One of the five most in-demand skills in 2025 will be emotional intelligence, according to a recent Forbes article.
Emotional intelligence. The ability to handle and manage your own emotions, as well as understand and effectively deal with the emotions of those around you.
While artificial intelligence may be getting all the attention these days, it is emotional intelligence, the human touch, that will help ensure success in your job.
But how do you develop emotional intelligence and how exactly will it help you succeed? To start with, you can take a simple online test to get an idea of how you measure up. It only takes a few minutes and will give you some insight into what EI is all about.
After completing the test, it’s time to learn a bit more about emotional intelligence. Here are some key elements of emotional intelligence and how you can develop them. You need to be able to:
Develop awareness. Becoming aware of – and being able to identify and understand your emotions – will make you less likely to act impulsively. When you feel like you’re getting angry or irritated, don’t lash out at the person who is aggravating you. Mentally step away from the situation. It might be helpful to use the technique of mindful meditation to get your emotions under control.
Communicate. Effective communication is an important emotional intelligence skill and one that can be developed. Listen carefully to what people say. And be sure to make your point clearly when you speak and exclude any details that aren’t relevant to the topic being discussed.
Be empathetic. Developing empathy is the ability to learn to understand how other people are feeling and the types of experiences they’re going through. In other words, “put yourself in their shoes,” as the saying goes.
Become curious. People who are emotionally intelligent are curious, especially when it comes to other people. When you meet someone, try to get to know them by asking questions about their life and experiences. Make it about them not about you.
Accept criticism and responsibility. Emotionally intelligent people are skilled at accepting criticism. And they don’t blame others for their own mistakes.
Be positive. Some experts contend that positive people are more emotionally intelligent. Developing positivity can take a bit of effort, but it will pay off in the end. One way to do this is through positive self-talk. By practicing positive self-talk, which is also known as affirmation, you repeat positive phrases about yourself, such as “I will get along with my co-workers today,” or “I am convinced that my efforts toward my job search will be successful.” These phrases can help rewire your thinking and reinforce positive thinking, making you more successful at dealing with other people in your life.
Read novels. Reading books can open your mind to understanding the feelings of others and ourselves. Getting to know fictional characters and discovering their lives and emotions can help you learn how to empathize and connect with others in real life. There’s actually scientific evidence to back up this theory, according to a study released in 2006 by Raymond A. Mar, a professor of Psychology of York University in Toronto. The study, Exploring the link between reading fiction and empathy: Ruling out individual differences and examining outcomes, found that readers of fiction have more empathy than nonreaders.
Developing emotional intelligence is not an easy process and may take a while. But following some of the tips in this article will help you begin the journey to becoming a new, more confident, more empathetic person. One that will translate into better relationships with others – and with yourself.
