38. Strategies for Improving EI Competencies 1. Know thyself (Self Assessment) – Catching your dreams, energizing your passion. 2. Be motivated to change – Create your personal learning agenda and/or emotional journal 3. Practice best approach to getting needs met.
39. Strategies for Improving EI Competencies 5. Social & emotional learning through relationships – Build in follow-up support 6. Practice, Practice ,…. Practice! 4. Practice steps to avoid an amygdala hijacking.
40.
41. What you can do, or dream you can, begin it, Boldness has genius, power and magic in it. Prologue to the Theater 1835 John Anster’s translation of Goethe’s Faustus: A Dramatic Mystery
* Mention students may ask questions or make comments at any time during the workshop. * Mention that EI and EQ and terms used interchangeably.
* Call attention to “monitor others’ emotions” * DEFINITION OF “DISCRIMINATE” – To make clear distinctions, to distinguish VS. To make a difference in treatment or favor on a basis other than individual merit
* Both make up EI – these concepts are linked.
* Some research suggests that EI and cognitive abilities play an equal part in predicting work performance. (See Graves, Jamen)
* Refer group back to the original definition of EI (monitor others’ feelings) Social = other people * A concept that is closely tied to what people look for in good leaders.
* Reference the book, Blink- The Power of Thinking without Thinking by Malcolm Gladwell – He discussed the concept of rapid cognition. Where the unconscious is assessing, sorting information in rapid-fire and relaying a very short burst of a feeling that people have a hard time explaining. Is this also part of EI, where you get ‘a feeling’ about something or someone?
* Frequency of Emotions? * How were emotions named?
* The amygdala serves 2 purposes: (located in the subcortex) 1) Store any novel physical body state with its associated perceptual context; 2) When presented with familiar perceptual context later, to re- trigger its associated physical body state. * At the age of 5, the amygdala stops the first process, and continues the second process for the remainder of the person’s life. After 5 (Memory Transition Age), so-called cache memory is full. * The amygdala’s emotional memories are indelibly burned into its circuits. The best we can hope to do is to regulate their expression. And the way we do this is by getting the cortex to control the amygdala. * We each live in a different world of emotions; we each have a completely different ecology of emotional responses (The Emotional Brain, Joseph LeDoux 1996) VIDEO – GOLEMAN, REGARDING OUR FEELINGS AND WHY WE NEED TO BE AWARE OF THEM.
THIS SEGMENT FROM WHAT THE BLEEP DO WE KNOW PRESENTS A HELPFUL EXPLANATION WHAT EMOTIONS ARE PHYSIOLOGICALLY – HOW WE COME TO FEEL EMOTIONS.
* If intuition or the rapid reaction to our environment is part of the primitive emotional state…is this then what Malcolm describes as “thin slicing”? We are unconsciously making quick decisions based on survival. VIDEO – GOLEMAN, Group will be introduced to THE EMOTIONAL BRAIN and what happens when we do not regulate or inhibit our emotions through another segment of Daniel Goleman’s video.
* A helpful way to remember these steps when trying to avoid an AH is by thinking about the stop light: Red = first step Yellow = steps 2-4 Green = step 5 WTBDYK – presents an interesting discussion regarding emotion and addiction.
MOTIVATION (3 rd Competency): the force which energizes, directs, and sustains behavior. An unsatisfied need is a source of individual motivation. Answers the question as to what motivates individual behavior. (does not address which behaviors or level of persistence). Under the EI umbrella, motivation is the ability to control the behavioral effects of negative emotions and behave in a positive way even though the emotional state may be low. Initially conceived by Abraham Maslow around 1943 “Need Theory” The need for self-actualization is “the desire to become more and more what one is, to become everything that one is capable of becoming.” (such as seeking knowledge, peace, esthetic experiences, self-fulfillment etc.) Transcendence – beyond self actualization – people feel a need to help other find fulfillment
The 4 th competency looks outside of ourselves and into other people to gain a better understanding of who they are in order to communicate more effectively (job performance). VIDEO – GOLEMAN, D. THIS SEGMENT PRESENTS THE CONCEPT OF EMPATHY – A CRITICAL ASPECT OF HOW WE DEVELOP SOCIAL AWARENESS. HE TALKS ABOUT EMPATHY AND HOW IT MAY OR MAY NOT DEVELOP AS WE GROW.
* Mention that: Cultural differences may play a factor in how an individual handles non-verbal clues Must keep in mind that differet cultures have different meanings to their non- verbal clues in each of these aspects (distant, eye contact, body position). Culture governs how close we stand while talking with another person. Culture governs how we use (or avoid) eye contact. Culture governs how we express (or suppress) powerful emotions such as joy, disapproval, and anger. Culture even governs the expression (if not the actual experience) of love, because culture determines whether we feel free to express love in public settings by holding han hugging, or kissing the person we love. touch glance eye contact (gaze) volume vocal nuance proximity gestures facial expression ? pause (silence) intonation dress posture smell word choice and syntax sounds (paralanguage) * Ask class if they can cite any personal examples of differences in non-verbal clues among different cultures.
Remember how relationship management is helpful in working in teams? These factors can contribute to how your message is received when working in teams.
* Think back to our discussion regarding Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Theory (the pyramid) – certain needs must be met before you are at the level where your basic needs have been met. You would not decide to go to school if you had children and you needed a job in order to feed all of you. Finding a job may come before education. But you may also be motivated to get a better job leading you to decide to pursue your education. VIDEO – GOLEMAN, Goleman discusses how EI is important for career success.
* EQ may account for as much as 80% of an individual’s success on the job. 1) Changing nature of work – more service-oriented; jobs revolve around the knowledge worker, as companies push down decision-making to lower levels of the organization. This can be a great motivator. This also increase the need for better communication and use of EI. 2) Gen X’ers – demand training and a healthy environment to work in, including great benefits. They want a management that is sensitive to their needs and wants. – or they will go elsewhere. 3) Tight Labor Market – May account for the types of jobs available: Outsourcing jobs to other countries; reduction in company resources means less jobs are being created; companies are downsizing which also means less jobs are available to choose from. 4) Customer Demands – Companies need to keep their customers, as competition is tough. EI can help in establishing relationships with your customers. Once established and maintained, customers will be loyal unless some negative factor arises such as lack of quality, pricing, etc.
WRITE IDEAS ON THE EASEL OR BOARD.
Think about your job and imagine what your dream job might be; write down the elements you like about your job now and what you would really like to be doing. Think about your skills and imagine different scenarios. Jeanne Seagal in her book, Raising your Emotional Intelligence , asks the reader to think about the following avenues: Follow your dream outside your paying job; Watch for opportunities to fulfill your dream at one of life’s passages; and remember that even our fondest dreams change. 2. Emotional Competence can be IMPROVED! Usually, people have one or more objectives, which may pertain to career or professional development, personal development and/or assisting others pursue their objectives. In terms of your life at work, how your values match with the organization’s culture and vision influences your desire to utiliize EI competencies. Once a person recognizes change in their behavior needs to occur (i.e., self-directed change), he/she can make a decision to change and intentionally sustain it through self-directed learning and moving through the change process.
3. Experts in EI acknowledge that “newly learned behaviors need to be practiced. Cherniss and Goleman believe that “in social and emotional learning, there often must be more practice than in other types of learning because old, ineffective and neural connections need to be weakened and new, more effective ones established." This involves both unlearning the old, automatic habit and replacing it with the new, improved one. ASK OF IDEAS OF HOW TO ACHIEVE SOCIAL/EMOTIONAL LEARNING….then offer these suggestions: Mentoring can serve as a way not only to foster career development, but as a coaching forum for boosting EI. The natural relationships built as we interact on the job can also serve as ways to practice EI through reciprocal learning. Another method is to find a learning partner at work – someone with whom you can discuss whatever aspect of EI you are trying to improve – they can often serve as a cheerleader and offer mutual support. Finding a model who exemplifies the best in an EI competence also serves as a valuable strategy, as we learn by watching others.
Author Richard Byatzis, contributor to the recently published book, Developing Emotional Intelligence , states “ Our future may not be within our control, but most of what we become is within our power to create.” I would suggest that individuals – that means you and me, have an incredible capacity for self-directed change; and understanding EI and how to better utilize the competencies can move us in positive directions we cannot yet imagine. Emotional intelligence plays a crucial role in our ability to build a better life for ourselves and others. I hope by attending this workshop you are better able to take steps to use your emotional intelligence and to continue to increase your abilities in the five competencies we discussed today. Thank you for participating. HAND OUT POST-ASSESSMENTS TO COMPLETE.