Lectures and one-day seminars don't work. The process has to involve dialogue, interaction and role-playing over time. A lot of it is very nonverbal. Emotional learning is like riding a bicycle. You can read lots of books about riding a bicycle but ultimately you have to get on the bike and do it yourself, and probably fall down a couple of times.
Companies also have to tailor the training to the specific skills an employee needs.
Sharmayne Williams's company, American Express Financial Advisors, has offered emotional competence training to its employees since 1993. Kate Cannon, director of leadership development for American Express Financial Advisors, says the program started when the company realized its clients weren't buying life insurance, even when their financial plans clearly identified a need. Life insurance was a highly emotional issue for people, and their advisers simply weren't making an emotional connection with their clients. But if those same people are smirking now, it's often a grin of glee. Cannon says emotional intelligence training has, as hoped, increased sales by as much as 18 percent in some groups.