts and others into actionable and
innovative tools. We will offer support in using
those tools to reach the maximum number of
educators, scholars, policymakers, families,
and community partners, all while maintaining
a commitment to learning and continuously
improving our tools, approaches, and models for
implementation. For example:
 The District Resource Center, which launched
with nearly 500 practical, evidence-based,
annotated tools from the CDI districts.
 New online resources for schools and states
addressing key implementation issues.
 Virtual and online training and support for using
the guides, coupled with data collection to track
usage and impact.
We will execute new, creative strategies for
gathering input and insights from the field,
building communities of learners, and packaging
and disseminating knowledge. For example:
 An interactive, online platform for districts to
access tools and resources and track district
needs, requests, and knowledge gaps.
 Virtual communities connecting district
personnel serving in similar roles.
 In-person working groups to answer questions
on specific topics such as SEL and equity,
assessments, teacher practices, climate,
and culture.
Together, these strategies mark a significant and necessary
evolution in our workone that is focused on deepening and
advancing SEL implementation knowledge and making that
knowledge usable by any district nationwide.
The beneficiaries: Americas schoolchildren.
Scaling
SEL know-how
CHAPTER 4
COLLABORATIVE FOR ACADEMIC, SOCIAL, AND EMOTIONAL LEARNING
815 W VAN BUREN STREET, SUITE 210, CHICAGO IL 60607 | 312.226.3770 | CASEL.ORG
The Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL)
is the worlds leading organization advancing one of the most important
fields in education in decades: the practice of promoting integrated
academic, social, and emotional learning for all children. The nonprofit,
founded in 1994, provides a combination of research, practice, and
policyto support high-quality social and emotional learningin districts
and schools nationwide.
Thank you to CASELs many critical collaborators  our partner educators,
researchers, policymakers, civic leaders, program providers, funders,
and others  for contributing to and supporting efforts to help make
evidence-based social and emotional learning an integral part of
education, preschool through high school.

-
07:40
FB-EQE
The Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning (CASEL) just released a report sharing insights from 6 years supporting SEL implementation in 10 of the largest urban districts in the United States. I am so happy to see that many of these lessons are at the core of what Six Seconds does: importance of EQ for adults, SEL integration across school structures, use of assessments, and more. Read this post if you want to know more and get tips on what you can do to keep pushing SEL and EQ forward!

-
Wow, I just read this study, Lorea!

"Today we are at a tipping point. The evidence is
clear that SEL works. Models for implementation
exist. Supportive policies are spreading. Most
important, students are benefitting. Students with
strong social and emotional competence not only do
better academically in school, they lead healthier,
happier, more fulfilling lives. They better understand
themselves, build constructive relationships, are more
kind and caring, and make more responsible decisions."

Raises Student Performance (pro-social behaviours) 
 Higher academic achievement (EQ even helps IQ!!!)
 Better social emotional skills 
 Improved attitudes about self, others, and school 
 Positive classroom behavior

Reduces Risk for Failure (anti-social behaviours)
 Fewer conduct problems
 Less emotional distress

Our goal: by 2025, 50% of districts are systemically integrating high-quality SEL across their schools and classrooms.

The CDI demonstrates that it is possible for large urban
school districts to adopt and maintain SEL as an essential
element of education, even amid budgetary stress and
leadership turnover. 
- American Institutes for Research

(I repeat, wow!)  :)

-
Highest rate of teen alcoholism, DV and child abuse in the country.  The high schools had metal detectors

---)
http://www.asdk12.org/depts/SEL/
Social and Emotional Learning (SEL)

PARENTS: Review the Project Connect Survey (PDF)
The survey will collect information about how our 
military-connected students are doing in the ditrict

What is Social and Emotional Learning?
Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) is the process through which we learn to recognize and manage emotions, care about others, make good decisions, behave ethically and responsibly, develop positive relationships, and avoid negative behaviors . It is the process through which students enhance their ability to integrate thinking, feeling, and behaving in order to achieve important life tasks. Within the school setting, SEL can best be accomplished through a layered approach of skills lessons, infusion into the curricula and classroom practices, and an environment of safety, respect, and caring which models SEL values

Students in effective school-based 
programs improved social-emotional 
skills by 23 percentile points, positive 
social behavior by 9 percentile points 
and perhaps most significantly, their 
academic performance increased 11 
percentile points.  (Durlak, 2009)
http://www.asdk12.org/depts/SEL/media/Stategy_for_Student_Success.pdf, page 2

SEL becomes a habit of practice when students, adults, and the entire school community remember that we use our SEL skills all day long, not just for a 30-minute block once a week. Research and literature on effective social and emotional learning identifies three critical ways in which SEL skills are learned (CASEL, ASD).
http://www.asdk12.org/pld/sel/

SEl Standards
http://www.asdk12.org/depts/SEL/media/SEL_Standards.pdf
http://www.asdk12.org/pld/sel/aboutsocialemotionallearning/socialemotionallearningstandards/

Overview on CASEL
http://casel.org/collaborating-districts-initiative/anchorage-alaska/

About SEL
http://www.asdk12.org/pld/sel/aboutsocialemotionallearning/

Parents
http://www.asdk12.org/pld/sel/parents/

Students
http://www.asdk12.org/pld/sel/students/

Educators
http://www.asdk12.org/pld/sel/educators/

Educating Hearts: A Districtwide Initiative to Teach How to Care
In Alaska, the Anchorage School District's investment in social and emotional learning is paying off both socially and academically.
https://www.edutopia.org/anchorage-social-emotional-learning-video
https://youtu.be/mGvFnuUTukQ

---
Duke of Cambridge: Let's lose 'stiff upper lip' and talk about feelings
http://www.itv.com/news/2017-04-18/duke-of-cambridge-lets-lose-stiffer-upper-lip-and-talk-about-our-feelings/

William hopes his children will grow up willing to talk about their emotions

The famously British "stiff upper lip" should not be allowed to threaten people's mental health, the Duke of Cambridge has said.

Prince William's comments follow his brother Harry's well-received revelation that he sought counselling to come to terms with the death of their mother Diana, Princess of Wales.

---)
Why is EQ more important than IQ?
http://thegalvanicink.com/blog/2017/05/02/meg-eq-important-iq/

BOHEMIANIAC
MAY 2, 2017
Conventional wisdom has it that theres a direct connection between our IQ and our ability to succeed in life.

But there have been many studies that show IQ only accounts for about 20% of success. The major determinants of success are social and emotional intelligence. Yet theres very little emphasis put on developing emotional intelligence.

People with well-developed emotional skills are  more likely to be content and effective in their lives, mastering the habits of the mind that foster their own productivity; people who cannot marshal some control over their emotional life fight battles that sabotage their ability for focused work and clear thought. 

      Daniel Goleman, Emotional Intelligence

Emotional Intelligence refers to the ability to sense, understand, value and effectively apply the power and acumen of emotions as a source of human energy, information, trust, creativity and influence.

We have an emotional mind and a rational mind. In large part, our emotional mind developed to help us survive. When man first wandered the earth, any time he encountered some new experience he needed to make instant decisions about whether the encounter involved something he could eat or something that might try to eat him. Relying on the rational mind, which works much slower than the emotional mind, might have meant the end of mankind. The emotional mind springs into action more quickly than the rational mind. But unless we learn to control the emotional mind, we will make lots of bad decisions and poor choices.

Reasons why we need a developed EQ in life:

EQ has a greater impact on success than other factors.
The ability to delay gratification is a primary indicator of future success.
High EQ leads to healthy relationships with others.
Emotional health impacts physical health.
Poor EQ is linked to crime and other unethical behaviors.
A few statistics:

IQ by itself is not a very good predictor of job performance.  Hunter and Hunter (1984) estimated that at best IQ accounts for about 25 percent of the variance.  Sternberg (1996) has pointed out that studies vary and that 10 percent may be a more realistic estimate.  In some studies, IQ accounts for as little as 4 percent of the variance.
Sommerville study, a 40 year longitudinal investigation of 450 boys who grew up in Sommerville, Massachusetts.  Two-thirds of the boys were from welfare families, and one-third had IQ below 90.  However, IQ had little relation to how well they did at work or in the rest of their lives.  What made the biggest difference was childhood abilities such as being able to handle frustration, control emotions, and get along with other people.
a study of 80 Ph.D in science who underwent a battery of personality tests, IQ tests, and interviews in the 1950s when they were graduate students at Berkeley.  Forty years later, when they were in their early seventies, they were tracked down and estimates were made of their success based on resumes, evaluations by experts in their own fields, and sources like American Men and Women of Science.  It turned out that social and emotional abilities were four times more important than IQ in determining professional success and prestige.
It would be absurd to suggest that cognitive ability is irrelevant for success in science. One needs a relatively high level of such ability to get into colleges, programs and institutes. Once you are admitted, however, what matters in terms of how you do compared to your peers has less to do with IQ differences and more to do with social and emotional factors.

For example, if you are a scientist, you probably needed an IQ of 120 or so simply to get a doctorate and a job.  But then it is more important to be able to persist in the face of difficulty and to get along well with colleagues and subordinates than it is to have an extra 10 or 15 points of IQ.  The same is true in many other occupations.

---enowned expert in the prevention and treatment of youth mental illness).  What struck me about this dialogue was the instantaneous connection between these 4 people and then their intense curiosity to share with and to learn from each other about emotions such as anger, compassion and empathy.

My 3 key takeaways from the dialogue were:
Most of the emotion that disturbs our mind has incorrect perception as its basis  there is a gap between appearance and reality

The antidote to wrong perception is compassion  to have genuine care and concern for the other person because it is from this place that we close the gap between what we think we see and what is really happening

We are wired for empathy and His Holiness now knows what mirror neurons are!!

The remainder of the conference was spent interacting with the conference delegates (over 2000 attending the conference) at the Six Seconds stall.  We discussed the power of the Six Seconds Model, the rules of emotions (there was a lot of interest in the Plutchik model) and heard some wonderfully inspiring stories about the generosity of the people of Queensland and Brisbane during the January floods. I continue to replay the many inspirational conversations and stories I heard.  To those of you who came to visit us, thank you for your questions, stories and interest in Emotional Intelligence.

Id be keen to hear other ways youve used the Plutchik model or how you could use it with your clients.

About Latest Posts

Melissa Donaldson
For the past 15 years, I've partnered with senior executives and leaders in public and private sector organisations to execute significant change, design and implement leadership capability programs, renegotiate complex industrial agreements and build leader and team performance.

---)
Research by OfficeTeam, a staffing agency, and division of Robert Half, shows almost (95%) of HR managers and (99%) of workers agree that strong emotional intelligence is important. OfficeTeam shared with TechRepublic some additional stats that support the significance of emotional intelligence in the workplace.

21% of employees believe EQ is more valuable in the workplace than IQ;
almost 65% said the two are equally important;
92% of employees think they have strong EQ; slightly fewer (74%) believe their bosses do;
30% feel most employers put too little emphasis on EQ during the hiring process;
43% of Human Resource (HR) managers identified increased motivation and morale as the greatest benefit of having emotionally intelligent staff; and,
40% of HR managers said soft skills, such as communication, problem-solving and adaptability, are more difficult to teach workers than technical abilities.
While these stats highlight EQ in the overall workplace setting, TechRepublic got direct feedback from business owners and industry experts on the role EQ plays in their projects

Hernan Santiesteban, founder of Great Lakes Development Group, a software development company, has managed many IT projects throughout his career. In his role as a an IT project manager, he said, "emotional intelligence has allowed me to bridge the gap between customer communication and the delivery of that information to development teams. The ability to tailor your message to your audience at the smallest levels can have a huge impact on the understanding of requirements."

More for CXOs

"Unlike IQ, EQ can evolve and can scale depending on stressors, or even positive emotional states. So it's important someone understands their emotional intelligence so they can counteract whatever might sabotage not only their progress but their teams", said Caroline Stokes, founder of Forward, a team of senior search headhunters and certified executive coaches for global innovation leaders. At Forward, emotional intelligence quotient assessments, like EQ-i 2.0, are used with talent placements and leadership and career development coaches. "We get to work on their EQ within a few weeks of starting their new role to provide awareness and strategies to drive their goals forward," said Stokes.

inRead invented by Teads
When it comes to the process of merging two companies during an acquisition, EQ can play a vital role. Jose Costa, group president at automotive franchisor Driven Brands said, "When we identify a target, we begin assessing the organization financially, operationally, technologically and from a leadership standpoint. We then move on to evaluate the quality of the team and determine if they can help us achieve our 'Dream Big. Work Hard' strategy." Costa credits this strategy in developing stronger analytics around business ideas. "For us, at Driven Brands, the convergence of strategic thinking, flawless execution, and emotional intelligence create sustainable growth quarter after quarter," said Costa.

Specific project challenges that make emotional intelligence necessary

Costa said "I am a strong believer that what we do as leaders sets the tone for the team. Morale emanates from leadership; it begins, and ends with the CEO/president of the company." He added, "This is why it is so important for leaders to be aware of how their verbal communication and actions affect others," and that a leader simply cannot build a strong, cohesive team, and in turn lower employee engagement and commitment if they lack emotional intelligence.

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Stokes said, "If people aren't willing to learn, adapt and evolve their current styles, there will be trouble...in short, imagine you have a conflict seeker or avoider in your team. If left alone or not made aware of their automatic communication styles, the same political or challenging routine will play out every time resulting in winners and losers." She believes when it comes to projects, companies pay the ultimate price when teams become frustrated after spinning their wheels and that awareness, true communication, and openness are the keys to success. "From understanding comes growth," she said.

Santiesteban thinks emotional intelligence plays a key role in navigating conflicts with minimal disruption. "Understanding the frustrations and pain points of stakeholders and how to prioritize them is also a problem in which a high level of emotional intelligence can be of benefit" he said.

At Voices.com, a company that connects businesses with professional voice talent, HR director Kaitlyn Apfelbeck said that high EQ isn't necessarily required for employees who work independently, but that "EQ is necessary for success when others depend on you or are required to work closely with you." She added, "When someone has low EQ, they may not be aware of how their actions are perceived, or how they are affecting others and will often make decisions that negatively impact those around them."

What are key characteristics these leaders seek in project team members and leaders?

At Forward, individuals with quite high self-regard, strong interpersonal relationships, and empathy, high-stress tolerance and flexibility are in demand. Why? "So they're motivated to do what they need to do, whatever the circumstances. There are more aspects to the composite and subscales, but really, you're looking for balance in an individual, across all areas," said Stokes.

Apfelbeck said, "We seek action-oriented individuals who will take the reins and lead a project, but also have the intelligence to utilize the individual strengths of those team members." She said the company also wants leaders who can "read people well, so they know how best to motivate and encourage their team, which is likely made up of very unique personalities."

When Costa seeks leaders/managers, he looks for characteristics like perseverance. "Things don't always go the way you envision or plan," he said. "(That's) just a fact of business and having the strength to keep going even when you're down will often lead you to success." He looks for individuals who have an optimistic philosophy, as it instills determination. "Optimists have the ability of keep going despite the uncertainties and obstacles that life might bring. They embrace change and are not afraid to make mistakes. They always push forward. Additionally, negativity is infectious and brings down the whole team," he said. He also looks for employees who recognize the strengths of others and act in the best interest of the organization as a whole. The final thing Costa said he is key in a leader is the ability to motivate others. "Someone who understands the power of recognition and knows how to make team members and employees feel valued. Managers who are sincere and appreciative can help employees thrive at work by acknowledging their contributions," he added.

Santiesteban looks for employees with a mix of technical skills and EQ. "A team member's ability to participate in meetings and extract what's really important is a skill reliant on emotional intelligence," he said. "Self-starters who are always sought after in job descriptions are usually individuals who fit this profile."

Based on the statistics, and the feedback shared by these IT and business project leaders, it seems clear that emotional intelligence is a high-value, high-level need, regarding project leadership skills. Further, team cohesion and successful project outcomes are likely to become more reliant on its existence going forward.

Subscribe to TechRepublic's Executive Briefing newsletter and get tips on project management, budgets, and dealing with day-to-day challenges.

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Also see:
4 ways sponsors can improve project success rates
8 steps to breaking bad news to difficult project stakeholders
How to resolve project sponsors' conflicting goals
8 assumptions that can derail projects and leaders

About Moira Alexander
Moira Alexander is the author of "LEAD or LAG: Linking Strategic Project Management & Thought Leadership" and Founder & President of Lead-Her-Ship Group. She's also a project management and IT freelance columnist for various publications and a former...
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---

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Record Movie from Webcam!

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     3 goals of EQ, 3 takeaways from all this
     https://youtu.be/4p-Ft49jGA4
     https://www.facebook.com/emotionalintelligencerocks/videos/1718404708398470/
     
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I am self-nominating, because I believe I have EXACTLY what you're looking for!

Bending the Box

Conclusion:
TEACH EQ, to self and others
change the world, from the inside out!

(EOF: ~mcp_TEDxMarin_instead.txt
     
---ight brain, thoughts and feelings
               
Why Me?
     30 years, face-to-face experience, just now coming together!
     pissed off more people than most anyone on the planet!
     uniquely qualified
     certs
     eternal optimist and hopeful romantic

My point(s)
     L/R Brain
     3 goals(?)
     ND/CABT - Emotional healing
          PTSD, Depression, Anxiety
          which lead to heart disease, some estimated that 60% of all ailments are stress-related (and therefore avoidable... thru changes in behaviour!)
          
-
PPT and VO:
     Teachings
          Quotes / hashtags
          (optional)
          CABT
          a slide of Doc's
               Emotional pain is not terminal
          a slide of mine
          a slide of faves
               4 steps to learning
               iceberg
               think of something stupid to say... don't say it.
          
-
Live
Call-to-action!
     Bend the Box
     Learn EQ, learn about You
     E1T1EQ
     ask re: EQ

-
     ND - Emotional Healing
          stills of hugs, board, doc, logo
          veteran testimonial
          other testimonials
          
-
Conclusion:
     TEACH EQ, to self and others
     change the world, from the inside out!
     
EOF ~mcp_TEDxMarin_instead1.txt

-
BOF  ~mcp_TEDxMarin.txt
5.14.2017      ~mcp_TEDxMarin_instead.txt
MITM:  Bending the Box (BTB)
(brainstorming subjects, separated with ,'s)

E:\~stuff\EQRocks\UVa\
     UVaClassSlides_20170514.pptx

Our custom Quotes (.JPGs)
https://drive.google.com/drive/u/0/folders/0B_8MWGohTkr-R2ZwSE5aU0VyajA

-
How?
tomorrow afternoon
put it all together

with phone camera
talk TO the selection committee

once I get it organized, I can probably do it in 1 take.

-
The 'box' is non-feeling.
The 'box' is about continuing to teach kids STRICTLY to pass the standardized exams.
the limits of the box are the result of not educating our youth.
the 'box' is rigid because parents don't know their feelings, and therefore cannot teach, or help, their kids with theirs.
the 'box' is actually there because we fear our feelings, and thus limit them.

let's bend the box.
let's teach kids/teens/adults EQ!
let's show people positive roll-models on how to deal with our feelings, not how NOT to deal with them.
     positive examples of how to deal with negative emotions
     
-
it's not our parents' fault... they didn't know, either... it's not apathy, it's ignorance.
     I mean, we've heard such unbelievable stories of parents who were awful, or mean, or drunk... some people do some horrific things to, and around, their kids.  However, I believe that MOST parents are caring and loving, and want the very best for their kids, so they taught us the very best they knew how.

Don't cry.
Don't be angry.
Shut up.
Sit down.
Be good.

Don't feel.
Stuff it.
Talk about something else.

(no bueno)

If we teach our kids differently... that feelings are Ok, when used properly (which I will model for you), that feelings are awesome, and necessary, and powerful, and interesting, and to be honored, and respected (and NOT always obeyed!)

-
this is going to be culmination of 30 years of studying EQ
it'll be miraculous!
     (filmed in front of the mirror in the bathroom, with my regular android 6 phone)
     (show, and briefly explain each one)

-
ND
ok, here's where I learned most of this stuff.
     face-to-face, in front of people
     for 30 years.
     doing emotions, bigger and deeper, than most anyone.
     "I've pissed off more people than most anyone on the planet"
     "but the difference is that they come back and HUG me, afterwards!"

Emotional Healing
Doc
CABT
I'm not a therapist.  Like I said, I was disappointed with my schooling.  I was even accepted to 2 law schools, but didn't go, because I wanted (needed!) to learn life, first.

when I first found out that my problems were mostly Emotional in nature, and so-so simple to resolve, I was / am so encouraged!

since taking the class, 30 years ago, I have immersed myself in EQ
I manage or own social media groups on Facebook and LinkedIn with over 150,000 members

-
it might be kinda long.
     tuff
     say it

-
read it?
     yes, some
     over bullets / PPT slides
     
-
I'm not that smart, so I need things simplified, dumbed down, a lot!
so, for 30 years, I've been trying to "sum up" EQ.
     to just a few words
     so people 'get it', quickly and profoundly and simply.
     
     Bumper sticker stuff
     that's memorable
     but even kids can read it, understand it, and (maybe) take it with them, as they go.
     (cool thing about education... no one can take it away from you... it's yours, forever.)

-
more art than science
here's my art
     the art of connecting
     the art of feeling
     the art of EQ
     
-
Doc has over 100 EQ quotes
     which I made into graphics
     so we can Share them on Facebook, LinkedIn, Pintrest and Twitter (we're mostly Facebookers, tho)
So much of Facebook is a quote on a graphic
that now we can make them on-the-fly, but applying a color background to your profound words. :)
     (show some examples)
     "Feel guilty - setup to be punished"
     "negative feelings expresses as intensely..."
     "Feelings aren't good or bad, they just are"
     "EMFB"
     
I have another 100.
     (show some more examples)

... and I have a collection of thousands.
     (show some of my faves!)
     https://drive.google.com/drive/u/0/folders/0B_8MWGohTkr-R2ZwSE5aU0VyajA
     "Every Dollar ever made, based on a relationship"
     
-
Certified
     State of CA Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault Crisis Counselor
     NLP Practioner
     Nurturing Parenting Instructor
     Microsoft Certified Professional
     6 Seconds (in Menlo Park)
          EQ for Educators (EQEC - 2013)
          EQ Assessment Test and Debrief: Social-Emotional Inventory (SEI)
     Ex-Board Member for 2 non-profits

-
here's one of my faves (and very popular with folks when they learn it)
The 4 Steps to Learning
     1.  Unconsciously Incompetent - We don't know that we don't know
     2.  Consciously Incompetent - We find out that we don't know
     3.  Consciously Competent - We figure out how to know, but we gotta think about it
     4.  Unconsciously Competent - We know, and act like we know, without having to think much about it.

-
Teach EQ: hashtags
     #FeelIt2HealIt
     #NameIt2TameIt
          #NameIt2FrameIt
     #SpinIt2WinIt     
     #ClaimIt2FrameIt (ER!)
     #FakeIt2MakeIt
     #AcceptIt2ProjectIt or #AcceptIt2DigestIt
     #LetItFlow2LetItGo

---

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     https://www.facebook.com/emotionalintelligencerocks/videos/1718404708398470/
     
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---
Emotional intelligence isnt a luxury you can dispense with in tough times. Its a basic tool that, deployed with finesse, is key to professional success.

      Harvard Business Review, April 2003

---)
Emotional Intelligence Is No Soft Skill
https://www.extension.harvard.edu/professional-development/blog/emotional-intelligence-no-soft-skill

by
LAURA WILCOX
Wilcox is the director of management programs at Harvard Extension School, as well as a committee member and planner for key industry-wide conferences in higher education.
Despite a bevy of research and best-selling books on the topic, many managers still downplay emotional intelligence as a touchy-feely soft skill. The importance of characteristics like empathy and self-awareness is understood, sure. But intelligence and technical capability are seen as the real drivers of professional success. After all, a bit of coaching can help you navigate difficult conversations. And isnt interpersonal friction simply part of organizational life?
But evidence suggests quite the opposite: that high emotional intelligence (EI) is a stronger predictor of success. In fact, high EI bolsters the hard skills, helping us think more creatively about how best to leverage our technical chops.

A KEY DIFFERENTIATOR FOR YOUR PERSONAL BRAND
When I co-teach the program Strategic Leadership, I ask participants to list the characteristics of a great mentor or role model and to classify each characteristic into one of three groups: IQ/smarts, technical skills, or emotional intelligence. Almost invariably, the majority of characteristics fall into the EI bucket.

In fact, emotional intelligencethe ability to, say, understand your effect on others and manage yourself accordinglyaccounts for nearly 90 percent of what moves people up the ladder when IQ and technical skills are roughly similar.
Although many participants are surprised by the results, scientific research has proved the point. Daniel Goleman is the author and psychologist who put emotional intelligence on the business map. He found that, beyond a certain point, there is little or no correlation between IQ and high levels of professional success.

One needs above-average intelligencewhich Goleman defines as one standard deviation from the norm or an IQ of about 115to master the technical knowledge needed to be a doctor, lawyer, or business executive. But once people enter the workforce, IQ and technical skills are often equal among those on the rise. Emotional intelligence becomes an important differentiator (hear Goleman discuss his findings in this video on YouTube).

In fact, emotional intelligencethe ability to, for instance, understand your effect on others and manage yourself accordinglyaccounts for nearly 90 percent of what moves people up the ladder when IQ and technical skills are roughly similar (see "What Makes a Leader" in the Harvard Business Review, January 2004).

Research has also demonstrated that emotional intelligence has a strong impact on organizational performance. Sanofi, the French pharmaceutical company, focused on the emotional intelligence skills of its sales force, which boosted annual performance by 12 percent (see the research by S. Jennings and B.R. Palmer in Sales Performance Through Emotional Intelligence Development, Organizations and People, 2007). After Motorola provided EI training for staff in a manufacturing plant, the productivity of more than 90 percent of those trained went up (Bruce Cryer, Rollin McCraty, and Doc Childre: Pull the Plug on Stress, Harvard Business Review, July 2003).

Emotional intelligence increases corporate performance for a number of reasons. But perhaps the most important is the ability of managers and leaders to inspire discretionary effortthe extent to which employees and team members go above and beyond the call of duty.

The core of high EI is self-awareness: if you don't understand your own motivations and behaviors, it's nearly impossible to develop an understanding of others. A lack of self-awareness can also thwart your ability to think rationally and apply technical capabilities.
Individuals are much more inclined to go the extra mile when asked by an empathetic person they respect and admire. Although discretionary effort isnt endless, managers with low emotional intelligence will have much less to draw on. If an organization has a cadre of emotionally intelligent leaders, such discretionary efforts multiply.

THE BEDROCK OF EI: SELF-AWARENESS
The ability to be an emotionally intelligent leader is based on 19 competencies in four areas: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, and relationship management.

The core of high EI is self-awareness: if you don't understand your own motivations and behaviors, it's nearly impossible to develop an understanding of others. A lack of self-awareness can also thwart your ability to think rationally and apply technical capabilities.

Two parts of the brain are constantly fighting for control. The neocortex is the cognitive center, where our IQ and working memory reside. On average, in a normal emotional state, the neocortex can process a factorial of four variables, which is 24 possible interrelationships.
RELATED ARTICLES

3 Effective Strategies to Manage Workplace Conflict
Learn to improve dynamics for yourself and your teamand together you can deliver the results you strive for.

Want to Be a Stronger Leader? Challenge Your Assumptions
The key to becoming a successful leader lies in asking a lot of questions.
Adeptly handling multiple variables is central to performing important tasks such as developing a strategy, improving a complicated process, setting priorities, understanding consequences, and gleaning keen insights from data and information.
The amygdala is the feeling side of the brain, our emotional center. As the part of our brain concerned with our survival, it responds 100 times faster than the neocortex. Such responsiveness is particularly useful when confronted with a potentially threatening situation.

But because it can be triggered by both real and perceived threats, we can fall into the trap of imagining the worst before we have all the facts. How many of us, when faced with a rumor of layoffs, are quick to envision the worst-case scenario before we learn the truth?

WHEN EMOTIONS HIJACK OUR ABILITY TO REASON
When the feeling side or our brain is triggered, it hijacks our cognitive system. With the slightest provocation, our ability to apply reason and logic can drop by 75 percent. Thus, instead of handling 24 interrelationships, we may suddenly be able to cope with only two. We may start to see only in black and white, in binary frameworks like yes or no, right or wrong, and win or lose.

Using questions instead of statements can also help managers and leaders avoid triggering emotional hijacks in others. Our feeling mind wants to sense that we are included, autonomous, competent, valued, respected, and safe. 
Throughout a work day, there are numerous emotional triggers: an e-mail from a superior saying We need to talk, a comment made by a colleague with a hidden agenda, even a funny look from someone important in the office.

It can take us nearly 20 minutes to recover from an emotional encounter. If the feelings are frequently retriggered, we can end up spending significant amounts of time with little ability to leverage our technical capability and inherent intelligence.

FOCUS ON UNDERSTANDING RATHER THAN JUDGMENT
So how can we speed up our recovery? Its important to stop and turn our attention from the emotional to the physical. Physical activity such as taking a walk or going for a drink of water reduces the amount of adrenaline and cortisol flowing through the body.

Once the body is calmed physically, we need to seek information and determine if the threat is real and, if so, what we can do to address it. Ask yourself whether an issue will matter in six minutes, six days, six weeks, six months, or six years. Questions engage your curiosityyour neocortex. Statements, however, imply judgment, triggering the feeling side of the brain.

If someone is habitually late to meetings, for example, asking yourself why that is the case will lead to a more productive conversation about the issue than stewing on the statement: I cant stand the fact that he is always late.

It is easy to consign emotional intelligence to the periphery of work life and concentrate on smarts and know-how. However, such a focus will likely hamper success.
Using questions instead of statements can also help managers avoid triggering emotional hijacks in others. Our feeling mind wants to sense that we are included, autonomous, competent, valued, respected, and safe. Something as simple as asking, Can you tell me more about how you came to that conclusion? or What information would be helpful for you? is far less likely to trigger an emotional hijack than statements such as, I dont completely agree or Im worried about what is happening.

It is easy to consign emotional intelligence to the periphery of work life and concentrate on smarts and know-how. But such a focus will likely hamper success. It can leave us without the most important differentiator for our personal brands. And an inability to manage ourselves severely constrains our capacity to use hard skills such as the technical competence that we have worked so hard to master.

By the same token, a command of emotional intelligence is a proven differentiator in the competitive climb up the corporate ladder. By inspiring others, emotionally intelligent leaders can ignite discretionary effort on the part of their teams to boost productivity and spur higher levels of employee engagement that comes from a strong company morale.
RELATED PROGRAMS

Strategic Leadership
Managing Yourself and Leading Others
Essential Management Skills for Emerging Leaders

---
What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny MATTers,
compared to what lies within us.

     - Ralph Waldo Emerson

(pic WhatLiesWithinUs)

---aise with.

I repeat,
if we can get good at fund-raising,
     we can do ANYTHING!

-

4:24am
FB-Karen Schaal
Yo K... what's up with GG?  No posts in 6 weeks.  Do you have an 'issue' with that page?  

I don't mean to be a pain, but that page has too cool of a start to let it go...

I added some more of my folks this morning.  Please process the pending posts and member requests.

Thx!
- Matt

---aising!!!!!

>> ND!
     ask good people, and organizations, to help the less fortunate.

---awpixel.jpg

9. Ask genuine questions. How are you? wont get an honest answer from most Americans. Ask directly if they have concerns, for example, and ask it sincerely.

10. Get to the why. Discuss in a group how people feel differently and explore why. This practice will help your team work better with each other, customers, and other stakeholders.

11. Try job shadowing. If someone is having a particularly hard time empathizing, you may organize job shadowing to help see a different perspective firsthand.

12. Demonstrate compassion. Show your team how to value people and make the best decisions for the most good. Guide them away from identifying too much with the people who are most similar to them because that leads to bias and suffering alongside them instead of helping them.

13. Use the pre-mortem technique. Before a project begins, get team members write down all the reasons why it might fail. This helps people think critically and consider alternatives with less emotional resistance.

14. Normalize cool downs. For any emotional situation, insist each time your team takes at least 20 minutes before they react. Thats how long it takes before people can think clearly following a fight or flight response.

Giving them a few days for bigger decisions allows them to contemplate it from different emotional states.

15. Institute slow downs. Where appropriate, establish structured processes to help your team cool down and think through decisions. Try a weighted matrix.

16. Cultivate desire to change. Emotional intelligence is too complex to motivate with external incentives or punishments. Richard Boyatzis Intentional Change theory outlines a more effective coaching approach:

Help discover personal values and compelling vision:
What is important in their life?
What is important to them at work?
What is their dream for the future?
Help connect current behavior with the future:
How do others experience their interactions?
How do you observe their emotional intelligence?
How can they develop skills to realize their vision?
How can people support them in this process?

17. Establish baselines. As with any change, you want to know where you're starting and where you're going to determine how to get there. EI assessments include the ESCI, MSCEIT, or the Emotional Intelligence 2.0 appraisal.

18. Target key competencies. Invest in developing competencies where the person is weakest and where strength would best benefit them and the organization. More Than Sounds model has 12 competencies, including adaptability, achievement orientation, positive outlook, organizational awareness, influence, conflict management, and inspirational leadership.

19. Offer growth opportunities. Many employees benefit from special projects, committees, or other stretch opportunities. They not only practice their skills with different people in different ways, but they learn from people they wouldn't normally be exposed to in their regular roles.

20. Adapt to each individual. Some people and some positions don't require as much emotional intelligence. Employees with autism can be extremely skilled at spotting patterns, but not social cues. They can be partnered with people who have exceptional emotional intelligence to help accommodate them and help their ideas and their work be understood and supported.

21. Give good feedback. Help employees understand emotional intelligence, its importance, and their levels of competencies. As with all feedback, focus on objective data and clear expectations. Give positive recognition weekly so they are confident and comfortable to receive more critical feedback in a constructive way.

22. Mentor, coach, buddy. Set up a network of specific people who can provide guidance, support, and advocacy within or beyond the organization. Coaches provide powerful support through the inevitable struggles of change and self-improvement.

Leading the organization
senior-leadership-benjamin-child.jpg

23. Meet basic needs first. People need to know they have adequate resources and stability before they devote energy to social belonging and self-fulfillment.

Employees want autonomy and meaning, but not at the expense of their minimum standard for compensation and benefits.

24. Master vision and values. Leaders should embody the organizations core values. If employees see misalignment, it feels like a broken promise. Use stories in combination with numbers to bring vision to life and inspire its achievement.

25. Get vulnerable. Levels of professional intimacy and emotional display rules vary by culture, but people are generally more likely to acknowledge and address their vulnerabilities when they see leaders role model and value the practice.

26. Show some emotion. The message should not be to avoid emotion or maintain constant happiness. A moderate level of emotion helps people make better social and financial decisions when combined with data and logic.

27. Plant prompts. When employees are engrossed in their work, its harder to remember what they learned in training or what their CEO said at the last townhall. Posters, desktop objects, or computer wallpaper/notifications are ways to trigger new habits like deep breathing and body scans when they matter most.

28. Embed recognition. When employee recognition is a part of your culture, people become more aware of how they affect others and how to express their appreciation to one another. Simply stopping to think regularly about what you'd like to recognize people for can help think before acting.

29. Incentivize with feeling. Recognizing teams and offering group incentives help people feel valued and connected to the company in a way that improves well-being, productivity, and loyalty.

30. Invest in wellness. Physical and mental health programs and policies complement emotional awareness and regulation. Fitness subsidies, free confidential counseling, and social events can help manage emotional distress at work and at home.

In summary
Everyone can and should play a role in building emotional intelligence in themselves and others. The process starts with self-awareness, but the symbiotic relationships never end. Anyone can immediately apply one of these thirty strategies to improve at the personal, professional, and organizational levels.

If you're ready to take the next step toward building an extraordinary organizational culture, check out our latest guide:
Get 10 Dead Simple Ways to Improve Your Company Culture
Related Reading
How to Sell Employee Recognition to a Skeptical Executive
How to Make Business Travel Better for Employees
3 Practical Ways to Help Employees Benefit from Emotions
 
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Written by Jessica Collins
Jessica Collins
LinkedIn
Jessica is an HR analyst and writer. She has a Masters degree in Industrial Relations and Human Resources from the University of Toronto. Previously, she worked in total rewards at the worlds largest mining company and in organizational development at Canadas largest home, auto, and business insurance company.

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05:20
FB-EIA
EXCELLENT Article -- super-practical -- Skim it (at least).

http://blog.bonus.ly/30-emotional-intelligence-training-opportunities-hidden-in-your-workday

---" (Draper-Richards, a grant to change/save the world that I've been saving info for), and other keywords.
for example:  here's what would be copied from the third instance of "ND brochure"...

This is not the place they get to come each week to whine about how they feel - this is where they come to examine what is working in the present, what is not, and to go through the process of changing the "is not" part of that by taking action.

	- Penny R. Tupy, Life Coach

Feelings expressed for the following reasons are fine:
	Clarity
	Release
	Acceptance
	Remove Judgments
	Go for deeper feelings (ex: express anger to get to the hurt underneath)

not Ok:
	whining
	blaming (short-term is fine, in an effort to find your part in it all)
	one-up-manship / competition
	poor me (if you want people to feel sorry for you, you're not looking for results)
	victim (to explain how there really is NOthing you can do about it... and it's all their fault, anyhow)

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