Author page for Laura Lewis-Barr

llewisbarr's Profile:

With a passion for learning, Laura brings a wide range of talents into her seminars. Laura specializes in classes for corporations and teachers. Her previous roles (as an actress, theatre director, and award-winning playwright), bring vitality and play into her seminars. How are emotions driving your performance? Use EI to add joy and vision to your team!

More about llewisbarr:

http://training4breakthroughs.com

Posts by llewisbarr:

An EI Poem, 20 Dec 2009

I love this poem.  It succinctly explains the work of Emotional Intelligence.
AUTOBIOGRAPHY IN FIVE SHORT CHAPTERS
by Portia Nelson
I
I walk down the street. There is a deep hole in the sidewalk I fall in. I am lost … I am helpless. It isn’t my fault. It takes me forever to find a way [...]




Who is to Blame? (Trust in Relationships.), 12 Dec 2009

I”m not close with one of my sisters. This is a painful truth. I could give you theories to explain why we’ve grown distant but that could take days. When family (or workplace) relationships disintegrate, it takes time. Trust is lost and then more trust is lost until a canyon of suspicion separates us and [...]




Every Emotion has a Purpose, 02 Nov 2009

Every Emotion has a Purpose is a basic tenet of Emotional Intelligence.  I thought of this today when I heard about  a study quoted on national news: “Bad moods can actually be good for you, with an Australian study finding that being sad makes people less gullible, improves their ability to judge others and [...]




You Have a Healing Power, 16 Oct 2009

You have a tremendous power to heal others.
Listen to them.
Without interrupting.
Watch what happens!




Emotional Triggers of Daily Life, 14 Oct 2009

One of my triggers is a desire to “fight for my rights” if I sense that I’m not supported in my work.  My fight response may manifest subtly as a tenacious search for an “unavailable” library book or the dogged pursuit of information from a tight-lipped colleague.  But underneath my smiling mask, I’m angry and [...]




Style Differences: Are You a Fighter or Flight-er?, 10 Oct 2009

Does your company use assessments such as the Myers Briggs tool?  Many of my clients use these measurements to build empathy.  Through them, employees learn that their different styles of communication are all acceptable and “normal.”
Lately, I’ve realized that differences in our emotional reactions can also be seen as a “style” issue.  Some of us [...]




Developing Endurance in Self-Disclosure, 21 Sep 2009

We honor writers and musicians who bare their souls. We gravitate toward speakers or colleagues who share their deepest selves, warts and all. So why, after decades of self-disclosure, is it so hard for me to trust that I won’t be judged for what I reveal?

It isn’t that I don’t disclose. I do. I [...]




Empathy Upgrades for Digital Natives, 16 Sep 2009

Dr. Gary Small’s iBrain: Surviving the Technological Alteration of the Modern Mind suggests that current brain research reveals that “digital natives” may be developing different brains than Baby Boomers.  A  Newsweek article explains:
Small says these differences are likely to be even more profound across generations, because younger people are exposed to more technology from an [...]




Mindfulness Meditation Can Change our Brains, 12 Sep 2009

Just finished listening to a great interview on Shrink Rap Radio with Psychologist Elisha Goldstein. Dr. Goldstein’s work focuses on the power of mindfulness meditations to help us combat stress, addictions, and other psychological maladies. Did you know that regular meditation can actually change the brain? Dr. Goldstein shared research from Sara Lazar, Ph.D.

Using MRI [...]




The Power of Passion, 30 Aug 2009

A true story.
Rick and I are selling our home. Several weeks ago, we readied ourselves to interview several realtors. Still, we knew our tendency—to go with the first person we met. That was Bob. Nice guy. After hellos, we sat at our dining table and Bob took us through his glossy brochure. He described [...]




Symptoms of Inner Peace, 26 Aug 2009

Came across this message from an author named Saskia Davis:

SYMPTOMS OF INNER PEACE
A tendency to think and act spontaneously rather than on fears based on past experiences
An unmistakable ability to enjoy each moment
A loss of interest in judging other people
A loss of interest in judging self
A loss of interest in interpreting the actions of [...]




Powerful Unseen Forces at Work, 10 Aug 2009

Does this scenario sound familiar? A manager perpetuates inefficient policies to protect his departmental “turf.” “Greg” wants assurances that all “his” numbers are credited to him. He is afraid to share credit on any project for fear of budget or position cuts. So Greg duplicates the work of other departments and [...]




Anger is Not the Problem, 30 Jul 2009

A friend recently confided that he had “acted badly” at work. He had raised his voice and snapped at his team. Now he felt ashamed.
I asked him to describe the situation.
“Greg” had repeatedly asked his logistics team to bill their trucking partners using new parameters. Time and again, Greg discovered that [...]




Emotional Intelligence and Intuition, 12 Jul 2009

Lately, I’ve been thinking about intuition and Emotional Intelligence. Writers such as Malcolm Gladwell and António Damasio have explored how “hunches” come from unconscious processes that involve our emotional brain. These intuitions provide extremely valuable information. Emotional Intelligence helps enhance this faculty.
Here’s a lengthy quote from Peter Senge’s The Fifth Discipline, on [...]




The Secret of Successful Communicating: Emotional Awareness., 30 Jun 2009

I keep noticing that the success of my daily interactions depends on my own clarity and inner honesty. If I’m upset or scared, this will come through in my nonverbals, no matter how hard I try to avoid this.

Here are two recent examples. A new roommate moved into my office space. Some of her coworkers [...]