More than touchy-feely.

* Emotional Intelligence, 2001, 23 min., CRM Learning (800-421-0833, www.crmlearning.com), $895. Discussion video,leader guide, participant workbook, PowerPoint slides, reminder cards.

Of all the programs included in this comparative review, Emotional Intelligence (EI) wins the prize for most comprehensive package. It is a total off-the-shelf learning solution, complete with a 23-minute video, 11 additional minutes of video clips for more discussion, a slick PowerPoint presentation for the facilitator, a thorough leader guide, a quality participant workbook, and reminder cards for participants. It is also one of the newest programs in this group, with the most up-to-date video production.

The program is specifically designed to be instructor led and gives clear guidance to facilitators. The leader guide includes six classroom activities, a pre-video assessment, handouts, and a participant evaluation form. There's also a brief overview of emotional intelligence theory, although I'd recommend that you check out the bibliography in the back of the book to be sure you are knowledgeable on the topic before presenting the program. In fact, the video shows outside experts hired by the showcased organizations to deliver the EI training.

The video quality is superb, although it almost seems unfair to compare the quality of this video program to the rest, simply because it's the only DVD in the group. Other programs are upgrading to this format, and I'll look forward to the day when they are all readily available on DVD. As a traveling trainer who goes into many different classroom environments, I'd rather rely on my DVD-compatible laptop and projection device than to rent or borrow a TV and VCR. It's one less thing I need to carry on the airplane and one less piece of equipment I need to deal with in the classroom.

The video reviews the five competencies of emotional intelligence:

* Self-awareness

* Self-regulation

* Self-motivation

* Empathy 

* Effective relationships

The video effectively sells viewers on the benefits of emotional intelligence and how implementing EI in an organization will improve the bottom line. This emphasis is necessary because EI may be a tough sell in some organizations, especially those who think a learning program on emotions equates to "touchy-feely" training. The producer also offers a manufacturing version of this program.

Cindy Huggett ([e-mail]) has over 10 years experience in the training and development field. She's currently a one-person training department for Kinetic Systems, Inc, with expertise in both technical and soft skills training programs.