Over the past few years, emotional intelligence (“EI”) has become one of the most popular career paths for professionals. In fact, many employers now require employees to have some sort of certification in EI as part of their job profile.

But what is it exactly? And how can you get certified in this elusive skill?

Here at The Talent School we believe that everyone possesses some degree of emotional intelligence, but not every person uses his or her own skills effectively. This can make work difficult and even harmful when there are situations where someone needs help managing his or her emotions.

Business people often feel stressed out due to the amount of time they spend dealing with other individuals and/or departments. Teachers worry about students losing interest in lessons, which could eventually result in poor academic performance and frustration towards both teacher and school.

And parents struggle to connect with their children, who may grow apart as they focus more on their careers than relationships. All three of these examples show a lack of understanding of your own personal limitations, and things like anger management and problem solving are needed.

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So if you're looking to advance your career by mastering the art of emotion, then learning about emotional intelligence is definitely something worth doing.

Take the test provided by the International Emotional Intelligence Association

In addition to being able to show you have emotional skills, certification also gives you proof that someone has verified your skills as reliable and legitimate.

The IEIA offers two types of certifications: professional certification and personal development certification. The professional certification is for those who want to go even further than just assessing their own EQs and are looking to develop theirs.

The personal development certification is more targeted towards individuals who already have some level of EQ and want to know if they can improve upon them.

Both take about one hour to complete and all materials include a pretest and questions followed by a discussion section and then a final questionnaire.

Join a local chapter of the International Emotional Intelligence Association

If you are looking to develop your emotional intelligence, there is one way to do it that has been proven to be effective. This method is to join a local chapter of the IEA. You can choose whether to become an associate or full member of the organization, but either option will enable you to learn about emotion coaching and applications through education and training.

There are over 70 chapters across the world with over 30,000 members. Each chapter has its own target audience and goal which makes it unique. Some focus more on media relations while others aim to teach skills to professionals in the workplace. No two chapters work exactly the same so there is not one standard set of courses for certification.

Each chapter holds different events throughout the year and some offer certification as well. There are even online courses available if you are unable to make the in-person event possible.

Read books on emotional intelligence

One of the most popular concepts in psychology these days is called emotional intelligence (or EQ for short). While it was originally described as “the ability to identify, evaluate, and manage your own emotions”, today it is typically defined as the "set of skills that enable you to perceive other people's emotions, and use those emotions to motivate them, influence their behavior, and assess your own feelings and behaviors."

There are several reasons why this concept has gone mainstream. First, research shows that having high levels of EQ can have significant benefits both in your personal life and in the workplace. For example, studies show that individuals with higher EQs are happier than others their same age, and they're more likely to succeed in work and personal relationships.

Second, EQ seems to be a universal skill. We all have limited amounts of emotional intelligence to some degree, but there is a range across different people that makes no difference who we are or what culture we come from. Some people are very emotionally intelligent, while others are not!

Third, although professional success does require certain degrees of empathy and understanding of other people, it also requires self-awareness and control of your own emotions.

Watch videos on emotional intelligence

One of the most effective ways to learn about emotional literacy is by watching educational videos that focus on different aspects of emotional intelligence. You can watch these videos alone or with other people, either at home or via YouTube, Google Play, or any other platform.

Videos can be fun to watch, so there are many made to promote specific products or services. However, even if you don’t purchase anything after viewing them, you still get some great lessons from studying emotional intelligence.

You will find lots of videos focused on specific traits such as empathy, mindfulness, or self-awareness. These types of videos can help you develop your own skills set in their related area.

There are also general education videos that discuss different topics like motivation, leadership, communication, etc. Although they may not necessarily relate to emotional intelligence per se, they can give you additional insights into how emotions work and why certain strategies “work” for some people but not others.

Practice self-reflecting and self-analyzing

A key part of being able to effectively manage your emotions is practicing self-reflection and self-analysis. This means thinking about yourself and your actions, as well as thinking about how other people may perceive you.

It also includes looking at the reasons why you feel a certain way about something or someone. Are there things that contribute to your emotional state? Can you look for opportunities to reduce these factors?

You can learn a lot by reflecting on your thoughts and feelings. Even if you don’t understand everything immediately, just doing this will help you find more insights into your personality and moods.

Furthermore, understanding what influences your mental state could be helpful in improving it. For example, research has shown that eating foods rich in nutrients like vitamin D and zinc can boost your sense of calmness and control.

Practice mindfulness, which focuses attention and awareness on the present moment, helps you achieve this. Plus, giving back to others makes you happier!

Keeping up-to-date with trends related to emotional intelligence and developing your EQ skills are both ways to improve your overall wellbeing and success in life.

Learn to be assertive

Being able to manage your emotions is an important part of being successful, especially in relationships. You will find that most workplace environments require some degree of emotional control. Therefore, being able to identify your feelings and learn how to contain them is very valuable.

When you are not able to regulate your emotions, it can have negative impacts on yourself and others. In fact, studies show that people who lack emotional self-control are more likely to suffer from mental health issues like anxiety or depression. These individuals may also use abusive tactics towards others for insufficient reasons.

Furthermore, when someone else cannot effectively control their own emotions, this creates an uncomfortable environment for the rest of the team. Team members may feel threatened or even attacked if they try to help the person work through his/her feelings. This could result in resentment and broken trust.

There are several different strategies that can be used to improve one’s ability to manage their emotions. Some of these strategies are practiced consciously while others emerge automatically as needed.

Learn to be compassionate

One of the most important things you can learn about emotional intelligence is how to be more sympathetic or understanding of other people. You will find that it goes beyond just thinking about others, but actually behaving with compassion towards them.

This could mean trying to understand why someone may feel angry at you. It could be because they believe you made a mistake that hurt them. Or maybe they felt like their contribution to the team was not appreciated and this makes them feel undervalued and lacking in confidence.

Everyone experiences negative emotions from time to time, so learning how to relate to them and get through times when they are happening is an essential skill for living your life.

There are many ways to develop your empathy, such as by reading books or listening to stories about difficult situations or personal struggles. You could also talk to older students who have lived past battles with anger or frustration.

Your classmates or colleagues might know of a teacher who has transformed in their career due to their empathetic qualities. By talking to them, you would probably discover something valuable about themselves.

Learn to be consistent

Consistency is one of the most important things when it comes to emotional intelligence. You have to show up every day, at the same time every day, for this to work effectively.

That means no days where you do not come into work, or go through your routine with little effort. It can also mean having to cancel plans because you cannot bring yourself to put energy into something that you are not totally investing in.

By investing in emotional skills, you are investing in yourself. Your colleagues will notice the changes they see in you, and will feel more connected to you as a person. That goes both ways – they will perceive you as a strong leader and someone who cares about them.

You will gain confidence from practicing these skills, and people around you will notice that change.