How to Use Emotional Intelligence

Emotional Intelligence (EI) is a relatively new term in American society. It is believed to be a very important part of a person's overall intelligence, development, and productivity. Emotional intelligence consists of a person's ability to identify and control emotions. There are many things you can do to boost your emotional intelligence.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

1. Know what you are feeling. Having a large vocabulary of feeling words is important. To be emotionally intelligent, you must be able to accurately identify your feelings and emotions.
2. Share your feelings with others. After identifying your feelings, it is important to share them with others regularly. Be sure you are asserting your feelings, not only complaining about a situation or problem. An emotionally intelligent statement might be, "This long project is making me frustrated and overwhelmed."
3. Try to understand others. Step outside of your own views and try to identify with the ideas and beliefs of others. This is important to do, especially in the middle of an argument or debate. Your perception of the situation will be widened, allowing more solutions to be presented.
4. Listen carefully and accurately restate others' concerns or beliefs. Part of being emotionally intelligent requires you to be able to listen to others and then restate their views accurately. Remember that acknowledging another person's point of view does not mean that you agree with them, but it does mean that you have correctly heard and understood them.
5. Think of many options when faced with a decision. Emotionally intelligent people come up with a number of options when faced with a problem or dilemma. It is important to be open, not to be boxed in by limited thinking or narrow-mindedness. Sometimes seemingly unconventional ideas turn out to be the best options.
6. Have realistic goals and work to achieve them. Keeping your sights on self improvement and taking positive steps in the direction of your goals is important, even if the goal is small and insignificant to others.
7. Be optimistic. Looking at things with a "glass half full" approach will help you to access your emotions, identify with others and be proactive in dealing with others and your own personal goals.