Professional Skills — 2025
Chapter 10 — Emotional Intelligence (EI)
K.H.I.U. De Silva • SA23656710 • Undergraduate Software Engineering
Overview
Emotional Intelligence (EI) is the ability to recognize, understand, use, and manage emotions—your own and others’—to achieve positive results. It supports better decisions, teamwork, leadership, client communication, and stress control.
Core Concepts
- What is EI? Recognize, understand, use, and manage emotions effectively.
- Why it matters: Improves decision-making, teamwork, leadership, customer relations, and stress management.
- EQ vs IQ: IQ = thinking skills; EQ = emotional skills. EQ is trainable and often predicts workplace success.
- Five components: Self-awareness, Self-regulation, Motivation, Empathy, Social skills.
- How emotions work: We feel (experience), the body reacts (physiology), then we act (behavior).
- Brain basics: Limbic system drives emotion; prefrontal cortex helps control and make wise choices.
Key Skills in Action
- Understand triggers and name the emotion.
- Use emotions to focus, create, and solve problems.
- Manage responses — pause, think, then act.
Quick Practices
- Pause–Name–Reframe: Identify the feeling → find the cause → choose a helpful view.
- 4–7–8 breathing: Calm down before responding.
- Empathy check-ins: Ask “How are you feeling?” “What do you need?”
- End-of-day reflection: What went well? What to improve?