LEADING THROUGH CHANGE TRAINING

Navigating the Emotions of Change

Prepare leaders to successfully drive change by anticipating, noticing, and addressing the emotional cues of change resistance
Woman leader looking out pensively as she handles the emotions of change with an icon of a compass in the background

Help leaders anticipate the failure points of change

96% of change programs hit at least one turning point, according to research from EY and the University of Oxford's Saïd Business School. The same research found that leaders who spot the emotional and behavioral signals early are far more likely to keep change on track.

This program teaches leaders to recognize the signals that their team is struggling with a change, and gives them a framework to address those emotions with care while maintaining forward momentum.

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Audience
Frontline and midlevel managers guiding teams through change
Length
5-week learning journey,
flexible options
Live learning
4 hours
Cohort size
24 to 30 participants

Before and After: How Leaders Change

Navigating the Emotions of Change helps leaders broaden their perspective on change, recognize signs of emotional resistance, and address challenges proactively.

One in Color

From spotting resistance late to catching turning points early

Leaders learn to read early signals, like a team member going quiet, as information rather than noise.

Two in Color

From assuming to asking

Rather than assume they know what people are feeling, leaders learn to open it up with a simple three-step conversation.

Three in Color

From rushing to fix to staying curious

Leaders hold off on solutions long enough to hear the real concern.

Four in Color

From deciding alone to designing with the team

Leaders learn to run a structured meeting where the team proposes and chooses small changes to try that address key challenges of change.

Five in Color

From one-time check-ins to a shared team language

Teams get a simple way to name what is hard early, in this change and the next.

Six in Color

From guessing to measuring how people are doing

Leaders learn to use the BEATS framework to proactively sense and measure team culture and emotions during change.

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PARTICIPANT FEEDBACK
"The BEATS [framework for how people experience change] and factors included are vital when dealing with change, and it has helped me understand how to deal with change with my team moving forward."

-Leader Participant, Luxury Hospitality Company

What's Different About This Program

Here are five core ways that this program is different from other change leadership programs on the market today.
Reason 1: Covers what many change training programs skip. An empty office chair at a desk, suggesting the people-side of leading through change that plans often leave out.
Traditional change management focuses on the plan and how it is communicated. This program focuses on how people interpret the change, which is where most initiatives slow down. It works alongside the change methods your organization already uses.
Reason 2: Practiced on real change with real teams. A manager and two team members gather around a laptop, smiling as they work through a change together.
Between sessions, leaders hold conversations with their own team members about a change they are leading now. The second session builds on what they found, so the learning is tied to work already underway.
Reason 3: Grounded in how the brain responds to change. A man at a laptop rests his face in his hand, showing the stress a workplace change can create.
The program draws on neuroscience research showing that the brain predicts what is coming and emotions follow from those predictions. It uses the Perception Box™, a model of how the brain builds those predictions, to explain why the same change lands differently for different people.
Reason 4: Gives teams a simple language for what’s hard. Two colleagues stand facing each other in an office hallway, in an open, focused conversation.

The BEATS framework names five areas people weigh during any change. Teams can use it to name concerns early, across this change and the next one.

Reason 5: Built to stick after the sessions end. A man and a woman talk across a meeting table, smiling as they review notes together.
Each leader leaves with a specific commitment tied to a meeting already on their calendar, a cohort partner to check in with, three weekly application challenges, and a pre- and post-program report.
1. Covers what many change training programs skip
2. Practiced on real change with real teams
3. Grounded in how the brain responds to change
4. Gives teams a simple language for what's hard
5. Built to stick after the sessions end
Plan a program for your leaders

5 Reasons to Choose Navigating the Emotions of Change

Here are five core ways that this program is different from other leadership change training programs on the market today.

1. Covers what many change training programs skip

Traditional change management focuses on the plan and how it is communicated. This program focuses on how people interpret the change, which is where most initiatives slow down. It works alongside the change methods your organization already uses.

2. Practiced on real change with real teams

Between sessions, leaders hold conversations with their own team members about a change they are leading now. The second session builds on what they found, so the learning is tied to work already underway.

3. Grounded in how the brain responds to change

The program draws on neuroscience research showing that the brain predicts what is coming and emotions follow from those predictions. It uses the Perception Box™, a model of how the brain builds those predictions, to explain why the same change lands differently for different people.

4. Gives teams a simple language for what's hard

The BEATS framework names five areas people weigh during any change. Teams can use it to name concerns early, across this change and the next one.

5. Built to stick after the sessions end

Each leader leaves with a specific commitment tied to a meeting already on their calendar, a cohort partner to check in with, three weekly application challenges, and a pre- and post-program report.

What the Research Says

96%
of transformation programs hit at least one turning point when the program has gone or is about to go off course.
Source: EY and Saïd Business School, University of Oxford, 2024.
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Up to 12x
greater chance of success when leaders detect behavioral and emotional changes early, work through root causes with their teams, and act on them.
Source: EY and Saïd Business School, University of Oxford, 2024.
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2.6x
greater capacity for organizational change in high-trust vs. low-trust environments
Source: Gartner, 2020

A 5-Week Blended Learning Journey

Navigating the Emotions of Change is offered as a blended learning program. Explore a suggested learning journey below, although implementation can be flexible to your organization's needs.

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    Pre-assessment

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    Self-paced learning

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    Live instructor-led learning

  • Purple outer circle with white inner circle

    Learning application

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    Post-assessment

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Pre-assessment

The pre-assessment sparks individual insights and enables the facilitator to personalize the live learning experience.

Time: ~15 minutes

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Self-paced learning

Three short microcourses, including “Your Brain on Change: The Perception Box™” and “BEATS: The 5 Predictions that Decide Change.”

Time: ~10 minutes per microcourse

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Live instructor-led learning

Live facilitated practice. Flexible delivery model of multiple sessions or a single half-day.

If split into two sessions, leaders hold short conversations with their own team in between and bring what they learn to the second session.

Time: ~4 hours total, plus conversations in between

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Learning application

A three-week challenge where leaders put their skills to work on real situations, with weekly focus areas such as understanding your read on the emotions of your team and how to spot change resistance.

Time: ~30 minutes per week

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Post-assessment

Post-program assessment shows how each leader has grown for personal insights and to support program reporting toward business goals.

Time: ~15 minutes

Plan a program for your leaders

A 5-Week Blended Learning Journey

Navigating the Emotions of Change is offered as a blended learning program. Explore a suggested learning journey below, although implementation can be flexible to your organization's needs.

  • Pre-assessment

    The pre-assessment sparks individual insights and enables the facilitator to personalize the live learning experience.

    Time: ~15 minutes

  • Self-paced learning

    Three short microcourses, including “Your Brain on Change: The Perception Box™” and “BEATS: The 5 Predictions that Decide Change.”

    Time: ~10 minutes per microcourse

  • Live instructor-led learning

    Live facilitated practice. Flexible delivery model of multiple sessions or a single half-day.

    If split into two sessions, leaders hold short conversations with their own team in between and bring what they learn to the second session.

    Time: ~4 hours total, plus conversations in between

  • Learning application

    A three-week challenge where leaders put their skills to work on real situations, with weekly focus areas such as understanding your read on the emotions of your team and how to spot change resistance.

    Time: ~30 minutes per week

  • Post-assessment

    Post-program assessment shows how each leader has grown for personal insights and to support program reporting toward business goals.

    Time: ~15 minutes

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INDIVIDUAL CONTRIBUTORS

Help Teams Adapt to Change

This program is also offered as a course for individual contributors, designed to help them adapt and increase their resilience as they face significant change.

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Woman with eyes closed, representing a resilient approach to change

 
Frequently asked questions about Navigating the Emotions of Change
1. Who is Navigating the Emotions of Change designed for?

Frontline and midlevel managers who are responsible for guiding their teams through organizational change, such as AI transformation, restructured organizations, or new ways of working.

2. Who facilitates the program?

You can choose. SIY Global's expert facilitators can deliver the live sessions for your organization, or you can train your own internal facilitators to deliver the program through our Facilitator Certification program.

Learn about facilitator certification
3. Can the program be delivered virtually?

Yes. The live sessions can be delivered virtually or in person, as two 2-hour sessions or a single half-day. The self-paced learning and application challenges are completed online, so the program works for distributed and global teams.

4. Can the program be tailored to our organization?

Yes. We regularly tailor the program to fit an organization's context. That can include scenarios that reflect your industry and culture, a different program length, or a different cohort size. Talk with us about what you need, and we'll shape the program around it.

5. How is this different from traditional change management training?

Most change management training focuses on planning and communicating a change. This program focuses on how people interpret a change and what they expect it to mean for them, which shapes whether they move with it. It is designed to work alongside the change management approach your organization already uses.

6. How much does the program cost?

Pricing varies based on the number of participants and cohorts, the delivery format, facilitation, and any tailoring. Talk with us about your goals, and we'll put together options that fit your organization.

7. Do leaders need to complete another SIY Global program first?

No. Many organizations start with Leading with Emotional Dynamics, SIY Global's foundational emotional intelligence program for leaders, but Navigating the Emotions of Change can be run on its own.

Explore Leading with Emotional Dynamics
8. What is the Perception Box™?

The Perception Box™ is the model we use to teach leaders how experience, beliefs, and familiar patterns shape what we feel and do. Created by Elizabeth Koch, it's grounded in the latest neuroscience of how the brain builds emotions. This model helps leaders notice what's shaping their reactions in the moment, so they can choose how to respond.

9. Where does this program fit in a leadership development curriculum?

This program is typically used when organizations are facing an acute change, and senior leaders and HR teams want to build a foundation for leaders charged with driving the change. It is also sometimes used following a merger or acquisition, as teams need to learn to work together.

It can also be used as a foundational program for leaders in organizations that are facing a lot of rapid change.

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