Resilience training

We all have biases in life. We are born with some, and we develop others as we grow. They often enable us to navigate busy schedules efficiently. They have an evolutionary basis; they keep us on guard from danger and sometimes drive us to achieve amazing outcomes.

They can also stifle activity and prevent us from achieving our full potential.

In our courses, we explore the science behind our in-built negativity bias. We also explore our tendency for naive optimism and how this affects our decision-making.

By understanding both of these evolutionary biases, we can learn to make decisions based upon fact rather than out of fear and guard against the dangers of irrational exuberance and naive optimism. 

We can truly begin to listen to our intuition through awareness of our biases and develop resilience to life’s inevitable ups and downs.

Course content

We tailor our courses for your team; however, we often focus on the following areas:

Understanding the science behind our biases– Examine the science behind our inbuilt negativity bias

The neuroscience of thriving at work– Explore the building blocks of mental fitness; explore which activities help us overcome our inbuilt negativity bias and which activities help us succeed.

Building a strengths-based culture at work– Learn practical techniques from strengths-based coaching; identifying, celebrating and using strengths enables us to overcome the inevitable life challenges. It builds resilience, tenacity, optimism and positive regard for one another.

The building blocks of engagement at work – Understand what drives engagement at work, and we learn techniques which foster autonomy, competence and relatedness.

Applying practical techniques at work and home and in the space between – Learn practical strategies to help observe, understand, regulate and express our emotions coherently. 

Courses can range from lunchtime learning sessions through to longer courses. Some of our programs run for twelve months.

The benefits of resilience training for organisations

• Increased self-awareness and personal empowerment:
• Employees learn to self-manage their physical, psychological and emotional health
• Reduced absenteeism and increased workplace engagement
• Enhanced productivity through increased vitality, motivation and concentration skills
• Team building through interactive, group-based learning and a unified approach to managing stress, challenge and change
• Minimisation of risks associated with work-related stress

Resilience training will assist you and your team

• Better manage difficult people and situations
• Improve the ability to give and receive empowering negative feedback
• Better able to handle the inevitable ups and downs in any workplace
• Recognise, use and celebrate their teammates strengths and their own
• Keep their minds on the job and perform well under pressure
• Manage competing demands and information overload
• Let go of their day and leave work at work

Your next steps

To find out how we can tailor resilience programs for your organisation contact Andy Roberts andy@breathe-australia.com

Some of our clients and case studies 

We have introduced resilience training and strengths coaching at Amerada Hess in the UK and The House of Commons. In Australia, we work with HAYS Recruitment, Queensland Health, the Australian Institute of Marine Sciences, James Cook University, many others.

3 Month leadership resilience training with HAYS Recruitment 

“Rarely has an external consultancy successfully married both the technical/scientific expertise with the practical implementation that Andy achieved. Breathe-Australia’s tailored 12-week strengths-based Leadership Programme – consisting of workshops & 1-on-1 mentoring – was delivered in a manner that was accessible; easily absorbed into internal leadership modules and, importantly reflected, the challenges faced by the modern leader (notably managing millennials and the impact of digital disruption in the workplace). “Ged Welsh, North Queensland Director HAYS Recruitment

4-week attention training course with staff at James Cook University

In our 4-week course we focussed upon:

• Practical stress management techniques – focusing on techniques to reduce amygdala activation and handle emotional triggers 
• Techniques to develop greater attention and focus improving cut off between tasks and the ability to aim and sustain attention 
• Self-awareness training – techniques to observe physical tension and let go of tension
• Self-compassion training using strengths coaching techniques

In feedback on this course, from 64 staff members, we asked participants to self-rate whether they disagreed (1) or strongly agreed (10) with the following statements:

• I have learnt new resilience techniques
• I use these techniques regularly at work
• I would recommend this course to my colleagues 

The average response to all these questions was over 9.3 out of 10

Self-care and resilience in medicine program over the last three years

James Cook University research on the efficacy of our self-care in medicine program with year one dentistry, pharmacy and medicine students indicated a doubling in the knowledge of and applying resilience techniques and a reduction in stigma associated with mental health.   Over 1,000 students have taken part in the program.  

Strengths-based resilience training with Amerada Hess (Oil exploration)

 “For me as a leader, I often think the struggle can be more important than the immediate outcome. I wanted my team to rise above tasks and list management and think about what is really required to be successful as a client facing team. Andy provided a bridge between results and individual and collective “wellbeing” and helped us see the balance between “doing” and” being”.Eric Walker HR Director Hess Corporation, Exploration and Production