What Should Emotional Intelligence Training Include?

Emotional intelligence training can mean anything from a short introduction to a programme of assessment, workshops and coaching. Choosing the right approach starts with what you want people to do differently at work.

This guide explains what to look for, how to compare providers and which questions to ask before committing.

Six things to look for

A well-designed programme should explain:

The emotional intelligence model behind the learning.
How participants’ starting points and development needs will be assessed.
The facilitators’ relevant qualifications and experience.
How feedback from others will help participants understand their impact.
How people will practise using the skills in real situations.
What support and evaluation will follow the training.

Understand the approach

Providers use different models of emotional intelligence. Ask which one informs the programme and why it fits your goals.

Ability models focus on recognising, understanding and using emotional information.
Trait models focus on people’s perceptions of their emotional abilities.
Mixed models bring together emotional and social competencies, including self-awareness, empathy and stress management.

The model, assessment and learning activities should work together. The provider should explain what its chosen approach measures and what it does not.

Summit uses the EQ-i 2.0, based on the Bar-On model, to guide development across specific emotional and social skills.

For Summit founder Scott Watson, the value of assessment is practical: it helps people understand their current patterns and identify where greater balance would improve their effectiveness.

Four elements that help learning translate into practice

1. Assessment

Establish a starting point. The EQ-i 2.0 is a self-report assessment covering 15 subscales across five areas: self-perception, self-expression, interpersonal skills, decision-making and stress management.

Ask how results will be interpreted, which other evidence will be used and when progress will be reviewed. An assessment score alone does not establish business impact.

2. Feedback

People do not always see their behaviour as colleagues experience it. Feedback can help identify strengths and blind spots.

Where appropriate, use structured 360-degree feedback, such as the EQ 360, alongside self-assessment. Explain how feedback will be collected and discussed constructively.

3. Practice

Look for realistic scenarios, difficult-conversation rehearsals and opportunities to apply feedback. Participants should practise the behaviours the programme is designed to improve.

Ask to see examples relevant to your organisation, rather than relying on a promise that the course is interactive.

4. Follow-up

People need opportunities to use new skills, reflect on the results and adjust their approach. Build this into the programme from the outset.

Agree what participants and their managers will do afterwards, how support will be available and when progress will be discussed.

Summit combines preparation before training with self-paced online resources afterwards, helping participants revisit the learning as they apply it.

Set objectives you can measure

The Kirkpatrick model distinguishes four levels of evaluation: reaction, learning, behaviour and results.

Positive feedback is useful, but it does not show whether people are working differently.

Write objectives that describe a skill people can demonstrate and explain how you will assess it.

For example, make “improve self-awareness” more specific:

“Recognise a personal trigger during a difficult conversation and choose a response that keeps the discussion productive.”

What this looks like at Summit

Our Emotional Intelligence for Managers programme focuses on practical management behaviours, including:

Managing personal reactions and understanding their effect on others.
Creating accountability through the ABC Reporting Model.
Recognising different motivation patterns.
Using language that encourages commitment and teamwork.
Preparing for difficult conversations and agreeing clear actions.
Recovering from setbacks and supporting the team.
Building reliable delivery and clear expectations.
Understanding how leadership style affects motivation.
Running useful one-to-ones with our 1-2-1 Coaching Template.
Building trust and repairing working relationships.
Choosing helpful wording with our Towards & Away From language guide.

These behaviours give participants and their managers something specific to review after training.

Reported client outcomes

Summit reports client outcomes including:

A 40% improvement in team sales at a UK bank.
A 37% reduction in costly errors at a global logistics provider.
An average 32% improvement in manager productivity.
£8.2 million in customer accounts retained by a UK mortgage lender over twenty days.
Reduced staff attrition.

These are Summit-reported results, rather than independently verified benchmarks or guarantees. Ask about the measurement method, context and other contributing factors before applying them to your own business case.

Choose the right format and timeframe

Match delivery to the challenge and the people involved. The EQ-i 2.0’s five areas can provide a structure for modules, with practice between sessions.

Agree review points before starting. A practical plan might include a behaviour review after three to six months and a business-results review after six to twelve months.

Establish a baseline, deliver the learning, support practice and review the results.

A short workshop can be a useful introduction. Lasting development usually needs follow-up.

Compare delivery options

Workshops suit shared challenges and team practice. Summit’s Emotionally Intelligent Teamwork programme works with whole teams.
Coaching offers individual attention and time to work on specific patterns. Explore Emotional Intelligence Coaching for Leaders.
Assessment-led development uses a structured profile to guide learning. EQ-i 2.0 certification helps organisations build this capability internally.
Blended programmes combine workshops, practice and ongoing resources. Summit’s Emotional Intelligence for Managers uses two days of training with follow-up support.

Prioritise the people who need it

Start where the need is clearest: managers handling difficult conversations, leaders overseeing change or teams whose working relationships affect customers and delivery.

Use the challenges in each role to decide where training can add the most value.

Five questions to ask a provider

Which emotional intelligence model do you use, and why is it appropriate for our goals?
How will you establish a baseline and measure progress?
How much time will people spend practising, and what will those activities involve?
What support follows the training, and what will participants’ managers need to do?
Can you show a relevant case study, including how results were measured?

A focused intervention: the mortgage retention team

A mortgage provider asked Summit to support 29 telephone advisers struggling to retain customers at the end of their fixed-term deals.

The Operations Director wanted to improve retention conversations through emotional intelligence and communication skills.

Summit used EQ-i 2.0 assessments to select six advisers for the intervention. According to Summit’s case study, those advisers retained £8.2 million of customer accounts in twenty days.

The programme was funded by operations, where the customer-retention challenge sat. The account value represents business retained, rather than profit or a calculated training ROI.

Watch the client’s video testimonial.

Start with the outcome

Before comparing prices, agree what value your organisation wants from the programme.

That will help you choose the people, format and measures that matter.

For help with the business case, read The Benefits of Emotional Intelligence Training: What the Evidence Shows.

Talk to Summit about your training goals

- What Should Emotional Intelligence Training Include?