Enhancing Audit Team Success: Emotional Intelligence,

Constructive Conversations and Leveraging Conflict

(8 hours)

Course Overview

The key to both personal and professional success is the ability to interact with others in a way 

that fosters trust and open communication and demonstrates a willingness to engage in 

dialogue when differences or conflict occurs. COVID-19 has put a bright light on the importance 

of teams working well together in difficult, stressful times and how the solutions to the 

challenges of today are highly dependent on both individuals and teams operating at maximum 

effectiveness. This course provides insight and techniques for helping to ensure audit teams’ 

success through better understanding the value each team member brings to the audit and 

being able to work through differences in a positive way. This course is offered over 2 half days.

CPEs: 8

Who Should Attend

Both new as well as seasoned auditors in team leader or team member roles will gain 

knowledge and new perspectives about the role of emotional intelligence in teambuilding as 

well as best practices and practical tips to build trust and credibility and resolve conflicts.

Course Objectives

At the end of this course, participants will be better able to

• Identify the key components of emotional intelligence

• Describe practical indicators of emotional intelligence

• Explore the link between emotions and behavior responses

• Identify the benefits of strengthening emotional intelligence to relationships in the 

workplace

• Recognize the impact of productive work relationships on team success

• Identify best practices for demonstrating interpersonal savvy and planning and maintaining 

open, two-way communication

• Define and understand types of conflicts

• Distinguish between functional and dysfunctional conflict and benefits of using functional 

conflict to enhance team effectiveness

• Apply tools for using functional conflict and a model to coach teams through resolving 

conflict in constructive ways.
Course Topics

Expanding Your Emotional Intelligence 

• Identify the key components of emotional intelligence

• Describe practical indicators of emotional intelligence

• Explore the link between emotions and behavior responses

• Discuss the benefits of strengthening emotional intelligence to relationships in the 

workplace

• Identify strategies to increase self-awareness and self-management and practical steps to 

maintain composure

• Discuss the role of empathy

• Identify practical strategies to strengthen work relationships

Reinforcing Skills to Build Positive Peer-to-Peer and Team Relationships 

• Recognize the impact of productive work relationships on your success at your agency

• Identify best practices for interpersonal savvy and two-way communication

• Discuss ways to maintain open, effective communications with team members, peers, 

managers, and stakeholders

• Recognize the importance of continuous communication

• Learn about the relationship of trust and credibility to having constructive conversations 

and implementing everyday practices that build trust and credibility and show integrity

• Provide tools to engage staff in constructive conversations that result in higher levels of 

performance

• Employ tools to accomplish these objectives in a virtual environment

Appreciating and Leveraging the Role of Conflict 

• Define and understand types of conflict

• Employ a set of communication skills with team members to help resolve and manage 

conflicts.

• Lead teams in the creation of a work environment that promotes constructive conflict 

resolution.

Developing a Plan to Implement Lessons Learned