Meaningful Connections Certification

Meaningful Connections

Service professionals often experience a common phenomenon: a client arrives for their appointment and immediately begins sharing stories and experiences from their personal lives. This interaction typically leads to a good chat, a good laugh, and –particularly during this last difficult year –sometimes a good cry.

This confirms what service professionals already know: they play an important role in peoples’ wellness. When we’re in close proximity to one another, a mixture of oxytocin and psychosocial factors lead us to forge real, lasting connections. In the midst of a global pandemic, that role has taken on even greater significance. The world needs more empathy, gratitude and compassion – and clients often need emotional support.

Addressing this inherent need for human touch is in Dermalogica’s DNA, and served as the inspiration for the new Meaningful Connections Certification. Resources for this course come from the Greater Good Science Center at the University of California Berkeley. Greater Good studies research on positive emotions and social connection and turns it into tools and tips for people from all walks of life. The all-new course equips service industry professionals with interpersonal strategies to strengthen their own emotional intelligence and develop meaningful client connections.

Topics covered in the course include:

• Activating listening skills and being radically present to enhance client communication, especially during vulnerable or emotional conversations
• Body language guidance and tips on how to tune into clients’non verbal cues – even when they’re wearing a mask
• Practicing positivity by utilising eustress (beneficial stressors) to change a negative thought into a positive one
• Breathing exercises and supporting materials to assist with managing emotions
• Vagus nerve activation massage techniques to help guide clients toward a state of peace and tranquility
• Gratitude, a powerful practice that is scientifically proven to enhance serotonin and dopamine and lead to happiness.

"As the leader in skincare education, one of our core values is human touch,” states Tabby Zamani, Dermalogica Head of Global Education. “It felt natural for us to fill an educational gap in the industry by creating a course that will empower service professionals to navigate emotional, challenging conversations during these unprecedented times. The world has shifted: mental health has taken on more significance than ever before, and the power of human touch is more precious than ever. It’s no longer enough for brands to simply teach product knowledge and customer service,” Zamani continues. “There’s a real need to elevate our own expertise, and to provide industry professionals with the tools to strengthen their emotional intelligence and cultivate lasting relationships."

With this course, we’re proud to share eight guiding principles that will support meaningful connections – both during and after the pandemic.