4 Stages of Learning EI

Have you ever noticed your feelings? How often have you stepped into others’ shoes and experienced their emotions?

How well do you understand what you feel and why you feel so?

I believe emotional intelligence can be gained or improved upon at any point in life. The real question to ask; do we think we have the right environment to learn and practice emotional intelligence skills?

Let us dive into the 4 stages of learning emotional intelligence;

Self-awareness

This is considered the foundation for all the other components of emotional intelligence. Self-awareness means being aware of what you are feeling; being conscious of the emotions within yourself.

People who are in touch with their emotions are better able to guide their own lives. Team members need to be in touch with their emotions to interact effectively and appreciate emotions in others.

Those with high levels of self-awareness learn to trust their ‘gut feelings’ and realise that these feelings can provide useful information about difficult decisions.

Self-management

This is the second key component of emotional intelligence in managing emotions. Operationally it means that team members need to be able to balance their own moods so that worry, anxiety, fear or anger do not get in the way of what needs to be done.

Those who can manage their emotions perform better because they are able to think clearly. Managing emotions does not mean suppressing or denying them but understanding them and using that understanding to deal with situations productively. It helps you recognize a mood or feeling, think about what it means and how it affects you, and then choose how to act.

Social awareness

Being socially aware means that you understand how to react to different social situations, and effectively modify your interactions with other people so that you can achieve the best results.

It also means being aware of the world around you and how different environments influence people. Increasing social awareness means improving your skills to connect with others verbally, nonverbally.

If you see someone on the street begging, do you stop to help or do you walk away?

Relationship management

The final component of emotional intelligence is the ability to connect with others, build positive relationships, respond to the emotions of others and influence others on the team.

Relationship management includes the identification, analysis and management of relationships with people inside and outside of your team as well as their development. It is also vital in negotiating successfully, resolving conflicts and working with others toward a shared goal.

How do you handle a misunderstanding with a colleague at work? Do you shout and yell at each other, causing chaos in the office or do you find ways to amicably solve the issue? The latter is better in my opinion.

Build your EI then use it

How you choose to think, feel and act in relation to life’s challenges will often impact your health and wellbeing, as well as your mindset. By tapping into your emotional intelligence, you can learn from difficult situations and better prepare yourself for future challenges.

It’s not simply about what knowledge you gain on emotional intelligence. It’s about what you do with that knowledge that makes the big difference.

If you want the tools to help you master your emotional intelligence (EQ), then this course is for you! Sign up today!