Building social skills in emotional intelligence
Ok so we will address social skills in emotional intelligence today. ‘Social skills’ is a very broad term, but it is also used quite specifically in the context of Emotional Intelligence.
In emotional intelligence the term ‘social skills‘ refers to the skills needed to handle and influence other people’s emotions effectively. This may sound like manipulation, but it can actually be as simple as understanding that smiling at people makes them smile back, and can therefore make them feel much more positive.
Social skills can therefore be considered as the final piece of the emotional intelligence ‘jigsaw’.
Emotional intelligence starts with understanding your own emotions (self-awareness), then being able to manage them (self-regulation) and use them to achieve your goals (self-motivation).
Once you are able to understand and manage yourself, then you start to understand the emotions and feelings of others (empathy) and finally to influence them (social skills).
The term ‘social skills’ covers a wide range of skills.
Social skills, in the Emotional Intelligence sense, include:
- Persuasion and Influencing Skills
- Communication Skills
- Conflict Management Skills
- Leadership Skills
- Change Management Skills
- Building Bonds (Rapport)
- Collaboration and Cooperation | Team-Working Skills
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