THE CARIBBEAN INSTITUTE FOR SOCIAL & EMOTIONAL LEARNING
Enabling A Better Caribbean Tomorrow Today
WHAT IS EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE?
Emotional intelligence (also called EI) is being smart with feelings. This means paying attention to emotions and understanding them; then using that insight to make the best possible decisions. Emotions are sources of information about you and about others – your emotional intelligence lets you use that information in a superb way. When we measure emotional intelligence and get a score, it is expressed as an Emotional Quotient, or EQ.
CISEL
Enabling A Better Caribbean Tomorrow Today
WHAT EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE LOOKS LIKE
Self Awareness
This is your ability to accurately perceive your own emotions in the moment and understand your tendencies across situations. Self- awareness includes staying on top of your typical reactions to specific events, challenges, and people. A keen understanding of your tendencies is important as it helps you quickly make sense of your emotions. A high degree of self-awareness requires a willingness to tolerate the discomfort of focusing on feelings that may be negative. Self-awareness is not about discovering deep dark secrets or unconscious motivations, but, rather, it comes from developing a straightforward and honest understanding of what makes you tick. People high in self-awareness are remarkably clear in their understanding of what they do well, what motivates and satisfies them, and which
people and situations push their buttons.
CISEL
Enabling A Better Caribbean Tomorrow Today
WHAT EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE LOOKS LIKE
Self-Management
Self-management is what happens when you act – or do not act. It is dependent on your self"awareness and is the second major part of personal competence. Self-management is your ability to use your awareness of your emotions to stay flexible and direct your behavior positively. This means managing your emotional reactions to situations and people. Some emotions create a paralyzing fear that makes your thinking so cloudy that the best course of action is nowhere to be found – assuming that there is something you should be doing. In these cases, self-management is revealed by your ability to tolerate the uncertainty as you explore your emotions and options. Once you understand and build comfort with what you are feeling, the best course of action will show itself.
CISEL
Enabling A Better Caribbean Tomorrow Today
WHAT EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE LOOKS LIKE
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Social Awareness
Listening and observing are the most important elements of social awareness. To listen well and observe what's going on around us, we have to stop doing many things we like to do. We have to stop talking, stop the monologue that may be running through our minds, stop anticipating the point the other person is about to make' and stop thinking ahead to what we are going to say next. This requires a sincere desire to understand where the other person is coming from.
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CISEL
Enabling A Better Caribbean Tomorrow Today
WHAT EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE LOOKS LIKE
Relationship Management
Relationship management is your ability to use your own emotions and those of others to manage interactions successfully. This ensures
clear communication and effective handling of conflict. Relationship management is also the bond you build with others over time. People who manage relationships well are able to see the benefit of connecting with many different people' even those they are not fond of.
