Emotional Intelligence: Gaining Control Over Emotions

In this section we’ll discuss how you can become better at handling your emotions, and regulating responses and reactions to bad situations. In this section we’ll look at how emotions come into play at work and how you can manage emotions effectively.

‘Use emotions to facilitate thinking’ is such a profound statement. How you feel will determine how you view situations. If you are in a happy mood, everyday events don’t seem so bad. On the contrary, if you are not in a happy mood, even the smallest of situations can seem major to you.

When it comes to the workplace, regardless of your mood, your boss expects you to be a high performer. Make it easy on yourself and ‘choose’ to be in a good mood.

One of the best ways to ensure someone that you are truly listening to what they are saying is to intently listen. To some this may sound like common sense, but it is a skill that is seldom mastered. Usually when engaged in a conversation, the listener is multitasking. They are listening with one part of the brain and preparing a response with the other. It is painfully obvious when a person is not wholeheartedly interested in what someone else has to say. Not only does this make the listener look uncaring, but it may also influence the speaker to go elsewhere when he needs to speak about matters.

The way you say something could be the factor that determines what the listener hears. It is important to be aware of your emotions, body language, tone, speed, and pitch when you speak. It may sound like a lot of work and until it becomes second nature, it may be, but consistently doing so can produce a favorable outcome. It is possible to send the wrong message without intentionally doing it, so be careful. An innocent request such as ‘Please shred that document’ can sound like a rude command.

Great job finishing this section on emotions. In this section wrap we’ll do a quick review of what we’ve discussed in this lecture:

• How emotions can help us think better
• Managing our emotions to manage better
• Implementing focused listening
• Managing our self and being self aware
• Case study: Explore the emotional intelligence tools and techniques
• Quiz: test your knowledge on the topics in this section

Keep moving forward!

In this section we’ll discuss emotions at work and how we need to keep emotions in check. Specifically, I’ll discuss:

• How to manage emotions in the workplace
• How emotional intelligence affects our work
• How disagree constructively
• Balancing optimism and pessimism
• Case study: Review emotional intelligence workplace opportunities
• Quiz: test your knowledge on the topics in this section

In this lecture we’ll examine the mechanics of managing our emotions in the workplace. As a professional, we need to balance our emotions with our need to get things done. We’ll discuss some proven strategies to be more effective and keep our emotions in check.

Observe how you react to people. Do you rush to judgment before you know all of the facts? Do you stereotype? Look honestly at how you think and interact with other people. Try to put yourself in their place  , and be more open and accepting of their perspectives and needs.

Look at your work environment. Do you seek attention for your accomplishments? Humility can be a wonderful quality, and it doesn't mean that you're shy or lack self-confidence. When you practice humility, you say that you know what you did, and you can be quietly confident about it. Give others a chance to shine – put the focus on them, and don't worry too much about getting praise for yourself.

Do a self-evaluation. Try out our emotional intelligence quiz  . What are your weaknesses? Are you willing to accept that you're not perfect and that you could work on some areas to make yourself a better person? Have the courage to look at yourself honestly – it can change your life.

To disagree constructively means to do so in a positive, productive manner. Its purpose is not to disagree for the sake of disagreeing or getting your point across. It is also not used to be negative or destructive of another’s thoughts. The workplace is a place where disagreeing is a common occurrence. Companies look for the most effective ways to carry out operations and therefore invest in process improvement strategies, which opens the floor for discussion and compromise.

What does constructively disagreeing look like in practice, you may ask. Well, it is acknowledging and confirming someone else’s ideas before presenting your own.

Possessing the quality of ‘optimism’ is the ability to find the bright side of every situation. This is an admirable position that not all have. The secret to exhibiting this characteristic is to understand that there are no issues that cannot have a positive spin.

Not only is this beneficial for an individual’s personal life, but optimism can be a competitive advantage in the business world. Like every other entity, businesses suffer losses and setbacks, but the trick to maintaining the stability of a company is leadership that knows how to look past the current problem to a nearby resolution. Optimistic employees tend to be more productive in terms of the quality and quantity of their work and therefore make more money for the company.

Great job finishing this section. We discussed:

• How to manage emotions in the workplace
• How emotional intelligence affects our work
• How disagree constructively
• Balancing optimism and pessimism
• Case study: Review emotional intelligence workplace opportunities
• Quiz: test your knowledge on the topics in this section

Welcome to the final section in our course! In this last section we’ll cover emotional intelligence and leadership:

• First impressions do matter
• Assess the situation before reacting
• Leading with charisma
• First, we must manage ourselves
• Case study: Identify what worked, or didn’t work, in a case study
• Quiz: test your knowledge on the topics in this section
• Course wrap

Yes, your first impression on other people matters. How people first perceive you can have a lasting effect on how they treat you, work with you, and the assumptions they make about you. In this lecture we’ll discuss some strategies to make a great first impression.

Before deciding on the path to take to approach a situation, one must first assess it. Is it worth doing anything about? How will it impact me or others? The overall goal is to be effective when dealing with issues, so make sure you know what you are getting into before embarking on the journey.

The best way to assess a situation is to step away from it. Take yourself out of the equation in order to fully understand what it is about and the effect it will have. This can allow you to make a more reasonable decision rather than one based on emotions.

When we talk about leading with charisma, we’re talking about transformational leadership. In this lecture I’ll discuss:

• Integrity and fairness
• Sets clear goals
• High expectations
• Encourages others
• Support and recognition
• Stirs the emotions of people
• Gets people to look beyond their self-interest
• Inspires people to reach for the improbable

In order to effectively achieve your overall career objectives or the objectives within a given task, you must use clearly defined methods to carry out those activities. This includes the setting of goals, decision making, planning, and scheduling. Once the tasks are completed, you must evaluate the success of these methods.

The following is a list of five key points to remember to help you master the art of self-management.

• Be consistent
• Stick to the plan
• Be accountable
• Educate yourself
• Stay physically fit

Great job! You did it! You reached the end of this section and the end of this course. I’m really happy that you stuck with it and I hope you’ve learned some great strategies to begin applying emotional intelligence in your life. Let’s wrap up the course!