Connect and Collaborate
Amidst Uncertainty and Upheaval,
Diversity and Difference
Proven skills and experiential practices for teams and organizations.
High-impact Live Zoom Sessions
Level 1: Core Skills for Connection and Collaboration
Level 2: Navigate Intersectionality and Power Dynamics
I’ve guided hundreds of leaders from different countries, cultures, and world views to fulfill potential and create possibility - in their own lives and on teams. I’m excited to support your organization too.
Level 1: Core Skills for Connection and Collaboration
Start with Yourself
Build trust and collaboration across difference and perceived divides
Interrupt defensiveness, criticism, contempt, blame, shame
Develop core skills through interpersonal practice!
Four half-day sessions, three hours each
The Neuroscience of Leadership
Core Skills for Building and Repairing Connection
Unconscious Barriers Part 1: Interrupt False Stories and Judgments; “Regulate” Fight/Flight Reactivity
Unconscious Barriers Part 2: Transform Shame and Self-righteousness
Contact Erica for more information about workshops
for your organization: erica@ericapengconnects.com
About Level 1 Module
Level 1 sessions develop skills that are essential for shifting from impulsive and damaging behavior, to building trust, connection, and collaboration across difference in a surprisingly short time period. What we most needed to learn in school and life, but we didn’t.
Each session involves foundational concepts – and structured interpersonal practice! – for developing skills that build on prior sessions:
Become more aware of and comfortable with emotions in yourself and others.
Calm your nervous system so you are less reactive when you get “hooked” by defensiveness, judgment, blame, withdrawal, or shutting down.
Practice skills and behaviors that build trust and connection in a short amount of time.
Learn how to listen deeply to validate others’ experience, build trust and repair divides from inevitable conflict or breakdowns. (The unspoken assumption is we know how to listen. The blindspot: We’ve learned how to listen from our own point-of-view, and to problem-solve. We didn’t learn how to listen to extend comfort and validate others’ emotional experience.)
Practice structured frameworks for: interrupting automatic and unconscious judgments and “stories"; shifting from advocacy to curiosity; mitigating areas that trigger reactivity; “regulating” emotional and physiological reactivity from unconscious fight-or-flight response
Celebrating after a workshop!
“Even virtually, the connections we built were deep and meaningful. I am amazed at how Erica and team managed to keep everyone engaged on Zoom! They helped us exercise ‘interpersonal muscles’ to be a better person, leader, and manager.”
“I learned tools and resources to take safe risks and bring emotions and vulnerability into daily interactions. This truly transformed how I am able to approach even the most challenging transitions in my life, both personal and professional.”
Level 2: Address Intersectionality and Power Dynamics through Feedback
Align Impact with Intention
Become conscious of intersectionality dynamics in relationships, teams, organizations
Equalize power dynamics
Learn how you impact others
Strengthen ability to collaborate across difference to accomplish shared goals
Four half-day sessions, three hours each
Intersectionality and Power Dynamics in Relationships and Teams
Ecosystem of Feedback Part 1
Ecosystem of Feedback Part 2
Applications to Life
Learn how to calm unconscious fight-flight reactivity that can undermine your best efforts. Build connection and collaboration amidst challenging team and organization dynamics.
This multi-disciplinary approach - with interpersonal practice - is missing from many leadership development and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion trainings.
Transform how you connect -
with yourself and others
A progression of concrete skills and intentional practices help you shift and transform how you connect with yourself and others in these foundational ways.
Unconscious Reactivity
to Conscious ChoiceBlame/Shame to Empathy
Contempt/Judgment to Curiosity
Isolation to Connectedness
Alienation to Agency
Overwhelm to Possibility
How can I apply these skills?
Here are some examples of ways people have applied skills and practices to different types of challenges.
Build empathy through awareness of your own and others’ emotions
“I’ve used pause and Notice and Name while at work to understand what my physical and mental state is before I enter into a meeting. By doing so, I’ve realized that I am now becoming more aware of my partner and coworkers’ emotional state even via Zoom. I spend more time trying to understand where they are in life and how that might affect their work and responsiveness. In short, it’s made me more empathetic in the workplace.”
Transform inadequacy to internal resilience and worthiness
“When I am feeling inadequate, or nervous about myself, I recall the dignity practice and am a stronger, more self-assured individual. I am not waiting for or hoping for external validation or reassurance, but rather am able to boost myself up. This has meant less potential stress with others in my life.”
“I was able to better manage the emotions that were coming up for me, and to actively name, notice, and dispel the critical thoughts. After being able to call out my assumptions, I immediately felt calmer and more centered. It brought a greater sense of ease and confidence.”
Ground in connection amidst crises of COVID and racial challenges
“In just two weeks I am already experiencing impacts. I learned that my interpretation of others’ words can be completely incorrect. I am a lot calmer and less reactive when on the receiving end of comments that sound negative. This has been especially helpful while confined together in COVID lockdown.”
“In the wake of the tragedies that have been on the news surrounding the systemic injustice for black people in America, I find myself using the Notice and Name practice to ground where I am. To process what I need and let others know as well.”
“The course helped me better understand how my thoughts and actions are influenced by unconscious biases, as well as the unearned privileges I am granted by virtue of being a white woman in America. This has helped me show up as a better white ally to my women of color teammates, and it has helped me reflect on my own white privilege. Furthermore, the practice of “listening with empathy” has helped me maintain very strong relationships with my teammates rather than feeling divided by our differences. Hearing their personal stories and then sharing the profound impact on me has drawn us closer together.”
Interrupt conflict and shift into connection
“A disagreement with my wife has been going on for weeks and it’s easy for us to get frustrated and scale it quickly. However, I’ve been able to do the listening practice, which has helped us avoid turning it into a fight. For that I’m proud, grateful and hopeful!”
“I can more accurately understand my own responses to conflict and actively work on increasing connecting behaviors. I think a lot more about my physiological reactions to various moments and what they are telling me about my subconscious response. Seeing that translate from halting practice in class into real-world applications in only a few weeks has been a significant change for me. ”
Contact Erica for more information about workshops
for your organization: erica@ericapengconnects.com
What are the benefits of the workshops?
+ Develop Core of Resilience and Capacity
- Build a solid core grounded in self-worth
- Increase awareness of your emotional and physiological reactions
- Regulate your nervous system to better navigate stress, discomfort, uncertainty, misunderstandings, and conflict
- Interrupt and transform limiting beliefs, behaviors, and thought patterns
- Own your reactivity, assumptions, and judgments with curiosity and inquiry
+ Build Meaningful Connection
- Be more comfortable acknowledging and expressing emotions in ways that build meaningful connection
- Validate others’ emotions and experience so they feel understood
- Connect across differences and misunderstanding
- Repair and rebuild connection after breakdowns involving disagreements and conflict
+ Awaken Joy in Shared Humanity and Connection
- Draw energy and inspiration from connection and belonging as part of humanity and the natural world
- Express your voice and leadership grounded in self-worth and self-trust from belonging to a greater whole
- Ignite a path forward with clear, actionable steps for building meaningful connection and belonging