“There are things known and things unknown. And in between are the….. horses.”
Jim Morrison, The Doors (with one small change….)
Emotional intelligence workshops
We run workshops to help you assess and develop your emotional intelligence. During the workshops, we combine guided experiential learning with opportunities for reflection, feedback and discussion. We provide practical tools and techniques as well as post-workshop support to help you develop your self-awareness, self-management, motivation, empathy and social skills.
In our workshops, we use equine-assisted learning as the experiential learning component. You will carry out ground work exercises with horses which give you a unique opportunity to experience the impact that your emotions, confidence, energy and attitude have on those around you.
Equine-assisted learning gives you the opportunity to explore your passion, recognise and manage your emotions, and understand what it takes to connect with and inspire others. By working with horses rather than people, you will get immediate, honest feedback on the impact that you have on others, and experience what it feels like to get it right – and wrong – without the added complication of language and social cues such as job title or position. Once you’ve been through the exercises, the debriefs and discussions about tools and techniques help you apply the learning to your professional context and the interactions you have with people in the workplace.
Workshops can be for anything from one person to a group of 30, resources permitting. A workshop typically lasts between half a day and a full day, and takes place at our specialised facilities in Bavois, Vaud. If you are outside Switzerland, we can help find premises to run a workshop near you.
What do our workshops cover, and who are they for?
We offer workshops on specific topics in which emotional intelligence is a key component, such as:
- Partnership, leading and following;
- Assertiveness and self-confidence;
- Communication skills;
- Conflict resolution;
- Dealing with ambiguity;
- Effective team work and collaboration.
Our workshops are aimed at professionals who are interested in developing their emotional intelligence in order to improve their interactions with others.
- Do you feel that lack of self-confidence is preventing you from having the impact you’d like at work?
- Do you find yourself repeatedly stuck in conflict with specific individuals with whom you have to interact on a regular basis?
- Are you concerned about your ability to work with a new team, or a new team project or structure?
- Do you have difficulty getting the buy-in you need from others to get things done?
These are all situations in which emotional intelligence plays a part – and the kinds of situation we address in our workshops.
Why horses?
Horses have played a huge role in the history of mankind. Successful partnership with horses has been instrumental in hunting, warfare, agriculture, transport and of course, sport and leisure. How do we build that successful partnership? Well, there is a large element of emotional intelligence involved. In order to get the best out of a horse, you need to have passion for what you do (motivation and self-awareness), the ability to build a connection with others (empathy and social skills), an understanding and respect for emotion (self-awareness and self-management), and the ability to inspire those around you (self-awareness and social skills).
Read on to find out out how horses are uniquely qualified to help you develop your emotional intelligence and relate better to those around you …