Introducing egElectives: Continuing Education for Emergenetics Practitioners

Emergenetics International has recently introduced egElectives, a curated collection of courses providing next-level learning opportunities for Emergenetics® practitioners looking to expand their skills. The classes empower attendees to use Thinking and Behavioral insights to help individuals, teams and organizations improve performance, overcome common challenges and achieve their objectives.  

To learn about the offering, I spoke with Shana Bosler (SB), Director, Coaching, Learning & Development. 

Jenn Denfield (JD): What inspired the creation of egElectives? 

SB: The concept for egElectives came to life as we set up to reimagine the future of a class we used to offer called Advanced Certification.  

Last year, we brought a WEteam together and began ideating about how we could create an experience that builds on the core concepts of the previous program while expanding access to more practitioners. We wanted to design continuing education opportunities that offered expanded content to support Associates and Facilitators in growing skills and knowledge in the ways that were most applicable to their needs.  

The result is egElectives, which are a series of courses designed to build on one another to expand expertise and proficiency in all things Emergenetics. The classes are offered virtually, allowing people from multiple locations to easily access and engage in the digital and live learning experiences. 

JD: What courses are available as part of the release? 

SB: The first courses include The Artistry of Emergenetics, The Architecture of Emergenetics and The Music of Emergenetics. 

The Artistry of Emergenetics was built for Associates who support internal stakeholders or external consulting clients. It’s designed to provide them with the tools to craft learning experiences molded to the cognitive diversity and needs of their customers. 

The Architecture of Emergenetics constructs new layers of knowledge around the combinations of thought and behavior, the Language of Grace and more. That way, practitioners gain confidence in the nuances of the Profile types and what they mean for group dynamics.    

The Music of Emergenetics was created to explore the four Emergenetics spectrums in depth, empowering Emergenetics practitioners to leverage data to better anticipate and speak to the needs of their participants and coachees.  

JD: How were the first three courses chosen for development? 

SB: The curriculum topics came to light from the design thinking process we used to build egElectives. We conducted interviews with Associates and Facilitators around the globe to define themes that would be most helpful in expanding their Emergenetics education. The three topics I noted above immediately rose to the top. 

JD: What can practitioners expect to get out of egElectives? 

SB: Every course has its own series of objectives and outcomes. One universal element is that practitioners will walk away with greater confidence in their understanding of Emergenetics theory as well as recognize how they can apply it in their work – whether that’s inside of a company, with educators or in coaching. 

Each course allows practitioners to become more adept at adapting Emergenetics’ core principles and programming to support their own circumstances and goals. 

JD: How are egElectives different from the professional development sessions that practitioners may have experienced? 

SB: When Associates or Facilitators come for their Certification, they learn the essentials of Emergenetics and are trained to conduct our essential workshops, such as the Meeting of the Minds and Team Dynamics for Small Groups. The professional development sessions we offer reinforce what our practitioners learn in their initial training and inspire new ways to apply the core principles.  

egElectives upskill practitioners. The courses increase their expertise around the nuances of the Profile and the Attributes, empowering Associates and Facilitators to craft transformative learning experiences and leverage the insights that come from the data we deliver. In effect, egElectives equip practitioners with the knowledge to develop curriculum and activities to meet the needs of their participants.   

JD: How did the team design the egElectives courses? 

SB: Every program we offer is based on adult learning theory and a WEapproach to ensure the content aligns with the different ways people prefer to learn. We made sure that the classes also reflect four principles: 

• Andragogy – adults are self-directed autonomous learners 
• Experiential learning – people tend to learn best by doing and reflecting on their actions 
• Relevance – learning is most meaningful when it’s related to our real lives 
• Collaboration – people grow from each other’s experiences and perspectives 

We also applied a lens of micro-credentialing to the courses. Rather than having individuals demonstrate learning by taking a test, they prove their knowledge through applications in class.  

JD: Can you tell us a bit about what Associates can expect to experience when they sign up for a course? 

SB: From my Red-Yellow brain, my first response is delight and fun!  

They can expect programs that are interactive and collaborative. The sessions include different voting features and platforms to engage participants. The courses incorporate whimsy and distinct themes.  

Attendees can expect to leave with resources and activities that they can take and do right away.  

Participants will also refine their knowledge, especially when they are open to unlearning and relearning. While Certification offers so much information, Emergenetics theory extends beyond what can be compiled into a one- or two-day training. egElectives will allow people to really hone that expertise and build up their Emergenetics skills. 

JD: Can you tell me a little bit about what excites you about each of the courses? Let’s start with The Artistry of Emergenetics. 

SB: The Artistry course helps to answer that question of – What comes after the Meeting of the Minds, or any essential workshop? It’s perfect for anyone who wants to build customized Emergenetics experiences for their internal or external clients.  

I like that we also empower attendees to have consultative conversations, using the lens of different Profile types. That way, when the practitioner is building a plan or proposal, they align the whole experience to their point of contact’s Emergenetics preferences – not necessarily their own – so that they hit the mark for the client. 

There are also a lot of activities that attendees can take and use right away as well as grouping strategies to make the learning they deliver even more meaningful. 

JD: What about The Architecture of Emergenetics? 

SB: One thing that excites me about the Architecture course is that we’re going to illustrate the nuances of different combinations of thought and behavior in great depth. We’ll discuss how the Attributes combine. For example, Analytical may look very different for a Blue-Yellow thinker compared to a Blue-Green thinker. 

Understanding how the Attributes interact with one another takes practice. It’s so important for facilitators to feel confident articulating the nuances because, in any workshop, most of their participants will have multiple Thinking preferences and a whole range of behaviors. It’s rare to have the Attributes in true isolation.  

The Architecture course will help practitioners be much more comfortable explaining the differences and interactions between Profile types. 

JD: Lastly, how about The Music of Emergenetics? 

SB: As a Divergent thinker, my confidence in my facilitation skills and my ability to work with clients grew exponentially once I had a good understanding of the spectrum reports. That’s what I hope for our practitioners who attend the course, regardless of the type of thinker they may be. I understand how the data can seem intimidating, and this course will shine a spotlight on the power of the numbers of Emergenetics theory.  

The spectrums are incredible tools that reveal so much about participants. When a practitioner is confident in the data, they can answer so many questions about a group or an individual simply based on their percentile scores. Associates and Facilitators can use that information to inform and customize how they work with a team or a client. 

I’m excited for people to see just how applicable and useful the spectrums are.   

JD: What courses will Emergenetics build in the future? 

SB: Our plan is to expand on the first three courses with more in-depth knowledge. After that, we expect to work with our Business Intelligence and Analytics team as well as our practitioners to inform continuing education curriculum.  

To learn more about the new continuing education programs, explore our catalog or fill out the form below to connect with one of our team members about getting registered today! 

 

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