Emotional Intelligence Examples
Emotional Awareness | By: Katie Lister
January 18, 2024
What is emotional intelligence? Why is it important? What are some emotional intelligence examples? How can I tell if I am emotionally intelligent?
Emotional intelligence is a term that has been floating around for a while. If you have these questions and more, read on to find out the finer details of emotional intelligence.
Hi, I am Katie Lister, a practicing Registered Nurse and the founder of Growth Gals. GG is a safe space where women can come together to learn, get support from fellow women and offer support. Emotional intelligence is one of the common topics discussed here.
Emotional intelligence baffles many people. In this article, I will tell you everything you need to know about emotional intelligence skills and how to apply them in your day-to-day life and at the workplace.
Table of Contents
Katie Lister
Written by Katie Lister, RN, BScN. An experienced Registered Nurse, Group Facilitator, Life Coach, and Community Leader. Read Katie's Full Author Bio
What is Emotional Intelligence?
Emotional intelligence (EI) or emotional quotient (EQ) refers to a person’s ability to recognize, interpret, control, and use their emotions to relate and have effective communication with others. You can neutralize conflict and overcome challenges.
In simple terms, EI is your ability to manage your emotions and understand the feelings of others around you.
Emotional intelligence allows you to succeed at work or school by achieving your set goals and building better and stronger relationships. As an emotionally intelligent person, you can turn your plans into actions.
You become better at connecting with your emotions and improving your decision-making on important matters. Some experts say that for success, being emotionally intelligent is more important than having a high IQ (intelligence quotient).
In the 1990s, Peter Salovey and John D. Mayer were the first to define the concept of emotional intelligence. Daniel Goleman continued to develop it and make it understood to the general public. Today, the EQ concept is widely accepted across the globe. However, some psychologists differ with the idea by arguing it’s not possible to capture high EQ using psychometric tests like you can with general intelligence.
Emotional Intelligence Examples - Why EQ Skills are Important?
When you have high EI levels, you have several advantages. These skills are important for several reasons:
Empathy
Being empathetic allows you to sense others’ emotions and the ability to imagine or pre-empt what someone else is feeling or thinking.
Communication
Emotional intelligence is important in that it allows you to communicate effectively with others. EI will enable you to keep calm, even under immense pressure. EI ensures you are always in control of your feelings, allowing you to communicate calmly and clearly.
Better relationships
Understanding your emotions and having control over them makes it easier to express how you feel and understand other people’s feelings. This allows you to foster better and stronger relationships, both at work and in your social life.
Conflict Resolution
When you can control your emotions and gauge the feelings of others, you can effectively read a room. This ability makes it easier for you to know what to say and when. Staying calm when in a difficult situation makes it easier for you to make sober judgments.
Learn how to control your emotions in this article.
Better mental health
Stress and uncontrolled feelings can affect your mental well-being, leaving you prone to depression and anxiety. When you have a high EQ, you are able to manage your emotions better, allowing you to foster stronger relationships. This will also avoid loneliness and isolation, which helps to protect your mental health.
How do I show emotional intelligence?
You can show emotional intelligence at the workplace and in your social life by doing the following:
Active Listening
It’s important to have good listening skills as it greatly affects your relationships with other people. Most of us are not good listeners, and research shows that we only retain between 25 and 50% of what we hear.
Active listening is making an intentional effort to listen to the words and the communicated message. This means you have to learn how to pay close attention and provide constructive feedback when someone is talking to you.
Be empathetic
Empathy is your ability to relate to the feelings of others, their experiences, and their thoughts. Many confuse empathy with sympathy, which means feeling pity or sorry for others’ misfortunes. Empathy is a deeper emotion and is about understanding the situation from others’ point of view.
Have a positive attitude.
Having a positive attitude makes people trust you, even when they have made mistakes. To be an effective leader at work, you need to motivate your team members by having a positive, can-do attitude.
Learn how to not be insecure here.
Emotional Intelligence Examples - The Five Characteristics
The five components of emotional intelligence include:
Self-awareness
Self-awareness involves identifying and a better understanding of your feelings. Know what you are feeling, figure out why, and recognize how these emotions affect the people around you.
Self-awareness gives you more self-confidence because you can trust your intuition and thus be able to make better decisions. As a self-aware individual, you never let your emotions get the better of you, and you work on your weaknesses and use your strengths. Self-awareness is the most important aspect of EQ.
Empathy
Empathy is a large part of EQ, the second most important element of EQ. Being empathetic means being able to understand the needs, wants, and views of others. It also means that you consider the feelings of others before you respond to a situation. You listen actively and pay attention to verbal and nonverbal cues.
Self-regulation
Self-regulation means the ability to control your impulses and emotions. People who self-regulate have self-control and avoid getting too jealous, and they know how to let go of anger. They also avoid making impulsive decisions and think before they act.
Self-regulated and emotionally intelligent people also avoid giving their feelings away with their body language or facial expressions. A self-regulated person is thoughtful, is comfortable with change, and has no problem saying no.
Social skills
People with excellent social skills have high levels of emotional intelligence. They are likable, approachable, and team players. Their co-workers find it easy to work with them as they do not only work on their success only, but also help their team members develop.
People with strong social skills have excellent communication skills, making it easy for them to manage disputes, and they are masters at relationship management. An effective leader with excellent relationship management skills inspires, develops, and guides team members. These skills ultimately improve teamwork and productivity.
Motivation
People with high emotional intelligence are always motivated. They are the type who thrive at the workplace and are willing to forego instant results to gain long-term success. Motivated people are super productive, love challenges, and are successful in everything they do.
How EQ applies to the workplace and real life
EQ is important in the work environment and real life in several ways.
Understanding nonverbal communication
You can read a room and solve an issue before it escalates into a bigger problem. For instance, if you notice a coworker is always late for work and showing nonverbal signs of distress, you can take them to the side and offer an empathetic ear.
In your personal life, you notice your partner is displaying nonverbal signs of sadness, and you draw them into a conversation to know what’s wrong.
Self-awareness of your emotions
Use this self-awareness skill to keep your emotions in check before they become a problem for a client, your coworkers, or a family member. For instance, if you are having a bad day, try not to make it obvious by consciously shifting your focus to positive feelings.
Effective leadership
Emotional intelligence goes together with effective leadership skills. When you display competencies like active listening, empathy, positivity, patience, and problem-solving, you can advance your career to a leadership role.
Social Intelligence
Social intelligence is when you are in tune with your emotions and can connect to people around you. Social intelligence is what enables you to tell foe from a friend, reduce stress, and measure someone’s interest.
Fostering relationships
By understanding your feelings and how to keep them in check, you can express yourself and understand others’ feelings. This allows you to forge more positive relationships in your personal life and also at the workplace.
How To Improve Emotional Intellgence
Emotional intelligence is essential for successful relationships. It involves recognizing and expressing emotions healthily. If you have low emotional intelligence, you can improve it by taking a few initiatives:
Self-awareness
Early life experiences shape emotional intelligence. Good emotional experiences during infancy help develop strong emotional skills and traits in adulthood, while negative experiences can cause emotional distance.
Emotional awareness of self and emotional responses to others can boost your emotional intelligence. Track times when you feel strong emotions and note the triggers. Connecting to your emotional states is key to understanding how they influence your thoughts and actions.
Self-Management
To engage your EQ, you must use emotions to make constructive decisions. Overwhelming stress can cause a loss of control, making it challenging to act thoughtfully. When stressed, clear thinking and accurate emotional assessment become difficult.
Managing stress and staying present helps you receive upsetting information without losing control. You can then make wise choices, manage your emotions, take charge of situations, fulfil commitments, and adapt to change. You must learn to manage stress to comfortably handle strong emotions and change how you experience and respond to them.
Social awareness
Social awareness means understanding nonverbal cues to know how others feel and what matters to them. To be socially aware, practice mindfulness, and be present in the moment. Don’t be distracted by your thoughts or phone, as you might miss subtle nonverbal cues. Multitasking may seem useful, but it can cause you to miss important emotional cues.
Relationship management
Relationship management involves being aware of others’ emotions and using social and emotional skills to improve relationships. Be mindful of how you use nonverbal communication. It sends messages about what you think and feel. Recognizing these cues even in others helps improve relationships.
Growth Gals Can Help Improve Your Emotional Intelligence!
We are calling out to all women striving to become better versions of themselves! Are you seeking a means to self-discovery? Your search ends here with Growth Gals, a compassionate and encouraging community of women who can assist you in improving your emotional intelligence.
Follow @growthgals_ on Instagram to stay updated on our journals, coaching, and support groups. Be sure to check out our newsletter for the latest tips and tricks on personal growth. Join us now and start your journey towards self-improvement and improving your emotional intelligence.
Emotional Intelligence Examples - In conclusion
Emotional intelligence is the key to success in both your personal life and career. Effective leaders have excellent communication skills, can resolve conflicts, and can rally team members to improve productivity. In social and work relationships, knowing how to read a room goes a long way in difficult situations. Join Growth Gals today and start improving your emotional intelligence!
