Emotional Intelligence, Learning and Behaviour Change

An interview with Dr Robin Hills (Ei4Change) and Jamie Ryder (Spotlight Training Co)

Let’s start with how you began your training journey and how it led you to establish Ei4Change.

My career began in the pharmaceutical industry in London during the early 1980s. Over the following fifteen years, I worked in a range of commercial roles before moving into leadership and management.

Like many industries, pharmaceuticals went through significant change, and I experienced several rounds of organisational restructuring and redundancy. Those experiences prompted me to reflect on what I genuinely enjoyed doing and where I could create the greatest value.

When I decided to establish my own business, I initially considered offering a broad range of training and consultancy services. Through conversations with coaches, trainers and business advisers, it became clear that specialisation would provide a stronger foundation than trying to be everything to everyone.

At that time, emotional intelligence was not widely understood. Yet the more I explored it, the more I realised that it underpins almost every aspect of personal and professional development. Whether we are leading teams, managing relationships, making decisions, handling conflict, influencing others or coping with pressure, emotional intelligence is always present.

That insight shaped the direction of Ei4Change. By specialising in emotional intelligence, I was able to focus on an area that sits at the heart of behaviour, relationships and performance while still addressing a wide range of workplace challenges.

Emotional intelligence is often referred to as EQ. Do you see a distinction?

People often use EQ and emotional intelligence interchangeably, but I prefer the term emotional intelligence.

EQ generally refers to the measurable aspects of emotional intelligence. These include areas such as emotional self-awareness, emotional management, empathy, relationship skills, flexibility and assertiveness.

Emotional intelligence is broader. It also encompasses attitudes, beliefs, values, preferences, biases and the way we interpret our experiences. These elements influence behaviour just as much as the measurable components, yet they are more difficult to quantify.

For me, emotional intelligence provides a more complete picture of how people understand themselves, relate to others and make decisions.

How has your approach to learning and development evolved over time?

My focus has been on online learning for many years. Early on, I recognised that traditional training delivery presented limitations in terms of reach, accessibility and scalability.

Around fifteen years ago, I began developing online learning programmes and making them available through global platforms. That decision transformed the business.

Today, learners from around the world can access emotional intelligence learning whenever and wherever it suits them. The flexibility of online learning has enabled me to support people in more than 200 countries and territories.

While I still undertake selected consultancy and facilitation work, online learning has enabled me to focus on creating resources that can have a much wider impact.

What are your observations about the training market today?

One of the most significant changes I have observed is that learners increasingly want learning experiences that fit around their needs rather than organisational structures.

In some parts of the world, there is a strong appetite for flexible, self-directed learning. Learners want access to knowledge when they need it, in formats that suit them, and in ways that are relevant to their own circumstances.

This shift requires learning providers to think differently. It is no longer enough to create content and assume people will engage with it. The challenge is helping learners apply what they learn in meaningful ways.

Online learning has grown rapidly. What does effective online learning look like today?

The landscape has changed significantly.

There was a period when many people believed that creating an online course simply involved recording a series of videos, adding a quiz and publishing the content. That approach is no longer sufficient.

Technology, learner expectations and access to information have all evolved. Today, people can obtain answers to many questions almost instantly through AI tools such as ChatGPT, Claude or Copilot.

This means that learning providers need to offer something beyond information. The real value lies in helping people interpret information, apply it, reflect on it and use it to improve their performance and decision-making.

Increasingly, learners are looking for experiences that are relevant to their specific circumstances rather than generic content designed for everyone.

Why is it so difficult for learning to translate into behaviour change?

Learning and behavioural change are not the same thing.

People can acquire knowledge without changing what they do. Behavioural change requires intention, commitment, reflection and practice.

One of the biggest challenges is motivation. If someone chooses to engage in learning because they genuinely want to develop, there is a far greater likelihood that they will apply what they learn. If participation is driven primarily by compliance or organisational requirements, the impact is often more limited.

Certificates and completion records may demonstrate that learning has taken place, but they do not necessarily demonstrate behavioural change.

Ultimately, the value of learning is determined by what people do differently afterwards.

How do cognitive biases influence learning and development?

Biases are a natural part of being human.

Researchers have identified a large number of cognitive biases and it is unrealistic to believe we can eliminate them entirely. What we can do is become more aware of them.

The first step is bringing biases into conscious awareness. When people recognise how assumptions, preferences and unconscious patterns influence their thinking, they are better positioned to make more balanced decisions.

This is one of the reasons emotional intelligence is so important. It helps people become more aware of their thinking, their reactions and the factors that influence their judgement.

You have written several books. What role has publishing played in your work?

Publishing has been an important way of sharing ideas and contributing to wider conversations about emotional intelligence and behaviour.

My first book, The Authority Guide to Emotional Resilience in Business, emerged from a desire to provide practical guidance in an area that was becoming increasingly important for organisations. This was followed by The Authority Guide to Behaviour in Business.

The books helped establish credibility and provided another way for people to engage with the subject matter. However, what I found particularly interesting was how the content translated into online learning.

The online programmes built around the books have reached far more people than the books alone ever could. That reflects the changing ways in which people prefer to learn and consume information.

AI is changing the learning landscape. How do you see its impact?

AI is one of the most significant developments affecting learning and development today.

The opportunity is substantial, but it is important to approach AI thoughtfully. These tools can provide information quickly and often very effectively. However, they do not replace human judgement, critical thinking or emotional understanding.

The capabilities that will become increasingly valuable are those that remain uniquely human. These include empathy, ethical judgement, relationship building, collaboration, self-awareness, decision-making and leadership.

In many ways, the rise of AI increases the importance of emotional intelligence rather than diminishing it.

The more capable technology becomes, the more important it is that people understand themselves, understand others and make wise decisions about how technology is used.

Have you seen changes in how people want to learn?

Yes, very much so.

One of the strongest trends I see is the move towards more personalised and community-based learning experiences.

People increasingly want learning that reflects their own circumstances, challenges and goals. They also value opportunities to learn from the experiences of others.

I believe the future of learning will involve a greater combination of structured content, AI-supported personalisation, reflection, discussion and community engagement.

Learning is becoming less about consuming information and more about applying knowledge in context.

If you could change one thing about the training industry, what would it be?

I am less interested in changing the industry and more interested in exploring what comes next.

Every sector evolves. New approaches emerge, learner expectations change and technology creates new possibilities.

My focus has always been on understanding those changes and adapting accordingly rather than trying to preserve existing models.

What I would encourage is a greater focus on outcomes rather than credentials. Qualifications and certificates have their place, but they should never become the primary measure of success.

The real question is whether learning helps people think differently, behave differently and achieve better outcomes.

How do you continue learning yourself?

Curiosity is probably the most important factor.

I spend a great deal of time talking to people, exploring emerging ideas, researching developments and understanding how needs are changing.

I make extensive use of online resources, including video, articles, research and AI tools. However, I always approach information critically. I ask whether it is supported by evidence, whether it is useful and whether it can be applied in practice.

My background in pharmaceuticals taught me the importance of evidence-based thinking, and that remains central to how I learn today.

For me, learning is an ongoing process of questioning assumptions, exploring new perspectives and continually refining understanding.

This interview was originally published on Spotlight Training Co  as a part of the Training Impact Gap Project.  Jamie Ryder is interviewing 100 practitioners across training, L&D and change consultancy to get to the heart of how to bridge the gap between learning and behaviour change.