According to Google dictionary, Emotional Intelligence means, “the capacity to be aware of, control, and express one’s emotions, and to handle interpersonal relationships judiciously and empathetically.”
Though social network, where you grow in your skills and talent, is as important as a high qualification in the professional world, very less importance is given to Emotional Intelligence.
Emotional Intelligence can be developed, enhanced and sharpened, unlike Intelligence Quotient, which remains relatively stable throughout your life. Emotional intelligence is the ability to tap into your emotions and use them to make your life better. A high EQ boosts career and interpersonal success, leadership talent, entrepreneurial potential, humor and happiness as well as a decrease in stress. It is synonymous with interpersonal effectiveness, your emotions affect you as well as the people around you.
The American Institute of Stress reports stress as the main cause of 40 percent of workplace turnovers and 80 percent of work-related injuries.By learning techniques to be in touch with your emotions, you are preparing yourself to manage stress levels and communicate better, both personally and professionally.
Acknowledge your feelings
The most important step in developing Emotional Intelligence is acknowledging your feelings, instead of ignoring them. Be aware of both negative and positive feelings and connect them to experiences.
- Keep a journal and name your feelings and note which situations brought which feelings on.
- Note what times of the day are you generally feeling certain emotions and recognize your own shortcomings.
- Observe how your emotions and behaviors could be connected.
- Avoid reacting without any reflection on your emotions.
- Notice patterns in your own emotional history.
- Practice how you want to behave when you note certain emotions in the future.
Become an invested listener
Have you heard of that phrase, “Put oneself in else’s shoes”, that’s what you have to do to develop your EQ. Being able to recognize how others are feeling and sharing emotions with them is the art of empathy. Being open and “yourself” makes you a trustworthy person and gives others permission to let their true colors shine.
- Show interest in other’s situations.
- Sharpen your skills at body language by trying to interpret the tone of voice and more subtle facial expressions in others.
- Use good eye contact.
There is always room for improvement
Evaluate wherever you have room for improvement. Develop a plan of action to relieve stress like having a good sleep before the meeting in the morning, a less stressful driving route to and from work, or take a walk with a friend. Decide to adopt an optimistic attitude by incorporating humor, happiness and positivity into your life. Accept criticism and use it as motivation for improvement.
- Identify what are your stress triggers.
- Learning from a mistake builds resilience instead of fostering negativity.
Learning to control your own mood can serve as motivation to find solutions to more problems in the future thus becoming a more effective and happy person.