Over the past few years, emotional intelligence (or EQ for short) has become one of the most popular leadership theories in the workplace. It looks into how well you control your own emotions and why these changes occur due to outside influences or internal thoughts.

Some say that developing your emotional IQ will have an overall positive effect on your career and life. You will learn how to manage your moods and situations more effectively, which can boost your productivity and happiness.

It’s also said to be a key factor in employee engagement and motivation. If you want to keep those people around, you must show them empathy and understanding for their actions.

But is it all just another way to make sure someone gets a good grade on their annual performance review? Some experts believe that it goes beyond that.

Emotional intelligence is actually linked to higher levels of income, job success, and personal wellbeing. So if you’re looking to improve your career, investing time in this skill is definitely worth it.

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However, before you start trying to develop yours, you should know what types of skills are considered to be important. This article will go over some tips on how to increase your emotional intelligence at work.

Understand your audience

A lot of times, people who are not in leadership positions feel that they do not have their messages heard because nobody is listening to them. This can be very frustrating for you if you try to go up to someone about an important topic and get ignored or even confronted with questions as to why you seem so serious.

If this happens to you, there is something you can do about it. The first step towards changing this behavior is to understand what is happening around you and how different individuals respond to things.

Do yourself a favor and learn some basic psychology. You will know whether someone is being rude to you and/or taking away from you opportunities and this can help you avoid any potential conflicts or power struggles.

By understanding human nature, you will also begin to see through the lies that other people may tell you- just like a professional liar would!

Emotions play a big part in interpersonal relationships, which makes emotional intelligence (EI) essential to success. People with higher EI recognize and manage their own emotions and those of others more effectively.

Make eye contact

Making direct, meaningful connections with others is a powerful way to improve your emotional intelligence. When you make good eye contact, you show interest in someone or something. You look them in the eyes and that makes them feel important — an element of trust that can help build relationships.

Good eye contact doesn’t just happen naturally though. It takes practice. Fortunately, there are some simple ways to get better eye contact.

Make it a habit

Don’t wait for significant other conversations to offer appropriate levels of eye contact – start now. Plus, this will help you in the workplace where more formal conversation is expected.

Be consistent

Consistency is one of the most important things you can work with when trying to improve your emotional intelligence.

This means showing up every day, consistently giving good attention to tasks and people, and keeping relationships healthy – not matter what’s going on around you.

It also means staying present in the moment and acknowledging how you are feeling about something.

By being aware of your emotions, you will be able to take appropriate action and solve the problem more effectively.

And don’t forget that time outside of work is just as significant for your well-being as your working hours.

Take care of yourself and contribute to a healthier workplace.

Be open to feedback

Feedback is one of the most important tools in improving your emotional intelligence (EI). If you’re not getting enough, don’t assume that people aren’t telling you anything or that they are being rude.

It may be because they don’t know what to say or they are giving you subtle signs and you just don’t recognize them.

Whatever the reason, ask for more – ask how you could have done something better and what you should do next time to avoid the same thing happening again.

And if someone has done something bad, acknowledge it and see if there is anything else we can learn from it.

But don’t dwell on past mistakes, this only sets off negative feelings which can negatively affect performance and job safety.

Avoid comparisons with the person who made the mistake unless you are sure that you will not make the same ones in the future.

Share your experiences

When you're feeling down, take some time off to do something you enjoy that makes you feel better. Watch TV or movies, surf the net, read a book – anything that takes your mind away from work for a few minutes.

Alternatively, you can find things you've been avoiding at work and make attempts to address them. For example, if you've been having trouble asking someone how their day is going, try doing it. If you've been ignoring your colleague who always has coffee with you after work, go together one night during break time.

By addressing these issues early, you'll be saving yourself time later on. You'll also be giving other people more chance to fix any problems they may have sensed in you before.

Sharing your experiences will help others understand you, what makes you unhappy and why. They might even learn ways to deal with similar situations so that you both can move on faster.

Be honest with your peers

Sometimes, in the workplace, we see people that seem like they have it all together, but are hiding something or are not being as open about their colleagues and superiors. This can be anything from them feeling overwhelmed by their job title to wanting more responsibility and authority.

It is very important to be able to recognize when someone has emotional intelligence (EI) and when they do not. If you notice that someone does not appear to care much for others, then it may be time to say goodbye.

By having an understanding of how different individuals function emotionally, you will be better prepared to help them find happiness and success outside of work.

If possible, try to learn if there is any reason why this person feels stressed or overworked, such as workload, responsibilities, or communication issues. You could also look into whether or not there are signs of mental health problems.

Running into one of these can sometimes be disastrous and even deadly so it should definitely set off alarm bells for anyone that sees it.

Listen to others closely

In the workplace, listening is one of the most important skills you can develop. By listening well, you’ll improve your relationships with colleagues, clients, and superiors.

By showing an interest in other people and their experiences, you’re proving that you care about them. At the same time, you’ll learn something new by exploring different sides of a topic or conversation.

If someone else has something they’re trying to get done, you could offer help by suggesting alternative strategies or approaches. This will strengthen their confidence and may even inspire them to take action themselves.

You can also listen actively, which means responding to what others say and putting effort into understanding their points.

This helps keep conversations fluid and productive, and reminds you that there are still parts of the work day that aren’t yours – but don’t ignore these bits, add value where you can.

Improving your emotional intelligence isn’t just for adults, either. Kids need it too!

If you notice your child is struggling with emotions, try talking through the symptoms and causes. Ask if anything made them feel bad or angry, and see whether this makes sense as a starting point.

Once they know why things hurt, they’ll be better able to control their own feelings and deal more effectively with situations.

Don’t be egotistical

As mentioned earlier, emotional intelligence (EI) is your ability to recognize, control, and manage your emotions. It also means being able to identify and understand others’ emotions.

So what happens when you are not able to regulate your own emotions? Or when you assume that other people feel the same way you do? This can hurt someone else's feelings or even create a hostile work environment.

It’s important to remember that relationships are built on trust. When we are not trusting of each other, things often deteriorate.

Avoid acting like a personal trainer who gets his/her salary depending on how many members they have in their gym group.