Showcase Magazine Spring 2024 - Flipbook - Page 11
PERSONAL
DEVELOPMENT
EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE
How do you manage your self-awareness, self-regulation,
motivation, empathy, and social skills?
Emotional intelligence is the ability to understand and manage your emotions effectively and use them in a positive way, for
example helping to build stronger relationships and friendships, and gaining motivation towards achieving your goals. Having
emotional intelligence helps you to communicate more clearly, which in turn can reduce conflict and overcome challenges,
helping you to make more informed decisions along the way. It can also enable you to empathise and influence the emotions
of others, and plays an important part in both your personal life and your professional work life.
There are 5 core components of emotional intelligence: self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy, and social skills.
Successful leaders within a team often exhibit strong levels of social intelligence as they can inspire and motivate teams,
navigate conflict, and make decisions based on a balanced emotional perspective. They create positive and inclusive cultures
within their organisation. Those with strong emotional intelligence are able to navigate the complexities of the workplace as
they can manage their own emotions and understand the emotions of others. They can build strong connections, contributing
to effective communication, collaboration, and teamwork.
Understanding feelings and how they shape thoughts and actions is a key skill to have in life. Having the ability to examine the
root of negative feelings can help you to reframe and work with them instead of simply becoming overwhelmed. Key skills for
emotional intelligence include listening, communication, relationship-building, resilience, conflict resolution, decision making,
and leadership.
5 Components of Emotional Intelligence
Improve your Emotional Intelligence
Self-Awareness
Self-awareness is about recognising and being able to understand
your emotions, identifying and recognising your feelings, strengths,
weaknesses, and core values. Self-awareness enables you to manage
your emotions better and respond to situations with better emotional
control.
Self-Awareness
Try to label your feelings to better identify them. Instead of anger,
could it be anxiety or frustration you need to address? Keeping a
record of your thoughts and feelings can also help you identify
patterns in your emotions.
Self-Regulation
This involves the ability to manage and regulate your emotions in a
variety of different situations, including handling stress, adapting to
change, and maintaining positivity. Those with strong self-regulation
skills are less likely to be swayed by negative emotions, especially
from others, and can maintain composure even in challenging
situations.
Motivation
Motivation goes beyond simply doing something to gain reward; it
involves an internal drive to want to achieve personal and professional
goals, and includes resilience in response to set-backs. Those with
higher emotional intelligence are more committed to their aspirations
and show positivity and optimism.
Empathy
Empaths understand and share the feelings of others by actively
listening and spotting non-verbal cues, enabling them to build
stronger interpersonal relationships . This helps to enhance teamwork
and create more positive and collaborative work environments.
Social Skills
Good communication, conflict resolution, and teamwork are all core
aspects of social skills in respect to emotional intelligence. Individuals
with strong social skills can navigate social situations with ease,
building rapport and relationships to create a harmonious atmosphere
both in personal and professional settings.
Self-Regulation
Take time to pause and reflect before reacting to a situation. Give
yourself time to assess your emotions and choose your response
accordingly, rather than acting impulsively. You might also like to
consider stress management techniques such as exercising, deep
breathing, and mindfulness to stay calm in stressful situations.
Motivation
Clearly define meaningful goals, both short- and long-term. Having a
strong sense of purpose can be motivational and keep you motivated
when faced with setbacks. Make sure you acknowledge and celebrate
your achievements, no matter how small!
Empathy
Practice active listening without interrupting or forming judgements.
Reflect on what you’ve heard before responding, and consider the
feelings and perspectives of others.
Social Skills
Work on expressing yourself clearly and concisely. Pay attention to
non-verbal cues too, as these can help you respond appropriately. Be
approachable, trustworthy, and collaborative.
Remember to seek feedback where you can so you can learn
continuously and improve. Educate yourself with videos and courses,
and make sure you practice skills such as assertiveness too. Always
be culturally sensitive and open-minded when working with others.
Most importantly - be patient with yourself and others.
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Showcase Training 11