LifeLabs New York

Can’t decide between a 4 – 5 the second time around with LifeLabs. I took the yapper lab.
It was a well structured class with a good foundation in cited research. Follow up again post class via email with a «lab report» summarizing main points of the class and suggested reading/​resources for further learning.
The class was very interesting and had a good mix of presentation and active exercises. The short exercises were generally enjoyable (albeit unnatural at times) and effective in making the points they were intended to make. There are general guidelines provided that can be applied to different (conversational) situations.
The reason I can’t decide on the rating is while the class was interesting and I learned a lot, I was left with some uncertainty. We had started off the class discussing the notion of «extraordinary» conversations and the diminishing amount of these conversations in current times and their importance for quality of life and relationships (very much inline with the mission of LifeLabs). And we moved on to what makes a good conversationalist and the skills of a good conversationalist, which provided the basis for the class. Yet the idea of a good conversationalist still seems murky to me as I think it depends on circumstances and situations, and they don’t necessarily seem to mesh with the concept of extraordinary conversations in many instances (i.e. formal or first time meeting situations). Some key aspects such as listening and fulfilling the other person’s «needs» may also seem to work for conversations to create likeability and rapport but leave me questioning sincerity and honesty, which would play into the basis of the fundamental aspects of true relationships. All said, the class had me thinking and has me interested enough to do more research and to practice the concepts in different situations to see how it goes.

* On a side note, I attended a leadership event following taking this lab and one of the panelists making comments on how they navigate social/​networking events seemed to reinforce concepts from the lab with respect to asking creative «spark» questions for interesting conversations and building connections, which gives me further confidence that the concepts from the class do have real world applicability.

I attended another class with LifeLabs last week — it was a big picture thinking class. I really enjoyed it. There was a lot of great information shared and the exercises we did in class were very helpful. I really enjoyed it and got a lot out of it. I’m signed up for more classes in the next few weeks. I highly recommend taking a LifeLabs class.

I took a people reading class taught by Leeann at the Manhattan location. It was fun and very interesting. I learned a lot in a short amount of time. It is full of useful information.

I attended a Mistakes Lab a few days ago, and had a great time. The atmosphere was relaxing, the class was energetic, and even after a long workday, my attention was grasped.
I didn’t realize just how much of a good time I’d had until I was describing my class to a coworker a few days later. Learning about and reveling in the embarrassment of mistake making was interesting enough, recounting lessons learned and being encouraged to tackle MORE mistakes head on with other mistake-​happy students was quite unforgettable.
Like the professor said: «make better mistakes tomorrow.»

I attended the Yapper Lab, this evening, which was taught by Dr. LeeAnn Renninger. I found the class to be enlightening, light-​hearted and pleasurable.
I felt as if everyone in the room wanted to be better, to grow and to participate. That is a lovely feeling. The instructor/​host/​creator/​the good Dr. LeeAnn, she was extremely pleasant and kind.
I’m looking forward to checking out other LifeLabs soon.