What Is Emotional Intelligence?

We are so excited about our first ever VIRTUAL COURSE ON EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE that we are bursting at the seams. SIGN UP NOW to gain early registration discounts and read on as Senior Strategic Partner and course facilitator Laura Dillingham describes Emotional Intelligence in very specific terms.

What is Emotional Intelligence and why can it matter more than IQ? Emotional Intelligence, or Emotional Quotient (EQ), is defined as the ability to identify, use, understand and manage emotions in positive ways to relieve stress, communicate effectively, empathize with others, overcome challenges and defuse conflict.

Another way of looking at it is EQ is the ability to monitor not only your own emotions but also other people’s emotions, to be able to discriminate between different emotions and label them appropriately, and to use emotional information to guide your thinking and behavior.

Intelligence Quotient (IQ) is only responsible for 10-25% of a person’s success. In other words, you get the intellectual capacity you get and changing that can be difficult, if not impossible. However, the good news is the remaining 75% of a person’s success can be directly related to their level of Emotional Intelligence. EQ, unlike IQ, can be learned and changed which increases a person’s chances of success in almost every situation. Even if a person has the IQ to know how to behave they must also have the EQ to be able to implement the behavior.

Developing EQ starts with an individual commitment to valuing every person as unique individuals rather than judging differences. Typically when emotions rise, we start to judge and that begins to separate us. Another option when emotions start to rise is to recognize what’s happening, listen to each other’s opinions and viewpoints and try not to pass judgement…just listen. This allows us to hear and see things we wouldn’t ordinarily be able to comprehend.

There are several tools you can learn to use in the beginning to help you with this process. The first tool is learning to take your “emotional temperature” so you can put how you are feeling into words. By first recognizing your emotional temperature, you know what emotional state you are in and whether you can participate in the way you need to or if you need to step away for a few minutes.

Emotions precede actions. Emotional Intelligence is what drives our actions. The essence of Emotional Intelligence is recognizing your emotional state and having the ability to take yourself from cloudy to clear; from red to green or from 10 back to one.

Want to know more about Emotional Intelligence? Want to know specifically about YOUR Emotional Intelligence. Sign up for the VIRTUAL Emotional Intelligence course beginning September 15, 2016. The sessions are on-line for one hour every week for ten weeks and include taking an on-line EQ assessment. Seating is limited and there are discounts for early registration. The link below provides more information.

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QUESTIONS? Contact us at info@hpisolutions.com