Emotional intelligence, also called EQ, is the ability to be aware of and to manage emotions and relationships. It’s a pivotal factor in personal and professional success. IQ will get you in the door, but it is your EQ, your ability to connect with others and manage the emotions of yourself and others, that will determine how successful you are in life.

We have all worked with and listened to brilliant people. Some of them were great and… well, some were not so great. The mean and the meek and all those in between can teach us more than they realize. When we look at the truly extraordinary people who inspire and make a difference you will see that they do this by connecting with people at a personal and emotional level. What differentiated them was not their IQ but their EQ – their emotional intelligence. This course will help you develop your emotional intelligence.

Emotional intelligence and its value in the workplace is well understood. However, it remains a hot topic for discussion as people continue to do research and work within the field.

In this session, you’ll learn about the history of EI, including the names of key scholars and the work that they have done.

If you have the opportunity, we recommend that you explore different research about emotional intelligence in order to further your understanding. This course presents several researchers who have done some fascinating work. Complete texts are available in the Recommended Reading List.

In this session, you’ll learn some definitions related to emotional intelligence and meet some of the primary experts in the field.

Have you ever used a blueprint before? You may have seen them if you are involved in construction, and they are very similar as a research and teaching tool.

In this session, you’ll learn some very helpful skills and tools that will help you to develop your own fluency with emotional intelligence.

The optimist sees the glass as half full; the pessimist sees it as half empty. The opportunist swoops in and drinks what’s in the glass while the optimist and pessimist discuss the situation!

In this session, you’ll differentiate between optimism and pessimism, discover the major characteristics, and consider the value of both attitudes.

Someone who is emotionally intelligent is not just able to measure their own emotions, but also understands how to recognize what other people are feeling.

In this session, you’ll learn about tools to help you to validate emotions in others, including VALUE and SOLER.

You’ve probably met people who show how they are feeling very easily, and others whose face can be a mask and harder to interpret. At times we all try to keep our emotions to ourselves, but scientists have identified some telltale signs to help you out.

In this session, you’ll learn about the signs of emotions and how to read the emotional map.

When you can articulate what you believe in, and know what you want, you are more likely to create the circumstances to get where you want to be going. These kinds of exercises help you to create your own life plan.

In this session, you’ll define what you believe, define your values, and consider what’s in the way of getting what you want.

Now that you have completed this course on Emotional Intelligence, how will you use the things you have learned? Creating a personal action plan can help you to stay on track, and on target. When you take responsibility for yourself and your results, you get things done.

In this session, you will be asked questions to help you plan your short-term and long-term goals. This final exercise is a way for you to synthesize the learning that you have done, and to put it into practice.

Congratulations! You have completed the course "Emotional Intelligence."

In this course, we talked about the value in understanding and controlling our own emotions, and recognizing them in others. We started by exploring the history and development of Emotional Intelligence as an area of study and who the significant participants have been.

Next, we learned about the EI Blueprint, which laid out the principle areas of emotional intelligence. This included identifying emotions, understanding and managing emotions, and using and communicating emotions.

Then, we explored the concepts of optimism and pessimism. We learned that we can influence those attitudes and learn to be more optimistic.

Next, we moved on to validating emotions in others by using two techniques. The first is the VALUE technique, which involves steps to validate, ask questions, listen, understand, and empathize. The SOLER technique, used when listening, uses sitting quietly, open posture, leaning in, eye contact, and staying relaxed.

Then, we moved on to explore the seven human emotions, what they tell us, their positive and negative aspects, and Plutchik’s Wheel of Emotions.

The last part of the course was devoted to setting and defining our own personal vision, describing our values, considering our strengths and the things that could be standing in our own way, and how to get the things that we desire.

You should now feel ready to use Emotional Intelligence in your interactions with others.