Lecture 3 - Emotional intelligence and people skills

Question 1

What is the definition of emotional intelligence?

Answer 1

It is defined as our ability to recognise and manage our own emotions as well as the emotions of others

Question 2

What are the benefits of having a high emotional intelligence?

Answer 2

• easier to adjust to different group dynamics
• can manage stress more easily due to being more aware of your own psychological state

Question 3

How did Daniel Goleman (2002) outline emotional intelligence?

Answer 3

As comprising clusters of skills or competencies structured into 4 domains:
1. self awareness
2. self management
3. social awareness
4. relationship management

Question 4

What is the value of EI?

Answer 4

• it can predict workplace or task performance (Elfenbein and Ambady, 2002; CÔté & Miners, 2006)
• it positively correlates with ratings from colleagues of sociability and how much the individual is perceived to be contributing to a positive work environment (Rosete & Ciarrochi, 2005; Lopes et al., 2006)
• it correlates with negotiation success (Elfenbein et al 2007)

Question 5

What is the definition of self awareness?

Answer 5

The capacity to regulate one’s emotional responses in order that they are appropriate to the situation

Question 6

Benefits of self management?

Answer 6

• helps an individual to stay focused and not make hasty decisions in the face of strong emotions

Question 7

What is social awareness?

Answer 7

• understanding the emotions of others and being able to ‘read’ a situation in order to behave appropriately

Question 8

What is the key competency within social awareness?

Answer 8

• empathy
• this is the ability to recognise the feelings of others
• empathy can be a strong driver for helping others

Question 9

What is relationship management?

Answer 9

• using your awareness of self, others and the situation to successfully manage interactions

Question 10

Communication skills?

Answer 10

• ability to communicate information accurately and clearly is an important life skill that is essential for most jobs

Question 11

What are the 4 types of communication?

Answer 11

1. written e.g. through language, symbols and numbers, poor written communication can be frustrating
2. verbal = communicating by spoken language, includes tone and volume
3. non-verbal e.g. through body language, facial expressions, eye contact
4. visual e.g. through pics, diagrams and graphs

Question 12

Communication mediums?

Answer 12

• examples include: in person, letter, email, social media, public speaking
• each have advantages/ disadvantages
• to be a good communicator you need to understand the preferences of the people you are communicating with

Question 13

Adapting your communication?

Answer 13

• its important to look at your audience to choose the most effective medium of communication
• e.g. when applying to a job you may want to use an email or letter
• it is also important to adjust your language and style to suit the situation

Question 14

How to assess emotional intelligence?

Answer 14

• some employers will use questionnaires
• however responses are easy to fake
• respondents should try and answer honestly rather than choosing socially desirable responses

Question 15

What are the 3 categories of people skills?

Answer 15

1. personal effectiveness - making a memorable first impression
2. mediation ability - being able to influence others and resolve conflict
3. interaction ability - ability to establish a rapport

Question 16

Importance of active listening?

Answer 16

• important for conversations
• involves concentrating on the conversation giving the speaker time to talk and providing verbal and non-verbal feedback