Emotional intelligence and it’s Components

Emotional intelligence, a common term that people confuse with an Emotional quotient. A person with higher emotional intelligence is more likely to be successful than one who has a higher 'Intelligence Quotient’, IQ. An emotion is a unique feature that differentiates us from animals and angels.  

Let’s break down the term Emotional Intelligence. Emotions are feelings that allow us to experience different situations in a unique manner. On the other hand, intelligence is concerned with an individual’s mental ability to understand and reason the information at hand. In all, Emotional intelligence is the ability to rationally use emotions and knowledge to polish thoughts. It also refers to one’s capacity to understand and manage their own emotions

There are 5 major components of Emotional intelligence.

Self-awareness

This refers to the ability of an individual to recognise and understand how to own emotions, moods and actions and the way they take effect. Self-awareness in Emotional Intelligence requires one to notice, keep track, identify and be aware of own emotions. It involves openness to experiencing and learning from new emotions through social interaction. 

For instance, if you are feeling down in the classroom, you should immediately recognise the factor that is causing this emotion. If it is something from your personal life, recognise, understand and then react in a chaotic classroom. 

Self-regulation

This component of Emotional intelligence enables one to correctly regulate/react and express certain emotions. For instance, in a classroom full of learners, if you are facing a setback in your personal life, you must not let your emotions take over your teaching skills. There may be situations where you feel impatient, you shouldn’t let your notorious learners know that you’re low on patience. 

You must keep yourself flexible, be open to change and work towards conflict management. You must learn to take ownership of your actions and be aware of their effects.

Social skills

Emotional intelligence plays the most significant role in social skills. It is all about interacting with others. This requires individuals to apply socially accepted emotions with others in their day-to-day lives. These emotions can be gauged from verbal communication, body language, active listening and leadership skills. 

For instance, in a classroom setting, you must stay alert. You must let your learners know that they can reach out to you when they want. If you verbally communicate it but have body language that says otherwise then learners may become reserved.

Empathy

Emotional intelligence also deals with the way others feel, i.e empathy. It requires an individual to recognise, understand and respond to others' feelings. An empathic approach is required in places where one deals with multiple people, i.e their workplace. One should always be understanding towards problems that others are facing. 

For instance, a student may feel low if they come from a broken family. As an instructor, you must understand and respond correctly to their problems rather than showing sympathy towards the learner.

Motivation

The power of emotional intelligence requires motivation. This motivation deals with intrinsic factors only. To understand it correctly, money is an external motivator whereas personal needs for improvement and derive to acquire new skills is intrinsic motivation. Such individuals get into a ‘flow’ during an activity. These individuals set goals and plan their actions accordingly. They look for ways to continuously improve themselves, are committed and keen to make the first move. 

For instance, as a trainer with vast experience, you may be motivated to improve your current skills and decide to acquire a Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) for which you do the Level 4 Certificate in Education and Training courses to add to your knowledge. 

It boils down to an individual who is socially interactive and has knowledge about their own and others' emotions. It is merely about understanding, recognising and reacting to situations and emotions. Emotional intelligence is a soft skill that one can achieve through patience and practice.