Emotional Intelligence

Introduction Today, I would like to teach you how to make money, get a job, impress the President, help people to like you, and get the attention of adults.

If I could teach you that would you be interested? Well, let me ask you this: Do you know what your I.Q is? Have you heard any discussion about how smart someone is? Do you think you are very smart? How can you tell if someone is very smart? What would you base your opinion on and how would you know if you’re right?

WOW! That’s a lot of questions! Let me tell you what we have found. You will be surprised but at the same time you will agree that you knew it all along…and you did. Most people in education have been taught that “intelligence” is a combined score of math and verbal abilities. The way that we measure this is by giving you a test and then scoring it. The result is what we would call your I.Q. or intelligence quotient.

But, there is a problem. We have found that I.Q. does not tell us anything about how people will perform in their work place nor does it tell us anything about how “smart” someone is. To determine “smart” we have to look at some other things. This is what Emotional Intelligence is all about. It is a measure of several skills and abilities that are neither verbal nor mathematical.

Interpersonal Skills- this scale combines empathy and social skills Persistence – the ability to stick with something

Optimism-the ability to be positive in the face of adversity or struggle

Self-Awareness- the ability to understand who you really are

Self- control- the ability to control your impulses or urges to do something

Empathy- the ability to feel what others feel

Social skills- the ability to interact with others in a positive, successful way

Self-motivation-the ability to tell yourself what to do, rather than having to have someone else tell you what to do

Group Activity Divide into groups of 2-3. Develop a cheer or song with motions to act out the acronym: I POSSESS. Each letter should be associated with its word, such as : “I- Interpersonal Skills.” An example would be the YMCA song. Be ready to perform in front of the class!