Chimp Management follow-up course is well-received by delegates

Article summary: This was once again led by our knowledgeable Chimp Management Mentor, Dean Coomer and proved to be a big hit with those who attended.

The new course, which was spread across three sessions, was designed to enable an understanding of your own unique mind and how this can be used to improve your individual and organisational performance. The programme adopted a hybrid approach, consisting of  a one-day workshop at PETA’s Portsmouth Training Centre on 11 November, followed by two virtual 60-minute sessions on 24 November and 9 December. 

The full-day event was extremely well-received by the delegates who benefitted from insights into the structure and functioning of the mind, which will help them to understand their colleague’s emotions, thinking and behaviours. There is evidence that this often translates into reduced absenteeism, more effective teamwork and leadership and improved productivity.

Chimp Management encompasses how we react to situations and handle the emotions that occur as events unfold. The Chimp model is a simple and recognised model that has resonated with people around the globe and piqued interest in the business world.

The model sees the brain as being divided into three teams: You (The Human), The Chimp and The Computer, and provides a simplified way of understanding how we can utilise these teams to the best of our ability within our individual lives.

‘You’ work with facts and truth to make deductions using logical thinking. ‘The Chimp’ is an independent part of your brain that is not under your control; pulling information together using emotional thinking. ‘The Computer’ acts as a memory and an automatic thinking and acting machine that is programmed to take over if the Chimp or Human is asleep or on autopilot.

The model was created by Professor Steve Peters, a Consultant Psychiatrist who specialises in the functioning of the human mind. His work, past and present, in the field of psychiatry and education includes over 20 years in the NHS and several lecturing and senior management roles within the university sector, amongst many other roles.

This new programme focuses on optimising performance and building resilience.  The workshop covered:

• Gaining insight into your own unique mind

• Understanding how to develop emotional skills

• Applying emotional skills to managing your behaviours, thinking and emotions

• Appreciating the difference between robustness and resilience

• Putting in place the foundations of robustness

• Developing skills for becoming and staying resilient

The workshop included teaching elements, exercises for group discussion, time for personal reflection and plenty of opportunities to ask questions. 

The first virtual session, Leadership - it’s all in the mind? explored the difference between efficient and effective leadership, considering the wants and the needs of team members and understanding the basis and implications of imposter syndrome as a leader.

The second virtual session, Creating High Performance considered the basis for high performance in individuals and teams, explored the neuroscience behind creating high performance and enabled participants to develop ways of turning any team into a high performing team.

PETA Management and Business Training Manager Philip Mirner said:

“It was genuinely exciting to have the Chimp Management team back at PETA.  They were so well received when they delivered here the first time and so to be able to bring Dean Coomer back to deliver Professor Steve Peters’ unique and insightful model to a new group of highly motivated delegates was fantastic.  Once again the session was lively and entertaining but also offered individuals the opportunity to reflect on their own personal use of the model and how this can impact not only their working lives but their personal ones as well.”

What did the delegates have to say?

“The tutor was great, he made it real and helped me to understand how to transfer the learning from the classroom into real life. The venue was excellent.”

“The course was very interesting, very well-presented and very relevant to me.”

“Dean was a very engaging and entertaining presenter, who presented things in a way I hadn’t thought of before.”

“The instructor was friendly, approachable and knowledgeable, with a great understanding of the subject. The food was lovely too!”

“Great insight into a technique I have waited to learn about for some time.”

“Dean is an excellent presenter, very knowledgeable and his use of humor was good. He had me engaged throughout.

The programme was perfect and the breaks were well-timed.”

To find out more about Chimp Management and to enquire about company-sponsored options or the next scheduled course (tbc) please get in touch.