Emotional Intelligence in Communication

  

What is Emotional Intelligence(EQ)?

Emotional intelligence refers to how intelligently a person can control his own emotions & others' emotions. Emotions are conveyed through facial expressions, body language, and voice tone. Emotions expose information such as needs, wishes, preferences, danger and so on.

Role of emotional intelligence in organizational communication

In an organization, there are employees with different levels of emotional intelligence. As humans, all employees face emotions in their day-to-day lives. But employees have control over them & don’t let them overrun their emotions.  But that doesn’t mean to throw away emotions. well-balanced & controlled set of emotions is good at communicating.

When it comes to the organization’s management level, leaders aren’t happy with employees with high emotions. leaders want their teams to discard their feelings at the door, focusing on the work at hand during office hours. Leaders also get stressed emotionally due to the workload on their shoulders.  

So the solution for stress stress-free working environment is to handle emotions with intelligence by both employees & leaders. By being emotionally intelligent, employees can adapt to different audiences, manage stress, make better decisions, resolve conflicts, read situations, improve communicational skills while handling emotions, and not being embarrassed by over-exposing emotions.

Employees should be trained in tips such as being self-aware, socially aware, authentic, be optimistic (Communicating with Emotional Intelligence (EQ), 2023) for more emotional intelligence.

A prominent theory of emotional intelligence (EI)- Daniel

 Goleman's emotional intelligence theory

A psychologist, Daniel Goleman's Emotional Intelligence (EI) Theory is a significant framework for understanding how emotional awareness and management contribute to personal and professional success (Tritsch, 2021)

. Goleman expanded on the concept of emotional intelligence introduced by psychologists Peter Salovey and John Mayer.

According to Goleman, emotional intelligence comprises five key components:

1.   Self-awareness: Recognizing and understanding one's emotions, strengths, weaknesses, and values. This awareness allows individuals to know how their emotions affect others and themselves.

2.   Self-Regulation: The ability to manage and control one’s emotions, especially in stressful or challenging situations, and respond thoughtfully rather than react impulsively.

3.   Motivation: Being driven to achieve for the sake of accomplishment, rather than for external rewards. This internal motivation often leads to higher levels of productivity and a more positive outlook.

4.   Empathy: Understanding and being sensitive to the emotions of others. Empathy enables people to connect, build rapport, and communicate effectively.

5.   Social Skills: The ability to interact well with others, manage relationships, and build networks. This includes skills like active listening, conflict resolution, and teamwork.

These factors help to improve emotional intelligence so that a person can be emotionally stable.  

References

1  Communicating with Emotional Intelligence (EQ) (2023). https://hsi.com/blog/communicating-with-emotional-intelligence-eq.

2.     Tritsch, E. (2021) What is Goleman’s Theory of Emotional Intelligence? https://fairborndigital.us/2021/10/14/what-is-golemans-theory-of-emotional-intelligence/.