Getting Started with Emotional Intelligence

To begin learning about Emotional Intelligence, watch this short video...

Different Aspects of Emotional Intelligence

Emotional Intelligence, as framed by Daniel Goleman who first popularized the concept, has 5 main components:

• Emotional Self-Awareness — awareness of what you are feeling, and understanding the impact those feelings have on others

• Self-Regulation — controlling or redirecting the effects of your emotions, considering consequences of acting impulsively on emotions

• Motivation — making use of emotions to achieve your goals, finding joy in the learning process and persisting when faced with challenges

• Empathy — sensitivity to the emotions of others

• Social Skills — managing your relationships, being able to inspire desired responses from others

A Powerful Tool

As you can probably tell from the components described above, Emotional Intelligence (EI) has a wide variety of uses in many different aspects of life. While this introduction will mostly focus on the aspects that relate to supporting the learning of CS students, being aware of and further developing your Emotional Intelligence will be useful in both professional and personal situations. It is something that more companies look for in their hiring and promotion processes, and it can have a significant impact on developing interpersonal relationships. Even beyond the benefits that relate directly to our interactions with others, EI is a tool that you can use to find, recognize, and cultivate your own joy and satisfaction in day to day life.

Different People, Different Strengths

Discussions of Emotional Intelligence in work and educational settings often focus particularly on the aspects that relate to empathy and social skills. While caring about how other people are feeling and the impact our words and actions have on them is a crucial part of being an effective educator, caring doesn't look the same on everyone.

If you think of EI as simply a specific way of interacting with people, differences in culture or neurological function can lead to underestimating someone's Emotional Intelligence. EI is far more nuanced and, as we discussed with Growth Mindset, it is something that can be developed to help a person draw on their personal strengths.