Most people who work with others were never taught how emotion drives behaviour, or how behaviour actually changes. They learned by trial and error, and they carry the cost of it in every difficult conversation, every team that will not shift, every habit of their own that survives another year.

This programme closes that gap in two days. It brings the science of emotion and behaviour change out of the research literature and into a room of twelve, where it is demonstrated, practised, corrected and certified. Participants leave able to read what is happening beneath a conversation, regulate themselves under pressure, and move another person from insight to sustained action.

Who it is for

Coaches and aspiring coaches who want a rigorous, science-based foundation and a certificate that means something
HR, L&D and people leaders responsible for performance, culture and difficult conversations
Managers, founders and senior executives who lead teams and want to lead them better
Educators, trainers and facilitators who work with groups
Counsellors, therapists, healthcare and wellbeing professionals adding a structured behaviour change practice alongside their existing work
Anyone who has understood their own patterns intellectually and still cannot change them

This is not a motivational weekend, and it is not therapy. It is a practitioner training with a standard attached to it.

What you will be able to do

Read emotional states accurately in yourself and others, including the ones being hidden
Regulate your own nervous system in real time, so that pressure sharpens you rather than hijacks you
Identify the patterns, beliefs and defence mechanisms that keep a behaviour in place
Run a structured behaviour change conversation that ends in a plan the other person will keep
Give feedback, handle conflict and hold boundaries without damaging the relationship
Design habits and environments so that change no longer depends on willpower
Work confidently with a toolkit drawn from emotional intelligence research, applied neuroscience, coaching psychology and NLP

The syllabus

24 hours of certified learning: 3 hours of pre-work, 16 hours in the room, 5 hours of integration.

Pre-work (3 hours, online, released two weeks before Day 1)

Orientation: how the two days work and how to get the most from them
Emotional intelligence self-assessment, repeated at 90 days
Two short readings: the science of emotion, and why behaviour resists change
Reflection: the three patterns you would most like to understand in yourself

Day 1: The Science (Saturday, 10am to 6pm)

The Architecture of Emotion. What emotions are for, how they arise, and what the nervous system is doing while you are trying to stay calm
Emotional Intelligence: the Models that Matter. Ability and competency models, the four domains, and what the evidence supports
Self-Awareness in Practice. Naming emotions precisely, emotional granularity, triggers and the signals the body sends first
Self-Regulation under Pressure. Reappraisal versus suppression, the pause, breath and state, and a repeatable method for recovering composure
The Anatomy of a Behaviour. Habit loops, beliefs, defence mechanisms and secondary gain: why people keep doing what costs them
The Psychology of Motivation. Autonomy, competence and relatedness, self-efficacy, and the gap between intending and doing
Live Demonstration and Group Practice. Dr Athal works with a volunteer in real time; the cohort learns to see what he sees

Day 2: The Craft (Sunday, 10am to 6pm)

Social Awareness and Empathy. Reading a room, listening at three levels, and the difference between empathy and projection
Communication and Influence. Rapport, framing and reframing, precision questions, and NLP-informed language patterns
Difficult Conversations. Feedback, conflict and boundaries, using a four-step structure that keeps the relationship intact
Behaviour Change Frameworks. Stages of change, the capability-opportunity-motivation model, implementation intentions and relapse planning
The Practitioner’s Toolkit. Anchoring, state management and the 30-minute behaviour change conversation, demonstrated and then practised in pairs
Supervised Practice. Every participant runs a full live practice conversation and receives individual feedback
Assessment and Integration. A short, supportive practical assessment, your own 30-day behaviour change plan, and a closing circle

Integration (5 hours, within 14 days)

A one-page integration note: three patterns you now recognise, one change you have begun
Your 30-day plan in action, with a 90-minute online follow-up session at day 30
Continued access to the Lab’s resource library

Your certification

Successful participants are certified as a Certified Emotional Intelligence & Behaviour Change Practitioner by the International Coaching Institute (ICI), Singapore. The programme is registered with the MQA (Ref. NAW/10562/2025).

To be certified, you will:

Complete the pre-work before Day 1
Attend both days in full
Complete the short practical assessment on the afternoon of Day 2. It is a 20-minute practice conversation and a brief written reflection, designed to confirm what you can do rather than what you can remember. Everything in the two days prepares you for it
Submit your integration note within 14 days

Your certificate is issued in digital and printed form with a marksheet, and your name is listed in the Certified Practitioners database. Graduates may use the title Certified Emotional Intelligence & Behaviour Change Practitioner (ICI) in their professional profiles.

How you will use it

In your own life

Recognise an emotional reaction as it forms, and choose a response instead of inheriting one
Change a personal habit using a method rather than resolve
Bring more steadiness into the relationships that matter most

At your workplace

Give feedback that lands and is acted on
Manage conflict, resistance and change without escalation
Coach team members instead of managing them
Hire, appraise and lead with an accurate read of people

As a practitioner

Run structured behaviour change sessions with clients, employees or students
Design and deliver emotional intelligence workshops with a credible, certified foundation
Add a recognised certification to a coaching, HR, teaching or wellbeing practice
Continue into the International Coaching Institute’s professional coaching certification pathway with priority admission

Your facilitator

Dr Krishna Athal is a Life & Executive Coach, corporate trainer, and leadership consultant working at the intersection of leadership, psychology, neuroscience, and human behaviour across India, Mauritius, and Singapore. He holds a CASL, PhD, PGDip, MSc, MBA, BSc, and Dip, and is a certified NLP Practitioner (European Board of NLP and IJNGP).

He is Head Coach at the International Coaching Institute, Singapore, where he trains and certifies professional coaches, and has worked with 84+ corporate clients across three countries. He created the concept of Tri-Intelligence Leadership. He teaches the way he coaches: directly, warmly, and with the research close at hand.

The Coaching Lab

The Coaching Lab is Dr Athal’s in-person training practice. Cohorts are capped at twelve so that every participant is seen, every question is answered, and every skill is practised live rather than watched. Small cohorts. Deep conversations. Lasting change.

Your journey

Apply. Reserve your seat and complete a short application so the cohort is a good fit for everyone in it
Prepare. Receive your welcome pack, self-assessment and pre-work two weeks before Day 1
Train. Two full days in the room with Dr Athal and eleven peers
Certify. Complete the short practical assessment and your integration note
Practise. Put your 30-day plan to work, with a follow-up session on day 30
Belong. Join the alumni circle, appear in the practitioner directory, and continue into advanced and ICI programmes

What is included

16 hours of live, in-person training with Dr Krishna Athal
3 hours of pre-work and 5 hours of guided integration
The printed Practitioner Workbook
ICI certificate (digital and printed) with marksheet
Listing in the Certified Practitioners database
90-minute online follow-up session at day 30
12 months of access to the Lab’s resource library and alumni circle
Lunch, tea and coffee on both days
Certification kit and a personal letter from Dr Athal
Priority admission to ICI coaching certification and advanced Lab programmes

Cancellation and transfer

The fee is non-refundable but transferable once to a future cohort
Seats are personal and cannot be transferred to another participant
Write to coaching@drkrishnaathal.com to request a transfer or refund under this policy

Frequently asked questions

How many hours is the full programme?
24 certified hours: 3 pre-work, 16 in the room, 5 integration.

Do I need prior training in coaching or psychology?
No. The programme is designed for professionals who work with people, whatever their background. Coaches and psychologists tell us it sharpens what they already do; managers and educators tell us it names what they have been doing by instinct.

Is the certificate recognised?
It is issued by the International Coaching Institute, Singapore, and the programme is registered with the MQA (Ref. NAW/10562/2025). It is, therefore, HRDC-refunded.

What happens in the assessment?
A 20-minute practice conversation and a short written reflection on the afternoon of Day 2. It confirms that you can apply what you have learned. Every exercise across the two days builds towards it.

Can I attend online?
No. The Lab is in-person only, because the work depends on the room.

How many people are in a cohort?
Twelve at most.

What if I miss part of a day?
Certification requires full attendance. If something unavoidable arises, transfer to a future cohort at no cost.

Can my employer pay?
Yes. Request an invoice at checkout. Mauritian employers should ask us about HRDC refund eligibility.

Does this lead anywhere?
Yes. Certified Practitioners receive priority admission to the International Coaching Institute’s coaching certification pathway and to advanced programmes at the Lab.

I have another question.
Book a 15-minute call with Dr Athal or write to coaching@drkrishnaathal.com.

behaviour change practitioner

Certified Emotional Intelligence & Behaviour Change Practitioner