Emotional Intelligence: Training in the Work Place   “Currently, there are thousands of consultants and human resource professionals who are engaged in efforts to promote social an emotional competencies in employees” (Emmerling,1999). There are many factors that an employer must keep in mind when he chooses to have his/her employees trained in this new emerging field. It is critical for the trainer and the employer to realize that teaching people to be emotionally competent takes a long time and many hours of practice. The training will improve professional performance, however, it accomplishes this feat by invading the personal territory of the employee. (Remember: Make sure the employees are comfortable with this invasion). It is also critical to have the correct group size to maximize effectiveness; groups of 15-25 people are ideal. Visual, auditory, interactive playing, and group discussion are essential components of a successful training session.   The trainer`s technique requires that he helps the trainees to unlearn old habits of thought, feeling, and action. The teaching needs to yield motivation, effort, time, support, and sustained practice in changing the trainee`s behavior. It is also vital that the students are given time to reflect upon what they have learned. As one may expect, when a person improves one facet of his life, quite frequently, he will improve other facets, too. Employers are finding that many employees start exercising and eating better as a result of the training. The overall quality of the employee`s life tends to increase dramatically, increasing the likelihood of better productivity and job satisfaction at work.   The Consortium for Research on Emotional Intelligence has created a BEST PRACTICE guideline for companies and trainers to follow. There are 22 steps broken down as follows:   · 1-8 -Paving the Way · 9-19 -Doing the Work of Change · 20-21- Encouraging Transfer and Maintenance · 22- DID it Work? Evaluate the Change.   Each step is a detailed explanation to help the trainer become the most accurate and efficient trainer possible. Paving the way assesses the organizational needs and determines and adjusts the expectations of the employees. It is important in this stage to gauge the readiness of the trainees. Comfort and acceptance is a key factor necessary for successful sessions. Doing the Work actually fosters a relationship between the trainer and the students. The actual training begins in this situation. Encouraging Transfer and Maintenance encourages the trainees to use the material that they have learned on the job. It also trains the organization to accept the change. If the organization fails to recognize and respond to the change, the entire training will be a wasted effort and no improvement in the company will occur. The fourth and final step, Evaluate, includes following up. It asses the impact on job-related activities.