development

Optimizing Your Brain with Emotional Intelligence

– Posted in: Emotional Intelligence, Neuroscience
brain with colors to show its activity and connections

EMOTIONS AND THE BRAIN In their search for understanding how the brain works neuroscientists discovered emotions. And it turns out that emotions play a big role. They are necessary to thinking and decision-making and are in general much more important than we used to believe. In our Western culture environment, which highly values analytical and [...]

An Evidence Based Tool To Boost Your Emotional Intelligence

– Posted in: Emotional Intelligence, Positive Psychology

You’ve read a book on emotional intelligence or you’ve attended a workshop and you liked it. You realize that these competencies and skills can help you move forward in your career, be a more effective leader, make better decisions and develop stronger interpersonal relationships. So what’s next? What is the best way to learn and [...]

Reality Testing: Do You Live In Your Head Or Are You Tuned In To Your Environment?

– Posted in: Emotional Intelligence
two people with questions and light bulbs coming out of their heads

  Reality Testing is part of the Decision Making composite, which also includes Problem Solving and Impulse Control. What is Reality Testing? Reality Testing is the capacity to remain objective by seeing things as they really are. This involves recognizing when emotions or personal bias can cause one to be less objective. Reality testing involves [...]

Social Responsibility: What is Your Contribution to Your Community?

– Posted in: Emotional Intelligence
baby-boys

Social Responsibility is part of the Interpersonal composite in the Emotional Intelligence model. It is a desire and ability to get involved and contribute to your community, to society and to others in general. What is Social Responsibility? Are you actively involved in teams, groups, or your community? Do you show concern for others and [...]

Empathy: Are You “In Tune” with Others?

– Posted in: Emotional Intelligence

Empathy is a key aspect of interpersonal relationships. Emotional empathy – whether low or high – powerfully affects either way each and every of your interpersonal relationships. What is Empathy? Are you good at “emotionally reading” others? Can you easily put yourself in some one else’s shoes? Empathy is the ability to understand and appreciate [...]

Are Your Interpersonal Relationships Mutually Satisfying?

– Posted in: Emotional Intelligence
family dinner around a table set with food

  The Interpersonal composite of the EQ-i framework is about Social Intelligence and builds on your Self-Perception and Self-Expression skills. Your internal world and how you express what is going on inside yourself combine to influence the type of interpersonal relationships that you develop.  Three competencies here – Interpersonal Relationships, Empathy and Social Responsibility. This [...]

Assertiveness: Do You Stand Up For Yourself?

– Posted in: Emotional Intelligence

Assertiveness is the last piece of the self-expression building block of emotional intelligence. I covered this group’s other two competencies – emotional expression and independence – in my last two posts. What is Assertiveness? Are you able to clearly state your thoughts and your needs? Do you stand up for your rights?  Can you disagree [...]

Independence: How Self-Directed Are You?

– Posted in: Emotional Intelligence

Independence is part of the self-expression building block of emotional intelligence, along with emotional expression and assertiveness. I covered emotional expression in my last post and my next post will be on assertiveness. What is Independence? Are you self-directed and self-controlled? Are you free of emotional dependency? Independence is the ability to make decisions on [...]

Emotional Expression: How Open Are You in Expressing Your Feelings?

– Posted in: Emotional Intelligence
faces expressing different emotions

Self-Expression is another composite of the EQ-i framework. You can look at it as the flip side of the Self-Perception, and it is about how we choose to express to the outside world what goes on inside ourselves. Self-Expression includes three competencies: Emotional Expression, Independence and Assertiveness. This post is about Emotional Expression and I’ll [...]