Incorporating Emotional Intelligence into the Preparation and ...

Incorporating Emotional Intelligence Competency BuildingInto the Preparation and Delivery of International Travel CoursesSuzyn OrnsteinTeresa NelsonSuffolk UniversityManagement Department8 Ashburton PlaceBoston, Massachusetts 02108PUBLISHED INInnovations in Education and Teaching International 2006Emotional Intelligence Competency Building for International Travel Course Participants 1

course well, and up-front, we believe that conflict, fear, and stress can be reduced while educational valueis enhanced. In this paper we begin by outlining the basics of the emotional intelligence construct, andthen proceed to discuss who benefits from EI competency building and how EI competencies can bedeveloped in the travel course process. Additionally, in the Appendix, we present specific classroomtraining notes for trip leaders, often professors and administrators without formal knowledge ofinterpersonal skills training. We also direct these ideas to travel course students to provide an overview ofbasic concepts and to serve as an in-class discussion catalyst. Finally, program administrators may findthe material valuable as they designate trip leaders, and as they build and update international programofferings.Emotional Intelligence: A Brief ReviewSimply stated, emotional intelligence is the ability to recognize, regulate, and control one’s emotions tomost effectively interact with others (Goleman, 1995, 1998). This concept is predicated on theunderstanding that emotions (i.e., feelings) are the driving force of motivation. A poor understandingand/or control of one’s feelings may result in undesirable interactions with others and the blocking ofvaluable inputs that cannot be fully attended to when emotions are heightened (for an extensive review ofthe literature on this subject please see Bar-On & Parker, 2000; Cherniss & Goleman, 2001a).The phrase "emotional intelligence" was first introduced by Salovey and Mayer (1990) to identify aconstellation of intra- and interpersonal competencies. The EI construct was popularized by DanielGoleman’s best-selling book of the same name (Goleman, 1995). Subsequent research has demonstratedboth the reliability and validity of the EI construct (e.g., Caruso, Mayer, & Salovey, 2002; Saklofske,Austin, & Minski, 2003). Studies have found support for the incremental value of EI over traditionalpersonality and skills based assessments in the ability to predict increased effectiveness in the workplace(Jacobs, 2001, McClelland, 1998). Lam and Kirby (2003) found evidence to suggest EI “uniquelyexplained individual cognitive-based performance over and beyond the level attributable to generalintelligence” (p. 133). Shutte et al. (2001, 2002) have carefully demonstrated that higher emotionalintelligence is related to higher self-esteem, empathy, self-motivation, and cooperativeness. Numerousother studies have explored one facet or another of the EI construct in the past five years (see e.g.,Cherniss & Goleman, 2001a).While the specific numbers and definitions of the EI competencies themselves has been muchdiscussed (Boyatzis, Goleman & Rhee, 2000; Bar-On, 2001; Stein & Book, 2000), all fundamentallyagree that the EI construct can be broken into a number of competencies that share a related set of skills(Gowing, 2001). Based on the suggestions of many scholars that each EI competency is demonstrated bythe effective use of specific skills (Goleman, 1998, 2001; Goleman, Boyatzis & McKee 2002) we haveselected and defined the competencies and associated specific skills we believe to be relevant to theinternational travel course experience. We choose these based on Goleman’s work (1998) which wefound to be the simplest scheme for organizing our material. The competencies and their associated skillsare presented in Table 1. In the discussion that follows we use examples from international travel courseexperience to illustrate each competence.Emotional Intelligence Competency Building for International Travel Course Participants 3

Table 1: The Five Competencies of Emotional Intelligence and their Behavioral Description Skillsper Goleman (1995, 1998)Self Awareness• Emotional Awareness: Ability to accurately recognize one’s emotions and their causes.• Accurate Self-Assessment: Realistic and appropriate identification of one’s strengths andweaknesses.• Self-Confidence: Belief that one is capable (mentally and physically) of accomplishing one’sgoals.Motivation• Achievement Drive: The inspiration to achieve high accomplishment.• Commitment: Persistence in the face of obstacles/difficulties/failures.• Initiative: Taking control of a situation because you choose to.• Optimism: Ability to think positively about the future.Self Regulation•Self-Control: Ability to keep emotions and behaviors in check.•Trustworthiness: Ability to “say what you mean and mean what you say.”•Conscientiousness: Concern for, and actions directed, at follow-through.•Adaptability/Innovation: Ability to shift behavior and thought from preferred to other mode.Social Skills•Influence: Ability to communicate a message so that people will change their behaviors andthoughts.•Collaboration: Ability to coordinate with and respond to others.•Teamwork: Ability to form effective working relationships with others.•Conflict Management: Ability to face conflict and find a solution that brings opposing partiespositive outcomes.Empathy•Understanding Others: Recognizing other’s emotions through non-verbal and verbal cues.•Developing Others: Helping others to grow and accomplish their goals.•Service Orientation: Desire to help others.•Political Awareness: Recognizing the realities of power and politics.Scholars of EI agree that the bedrock competency is self-awareness (Cherniss & Adler, 2000; Cooper &Sawaf, 1996; Goleman, 1995, 1998, 2001; Goleman, Boyatzis & McKee, 2002; Salovey & Mayer, 1990;Sosik & Megerian, 1999, Stein & Beck, 2000). People adept at self-awareness recognize their emotions,their genesis, and the potential outcome of their state of feeling. In the context of an international travelcourse, the student with a high degree of self-awareness might recognize her anxious feelings aboutleaving her family for a 2-week travel course to another continent. She recognizes that her anxiety maylead her to “snap” at her classmates. Preventing that behavior, or apologizing for it when it occurs, willdecrease the likelihood that her colleagues will ostracize her. Conversely, the self-unaware might notEmotional Intelligence Competency Building for International Travel Course Participants 4

constituencies: the individual travelers (i.e., students and professor), the international travel course, thegroup of travelers, and the sponsoring institution.The Individual TravelerFor individual students, the international travel course is a multi-faceted activity with the followingcommon, inter-related challenges: international travel, travel in a group, travel with fellow students whoare unlikely to be well known to you, travel with a supervising professor/administrator, and travelparticipation to be graded for course credit. These components, separately and together, delivercomplexity and likely strong emotions including uncertainty, stress, and fear. Travel participants whobecome aware of and perhaps even increase their EI, will better manage their own emotional reactions(Matthews & Zeidner, 2000) and as a result the group of travelers will experience an increased grouplevel of EI and effectiveness (Druskat & Wolff, 2001).Students who can learn to recognize their emotions will better understand their energy ebbs andflows throughout their travels. As a result, they may ask for help from their colleagues when faced with aproblem or seek quiet time when they are exhausted. Similarly, students who can control their reactions(e.g., making distasteful facial gestures, in view of their hosts, when provided an unfamiliar form of food)are less likely to embarrass themselves, and are more likely to be able to accept feedback when they aretold of a mistake. Obviously, students who can be persistent in the face of setbacks will handle problemswith greater equanimity. As a result, people who are most in touch with, and in control of their emotionswill be available to gain the greatest learning from their international travel experience. This will happenbecause those who are intra-personally adept will use neither time nor energy in ways that underminetheir learning opportunities.While our focus in this article is predominantly on the travel experience itself, we want toacknowledge that people with more, rather than less EI have been found to generally experience greatersuccess in their accomplishments and relationships (e.g., Goleman, 1998, Sosik & Megerian, 1999; Staw& Barsade. 1993). Bush and Bush (1998) report that practicing marketers rank the following EI skillsamong the top ten predictors of career success for international marketing students: having patience (i.e.,self control), demonstrating perseverance (i.e., motivation), communicating misunderstandings (i.e. socialskill), and dealing with different communication styles (i.e., empathy). While this research was not anexplicit test of EI concepts, the competencies are the same. Such studies highlight an added benefit of EItraining for students during international travel courses – the EI knowledge and training may serve notonly the travel experience, but personal and career objectives as well. Taking this wider view, theinternational travel course can be viewed as a sort of boot camp for EI training. With a facilitator onboard, multiple intense days of opportunity for practice, and a continual stream of challenging events,students on a multi-week journey can practice and develop their skills at EI while engaged in real-time,meaningful situations (Cherniss & Goleman, 2001b).EI training can also benefit the international course trip leader. Like their students, trip leaders facethe challenges and trials of international travel but they carry an additional burden as their role sets themapart. Students are not peers and leaders lose some easy camaraderie as a result of their role. Managingthe social “off” hours is a particular challenge for group travel leaders – do they party and sightsee withthe students, and if so, to what degree, or do they maintain a professional distance? In addition, the leadershoulders the ongoing responsibility of keeping the group safe, engaged, and satisfied. This requires thatthey be constantly on call and ready to handle crises. As a result, being a trip leader can be lonely:support networks of peers may not be easily accessed and the demands of the job may require that toughdecisions be made and enforced. An increased proficiency at employing EI skills can give trip leadersbetter coping skills, higher energy, enhanced creativity, and improved decision making (Cooper & Sawaf,1996; Goleman, Boyatzis & McKee, 2002). This could benefit their personal travel experience as well astheir professional competence (Schettler, 2002).Emotional Intelligence Competency Building for International Travel Course Participants 6

The CourseWe believe that the travel course overall benefits from the inclusion of EI. This happens in a numberof ways. First, study and discussion of EI legitimizes real concerns that students have about the travelcourse process. By allowing for open and honest discussion of concerns, the underlying fears can bemanaged rather than staying hidden to crop up later, perhaps with unfortunate consequences. Second, thetravel course that takes account of process issues is likely to run more smoothly than the one that doesn’t.Third, the inclusions of EI serves as a model of advanced planning that all students interested incompetent business management derive benefit in observing (for more on the addition of EI training tothe classroom, see Tucker and Sojke, 2000). Fourth, by adding process issues to a course where they arenot expected, student value is delivered above and beyond what had been anticipated. Finally, a wellmanagedcourse is more likely to attract student attention and demand. This builds course enrollment andencourages the development of additional travel courses by the institution.The Group of TravelersAs the long history of research into teams and groups has demonstrated, groups of people willbehave in ways that individuals will not. Additionally, it is recognized that groups (in this case the studenttravelers) develop in predictable stages. Introducing the ideas of EI up front during the forming andnorming stages allows the topics of emotions, stress, coping, and relationships to be legitimized as anappropriate element of the course of study and of the group’s experiences. This will then hopefully provevaluable in the inevitable storming stage (Tuckman & Jensen, 1977). Moreover, when a group of relativestrangers travels together over many days and long distances, it is certain that stresses, incompatibilitiesof personalities, honest disagreements, and ineffective communication will lead the group to be less thanoptimally successful. As a result, it is imperative that the EI competencies of collaboration, cooperation,and communication be dealt with directly and carefully. The benefits to this proactive approach will likelyinclude increased listening, growth from conflict and adversity, the facilitation of effectivecommunication, and the development of a more closely-knit community (Druskat & Wolff, 2001).The Sponsoring InstitutionWhen students travel internationally they become de-facto ambassadors not only of their homecountries but also of their sponsoring institutions. Hosts and others in the visited country will formimpressions of the institution based on the behavior of the students. It is for this reason that the institutionhas a great deal to gain/lose by the laudable/deplorable behavior on the part of its students. For example,some years ago one of our students traveled to Asia where the standards of food preparation wereconsiderably different from those in the States. This student, who had previously been a nurse (and wastherefore especially knowledgeable about sanitation), became greatly concerned about her health andsafety. Unfortunately, her concern was so extreme (and in reality based on limited evidence) that it notonly interfered with her ability to participate in meals with her colleagues, but also led her to makefrequent, vocal complaints that her colleagues found disruptive. Moreover, the hosts were greatly insultedand expressed some concern about inviting our students back in the future! Clearly, this individual’s poormanagement of her reactions had immediate negative repercussions. Her responses also had the potentialto damage the reputation of our institution and our ongoing relationship with our hosts.Suggestions for Incorporating EI Competency Building into the Planning and Delivery ofInternational Travel CoursesOur suggestions for incorporating EI competency building into the planning and delivery ofinternational travel courses are based on our own experience in integrating this practice into an MBAtravel course curriculum and on the literature that has developed around training for increased emotionalintelligence (Cherniss & Adler, 2000; Cherniss & Goleman, 2001b). We take into consideration the factEmotional Intelligence Competency Building for International Travel Course Participants 7

eview tumultuous events. The group will hopefully be able to resolve any differences and leave thegroup experience with fond memories and gratitude to the institution for the experiences gained.The Course Travel PeriodThe travel period is the prime time to put EI skills into practice. Trip leaders play an important rolein creating the proper climate for EI to be discussed and implemented. From a pedagogical perspectivethe manner in which the leaders handle decision-making, communication, and their personal emotionalresponses serves as a powerful model for their students’ learning (Kouzes & Posner, 1993). Trip leadersshould expect that students will look to them for emotional as well as practical guidance when the goinggets tough. It is also the case that the leaders emotional mood will be transmitted to and mirrored by thestudent travelers (Drusak & Wolff, 2001).We recommend that leaders schedule routine discussion times for EI issues. Pick a time when thegroup is relatively fresh, together, and relaxed -- perhaps during breakfast before the pressures of the dayhave begun. Establish what discussion topics/issues are “fair game” and which are “off base”. Try to keeppersonal feedback lighthearted. Make sure to practice EI at crisis moments. When the bus breaks down,tempers flare, the unexpected and unpleasant happens, remind participants that the EI tools are availableto be exercised.One exercise that we have personally found to be very valuable during travel is theEnergy/Openness/Focus Activity of Cooper & Sawaf (1996). This exercise recommends that teammeetings begin by asking each person to identify his/her level of energy, openness, and focus on a scaleof 1 to 10. One would mean you have no energy, openness, or focus and 10 would mean you are burstingwith empathy, openness, and focus. This exercise raises the awareness and empathy of team participantsfor their fellows. It also builds self-awareness of a group member’s own emotional state. Additionalspecific suggestions that we provide to students on laminated cards to carry during travel are identifiedand discussed in Table 2.Table 2:Ten Suggestions for Increasing and Practicing Emotional Intelligence during International Travel1. Conduct energy, openness, and enthusiasm assessments. Ask yourself and others at regularand crucial times to assess and share levels of these qualities (from Cooper & Sawaf, 1996).2. Hold angry reactions until tomorrow. Sometimes it’s best to keep feelings to ourselves – atleast in the short term. Understand how the pressures of travel can heighten emotions; rememberthat these are most likely time limited relationships. Think through how reactions to anger shouldbe expressed – or not expressed – for yourself and others.3. Dedicate specified times in the itinerary for group discussion on process. There is somuch to do. Build in specific times when the group will assess how things are going and stick toit. Give group members the opportunity to make suggestions, air concerns. Improvements – initinerary and mood – may follow.4. Specify personal goals for the course before traveling. Part of the pre-trip EI preparationshould be for each traveler to specify their personal goals for the trip – to themselves and toothers. This gives everyone good information about fellow travelers and a more accurate base onwhich to assess people’s choices and attitudes during the trip.5. Consider the trip's pacing. There’s so much to do and so little time! But remember to restand build in some ‘alone time’ on a regular basis to allow self-awareness to surface.Emotional Intelligence Competency Building for International Travel Course Participants 9

Continued/Table 2: Ten Suggestions for Increasing and Practicing Emotional Intelligence duringInternational Travel6. Work to connect with each fellow traveler. Avoid splitting yourself off from the group withone or two special friends. This reduces your resources and limits your future options while itundermines group process.7. Write a journal. Writing is a tool that can help surface feelings and ideas about how tomanage them. Keeping a journal can serve as a practice and reminder of the physical andemotional journey you are taking8. Be wary of the results of alcohol consumption. Often traveling adults who don’t know eachother well socialize with alcohol. When tired, stressed, and in unfamiliar surroundings, drinkingmay depress your ability to exercise EI competencies.9. Adopt a Live and Let Live philosophy. Your engagement with your fellow travelers, whileintense, is time limited. Try to shrug off others’ idiosyncrasies if they don’t overtly intrude onyour experience.10. Schedule a trip de-briefing session before traveling. Everyone should know that the groupwill gather on return to review the trip, settle outstanding issues, and share improvement ideas forthe next course. This also gives participants the opportunity to self-regulate and delay workingout some problems until return. Also assess the EI process. How can skills learned by applied indaily life?The Post Travel PeriodIn terms of group development, now is the time for adjourning and parting. Inasmuch as the group hasworked closely together under intense conditions, there may be unfinished business in terms ofunresolved conflict. Additionally, there is likely to be some letdown and sadness because a remarkableexperience has come to an end. It may be necessary to deliberately seek emotional closure amongparticipants, particularly since new tasks and old responsibilities are pulling everyone in differentdirections. Some ideas to promote the exercise of EI competencies at this stage include the following:For participants.• Exorcise left over emotions by talking to family and friends. Use reflection time to betterunderstand how the practice self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy, and social skillscan boost personal performance.• Meet for the previously scheduled debriefing session for the purpose of discussing anyproblems, issues, or conflicts unresolved during travel.• Don’t expect to completely resolve all differences of opinion. In wrapping up the activities of atemporary group, final resolution on certain conflicts may carry too high a price to be worthwhile.For the institution.• Maintain an institutional understanding of emotional intelligence training for internationaltravelers. Share feedback from students who have used the curriculum with administrators andprofessors. Share material with a broad faculty base whether they are travel leaders or not. (Mostnotably, professors of organizational behavior are likely to be receptive).• Ask all trip leaders to routinely integrate EI training into their course plans. An EI lesson plancould be generically prepared for all faculty responsible for travel courses.• Identify EI experts on your faculty and/or staff and broadcast their talents. Extant trip leadersmay not be familiar with EI concepts and may need to be trained. If EI work is deemed valuable buttrip leaders are not interested or able to train students, facilitators can be brought into the class tohelp complete this work pre-travel.Emotional Intelligence Competency Building for International Travel Course Participants 10

ConclusionAnyone who has played a part in planning or leading an international student travel course knowsjust how much work it is. Even with abundant preparation, still much remains unknown until it isexperienced. Although team development may follow a predictable pattern, the interpersonal groupdynamics are likely to be unpredictable. Problems of both an interpersonal and logistical nature areinevitable. In our experience, training and practice in emotional intelligence gives participants a means tocope and flourish under these trying but exhilarating circumstances.Competency building in EI skills may not only improve the travel experience, but may also givestudents on-the-ground practice in integrating this set of skills into their professional and personal lives.With both content and process oriented coursework, students can maximize the benefits of their learningexperiences. Additionally, fewer conflicts and improved communication among travelers will no doubtmake the trip more enjoyable for the instructor! Finally, the travel course itself and the sponsoringinstitution will enjoy curriculum success and reputation benefits that may be far reaching.Emotional Intelligence Competency Building for International Travel Course Participants 11

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APPENDIX I: Suggested Outline of Class Content and Discussion Topics on Emotional Intelligencefor Student Travel Course ParticipantsI. A Definition of Emotional IntelligenceEmotional Intelligence (EI) is the extent of one’s ability to understand, regulate, control, and adapt one’semotions to most effectively interact with others.II. Reasons for the Importance of Emotional Intelligence in General.Emotional intelligence is important because:• EI is related to performance/effectiveness• EI is twice as predictive of career success as IQ• EI is necessary for effective team performance• Despite preferences to the contrary, emotions are necessary and ubiquitousIII. Reasons for the Relevance of Emotional Intelligence to the Travel Course Experience inParticular.EI is critical for the international course travel because:• A group traveling together under stressful circumstances will need to pay extra attention to their processfor managing communication.• Travel is stressful therefore the likelihood that people will react emotionally in an inappropriate fashionis enhanced.• When interacting with people from different cultures, it is imperative to carefully tune into theirgestures, facial expressions, and tones of voice to ensure a clear understanding of the messages they arecommunicating.• Groups are much more effective in their interpersonal interactions when they exhibit high levels ofemotional intelligence competencies.IV. Descriptions of the Behaviors that Define the EI Competencies (See also Table 1).The basics of EI include:• Recognition of and accurate awareness of your feelings.• Ability to control your emotional life rather than it controlling you.• Determination to achieve your goal, regardless of obstacles.• Ability to recognize and accurately read other’s emotions.• Effective interpersonal relations.V. Discussion of How Poorly Developed Emotional Intelligence Capabilities May Reduce the Valueof the Travel Course Experience.• Outcomes of Limited Self-Awareness: blind ambition, unrealistic goals, relentless striving, powerhungry, insatiable need for recognition, pre-occupation with appearances--need to seem perfect.• Outcomes of Limited Self-Regulation: impulsive behavior, rigidity of behavior and thought, lack oftrust, poor follow up/completion, avoidance by others.• Outcomes of Limited Motivation: sub-optimal performance/accomplishment, incomplete projects,inability to accomplish goals, lack of energy, drive, conviction, bringing down the mood of others.• Outcomes of Limited Empathy: misunderstanding, frustration, lack of trust, dissatisfaction, lack ofcommitment, poor service reputationEmotional Intelligence Competency Building for International Travel Course Participants 14

• Outcomes of Limited Social Skills: poor leadership, poor followership, dissension/distrust, openineffective conflict, sub-optimizing teams, poor job performance (evaluation), loss of opportunities.VI. Tips for Improving EI CompetenciesTips for Increasing Self-Awareness• Name your feelings (e.g., “I am feeling frustrated about…”)• Keep a journal of feelings and the situations that caused them• Spend 10 minutes a day focusing on your feelings• Talk to yourself out loud in front of a mirror--monitor your tone of voice and non-verbal cuesTips for Increasing Self-Control• Silently count to 15 before responding to situations• Monitor your tone of voice, body posture, and facial expressions for hints of emotions thatmay not be helpful to your circumstances• When feeling overwhelming emotions, name them aloud (e.g., I am feeling very angry) amdexcuse yourself from the presence of others.Tips for Increasing Motivation• Identify your values.• Link values to work activities• Set goals• Reward yourself for goal accomplishment• Plan so that focus is possible• Ask for help from colleagues/friends/family• Remind yourself that “This too shall pass” (situations are time bound)• Keep molehills small (don’t let problems become generalized)• Remember that some things are out of your controlTips for Increasing Empathy• Decide in advance that you will not interrupt another or jump to conclusions• Paraphrase what is said to you to boost understanding• Listen for facts and feelings• Observe and process non-verbal cues• Suspend judgment of othersTips for Increasing Social Skills• Tell the truth (even if it hurts)• Listen• Don’t dominate conversations• Be positive (it’s contagious)• Welcome all information• Be genuineEmotional Intelligence Competency Building for International Travel Course Participants 15