Some people always seem to have the best relationships, the best grades, the best attitudes, etcetera. According to Stephen R. Covey, an author in Utah, there are seven habits that produce these highly effective people.

Deborah Woodley, professor in the School of Technology and coordinator for the Career and Organizations Studies Program, is one of the facilitators for tonight’s workshop that is based on Covey’s book, “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People.”

The workshop will be held at 4 p.m. today in Klehm Hall Room 114.

The seven habits are divided into two parts. The first part relates to interpersonal communication, Woodley said.

The first three habits relate to individuals, Woodley said. The first habit is to be “proactive.” The second is to “begin with the end in mind,” and the third habit is to “put first things first.”

“These are habits that help you with self-mastery and self-discipline,” Woodley said.

After the first three habits are mastered, then students move on to the next three habits.

“These habits help you work with other people and show you how to build lasting, effective relationships,” she said.

The fourth habit is to think “win-win,” Woodley said. “If you think win-win, then both people win in the relationship,” she said.

The fifth habit is to “seek first to understand, then to be understood,” and the sixth habit is to “synergize.”

To synergize means to get together with others, and that the groups idea would be bigger and better than the idea of just the one person, Woodley said.

“The whole is greater than the sum of its parts,” Woodley said.

The seventh and final habit is to “sharpen the saw,” Woodley said. This habit has four encompassing parts.

The first part is a physical renewal that can be achieved through such things as exercise. The second part is a mental renewal that can be achieved by increasing mental capacity with writing or reading. The third part is a spiritual renewal that can be achieved by reading inspirational material or meditating, and the fourth part is a social or emotional renewal that can be achieved by “making daily deposits in the emotional bank account of relationships,” Woodley said.

An example of a “deposit” would be saying “thank you” to someone, giving someone a compliment or just listening to someone when that person needs to be listened to, she said.

This first session of the workshop is offered from 4 to 7 p.m. Tuesday; Feb. 27; March 6, 20, 27; and April 3, 10, 17 in Klehm Hall Room 114.

The second session is offered from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, March 2 and March 23 in Klehm Hall Room 214. A $75 registration fee will be charged to cover the cost of materials, Woodley said.

For more information or to register for one of the sessions, Woodley can be contacted at 581-6270 or by e-mail at cfdaw@eiu.edu.