Action Steps To Strengthen Your E.I. Emotional Intelligence
By: L. C. Mclaughlin
Tags: Eq, Emotional Intelligence, Relationship Building, Ei, Business Strategy

Photo by Pro Church Media on Unsplash

Emotional intelligence (also referred to as E.I. or E.Q.) may seem like a business buzzword, it’s not a trend that will be going away anytime soon. It’s a hot topic for a very good reason. Emotional and social skills are 4 times more important than intelligence when it comes to success.

With that said, it’s clear why you would want to boost your emotional intelligence, even if you feel like you already have a firm grasp on this element of success.

What Is Emotional Intelligence?

Unlike your IQ, (intelligence quotient, a measure of a person’s reasoning ability or a gauge of how well we use information and logic to answer questions) your emotional intelligence (EQ/IQ) is your ability to process your emotions, the emotions of other people and then make conclusions.

While some people can have high IQs and high EQs, your IQ and EQ are not connected. You have probably experienced this first hand. When you think of people you have met recently high intelligence doesn’t always equal high social skills. And vice versa you might know someone who is great to talk to and interact with…but wouldn’t be someone to call with a complicated math problem.

Daniel Goleman, the writer of the book Emotional Intelligence brought the idea of EI or EQ to light for everyday people.

Knowing how to manage your emotions, reduce stress, communicate well, and be empathetic, can help you build strong relationships, increase success, and make smart decisions that matter the most to you.

The concept of emotional intelligence demonstrates how one’s IQ to predict success is too narrow. Goleman writes about emotional intelligence being a more effective indicator of how successful a person may become.

The following set of skills come naturally to some, but can also be learned and developed with practice.

Emotional Intelligence Is Being Self-Aware While Managing Your Emotions

Self-awareness is the foundation of EQ. Being aware of the impact your emotions have on your behavior, will help you be able to manage your emotions in a beneficial way. Taking note of how you’re feeling. What the root cause is of your emotion? Notice what you notice. It’s crucial that you don’t judge your feelings, simply notice them, and let them and embrace them.

Part of being self-aware is knowing the importance of maintaining a healthy work-life balance. People with this quality value their health, eat well, rest, and value activities outside of their professional life.

Monitoring your emotions is a key part to understanding yourself, being able to manage your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. People who are self-aware act consciously and proactively instead of being passive and reactive.

Have Awareness Of Those You Interact With

Next time you’re talking with someone, pay attention to their body language. Is the person leaning in or creating distance? Are they making eye contact? Are they slouching or sitting up straight? What are your impressions of what they are saying and not saying?

Look into their eyes and take notice of what your intuition is saying of the other person. Then ask the person what they are thinking and feeling. With focused practice your guesses will ring true. In business this can give you a secret knowledge regarding how your presentation is being received.

Being aware of the feelings/emotions of those you are around gives you insight into their thoughts. With practice, you’ll start to notice the subtle signs. This skill will help you see the full picture. You’ll be able to better handle your feelings and the feelings of others.

Social Awareness For Relationship Building

Social awareness is the skill of reading and processing social cues. This EQ skill encompasses the ability to recognize other people’s emotions and be empathetic. Social awareness helps you decode what other people are feeling, reflect that emotion yourself, and then offer help or a solution.

People with strong social awareness can put themselves in other people’s shoes to help them feel acknowledged. People with strong social awareness are skilled at navigating the workplace, making it easier for them to land and maintain jobs and build strong relationships.

A large part of developing social awareness is using your personal life experience to be able to relate to what others are going through. You don’t have to have a whole lifetime of experiences, offering relatable stories is the ultimate key.

Maintaining A Large Emotional Vocabulary Will Strengthen Your EQ

While everyone has emotions, only a fraction of people can precisely identify them, especially as they’re occurring. The majority of the population may say they’re feeling mad without being able to recognize the underlying cause or root feeling. But if you have a high emotional intelligence you have the knowledge to know the feeling might be more complicated like feeling frustrated, scared, or anxious.

People who have high EQs are able to regulate their emotions by understanding them. Having a large emotional vocabulary and knowing the subtle differences between various feelings helps eliminate hidden feelings. The more specific you can get about how you’re feeling will reveal the root cause and what you can do to remedy it, for yourself and others.

Remember Building Emotional Muscle Is A Process

Just like building muscle or stamina through exercise, building emotional intelligence muscle takes time. It’s a process that you have to work on for your entire life. EI is something you develop, and it requires continuous improvement and work. Learning all the knowledge and skills for high emotional intelligence is a process that’s well worth all the work.

Final Thoughts On How to Improve Your Emotional Intelligence EI

In this article, we reviewed the skills and insights needed for a high level of emotional intelligence. The main skill being consistent in learning the techniques for strengthening your emotional knowledge.

Be proactive in applying these skills and steps to your life. While it will take some effort at first to pay attention to your feelings and behaviors, it will soon become second nature. Once that happens you’ll know your emotional intelligence is improving. This will put you on the right track towards success in all areas of your life.