Most of us associate the word “intelligence” with the ability to solve mathematical or logical problems, the ability to learn and quickly remember information, which is essential to play music, work, and gamble at https://bloodsuckersplay.com/. But besides this intelligence, there is also emotional intelligence. Let’s understand what this is, how to develop it, and how to become a successful freelancer with the help of emotional intelligence.
Emotional intelligence and Its Components
Emotional intelligence is the ability to recognize and understand one’s own and others’ emotions. It was introduced when it became clear that standard IQ tests for determining intelligence levels could not accurately predict a person’s success because they were missing something important. That missing element turned out to be our social skills – the ability to interact with other people.
Emotional intelligence is divided into five components:
- Self-awareness – the ability to recognize one’s emotions, feelings, motives.
- Self-control – the ability to control our emotions without letting them control our behavior. Self-control keeps us from taking rash steps and doing things triggered by sudden emotional impulses. A client has sent a project back for revision and you’re angry? This isn’t a reason to break off a business relationship in the heat of the moment and tell the customer what you think of his comments.
- Self-motivation – the ability to check your emotions with reality and manifest them in appropriate ways, so that those around you understand. This skill helps to cope with strong emotions and turn worries into constructive energy, avoiding unnecessary conflict. Are you angry about edits from a client? Use that energy to focus on fixing the flaws and making the project perfect.
- Empathy is the ability to read and understand the feelings of others, their true desires and motives (by intonation, gestures and facial expressions, posture, appearance, manner of speaking). Empathy also includes the ability of people to sympathize, empathize, and support each other.
- Communication or social skills – the ability to interact with others through words and actions. This includes a variety of skills, from the ability to build personal boundaries in communication to the ability to evoke certain emotions in other people. It hardly needs to be said that it’s hard to become a successful freelancer without developed communication skills.
How to Raise the Level of Emotional Intelligence
Don’t believe those who say that the level of emotional intelligence is inherent in nature and cannot be changed. There are many ways to develop emotional intelligence:
- Keep an emotion diary – write down on paper or in a mobile app what emotions you experience in different situations, analyze the reasons for your experiences and actions.
- Use the speech constructions “I feel that”, “According to my feelings”, “I feel…, because” more often.
- To be in new places, to try new tools and approaches to work tasks. Anything new evokes a vivid emotional response.
- Watch movies without sound. This is the safest method of learning to identify other people’s emotions.
- Learn to identify other people’s feelings by their facial expression, voice, manner of movement.
- Control emotions through facial expressions and the body. Smiling or relaxing while sitting in a chair is often enough to get rid of negative feelings.
- Evoke emotion in others. At a business meeting, you can tell a story from life, insert a few metaphors, in order to accommodate the client.
- Be flexible. Take the time to make decisions based solely on your experience, consider the opinions of other stakeholders (the client and his team, customers), and look for compromises.
Key Benefits of Emotional Intelligence for the Freelancer
Developed emotional intelligence makes communication times more productive, helps build long-term relationships with clients, and becomes more confident. Each of these skills is vital for freelancers. Moreover, high emotional intelligence helps:
- Handle stress in healthy ways without slipping into aggression and conflict.
- Maintain motivation and not treat mistakes as something critical, but look for ways to further professional growth.
- Make decisions and take responsibility for your life and success in your profession.
Summary
Emotional intelligence implies the ability to understand one’s own and others’ feelings. It allows you to see the true motives and desires of other people and to correct their behavior. If you want to be a successful freelancer, you need to constantly develop this skill. As a bonus, you will learn how to build healthy and mutually beneficial relationships not only at work, but also in your personal life, and you will be able to better understand yourself and your loved ones.
