Emotional Intelligence

The topic of discussion chosen today is one of the latest concepts that the researchers have found. This skill is called ‘Emotional Intelligence’. The first question that we ask from ourselves is that what we want in life? The answer that every person gives is to be a successful person in life. Now another question arises is how? This is what is going to be explained in this post.

Yardstick for Success:

Well everything is measured using a yardstick. Same is the case with success. Success has always been measured using a yardstick. This yardstick has gone through many changes. Why is this yardstick, this criterion so necessary? You get hired on this criterion. You get promotions on this criterion and if downsizing occurs, you get retained in the organisation on this criterion.

This criterion is defined by distinguished qualities which help in the improvement of your carrier. The increase in the improvement of your carrier increases the productivity of the organisation thus enabling the company to progress and this eventually helps you as a whole.

Let’s start with a story. This will help you in understanding the importance and concept of emotional intelligence.

Mechanical Movements:

Well the story dates back to 1800’s when machines were not so much used in the industry. A scientist Dr. Fredrick Taylor defined success in terms of mechanical movements. A person was thought to be successful if his mechanical movements are better. If the company is downsized then a person with better mechanical movements is retained in the company. This was the yardstick for success in the 1800’s.

Emergence of IQ:

After this, i.e. late 19^th century and the 20^th century was the era of machines. Now a press of button did all the things. Mechanical movements were no more needed. Now a new yardstick was needed for the measurement of success. IQ was defined as the new criteria for success. This criterion was in use for about 30 years. Success was defined by high IQ level. A person having a very high IQ level was thought of as a successful person.

Expertise and Competence:

Now Dr. David McLean in 1970’s did some research. He went to the American State office and asked for the list of the star ambassadors of US. A list was provided to him. He then went to the CSA or the Civil Services Academy of the US and asked for the IQ Test results of the ambassadors of the US. A list was gain provided to him. When he compared both the lists he found out that out of 100 star ambassadors only 25 had the IQ results of a successful person. The results of the rest of 75% was average or above average

He then stated that IQ focuses on analytical process only. It defines only 4%-25% of the success of a person. IQ is a poor indicator of success. People should be tested on the basis of their competence.

Now a question arose what is competence? The answer to this question was again given by Dr. David McLean, he said that a person who shows competency is called an expert and the competency that a person shows is called expertise. Now another question came up. What is expertise?

Expertise:

Dr. David said that Expertise is the sum of knowledge, past experiences and the common sense to use them both in a particular situation.

Expertise = Knowledge + Experience + Common Sense

So a new yardstick was introduced with this research. A successful person is the one who has a better IQ and with this has the expertise in his field. People were very happy that a new theory has been developed which will help companies in hiring better individuals.

Wrong Theory?

Then comes Dr. Robert Sternberg. He conducted his own research. He went to the Fortune 500 companies and asked all of them to provide a list of all the star performers of their company. A list was provided. He then asked the companies to provide the IQ results of the individuals. He then confirmed from the companies whether the individuals were hired as experts? The answer was a yes. Now when he compared the two lists, he found out that out of 100 successful individuals only 50 were with a high IQ and expertise. The rest 50 were without a high IQ level and excellent expertise.

Dr. Robert Sternberg then stated that Expertise only counts 25% in your success.

Expertise + IQ = 25% + 25% = 50%

He said that expertise is the basic competence. It’s like how you do the job. How you convert your practical knowledge into job performance. But this is not enough.

He took these results and approached Dr. David McLean. Dr. David McLean had no option than to accept the results. He then started thinking that what could be the factors involved in success. One day he was sitting in his lab and a few students were doing an experiment. They had designed a filter that filtered the voices from a film and presented only the tones that were from the film. Seeing this an idea clicked in Dr. McLean’s mind.

The Experiment:

He setup the experiment and then called a star performer from the fortune 500. He played a scene from a film. The observer could only hear the tones from the film. He asked the individual to tell what type of scene could be going on in the back ground. The person replied that it is a sad scene. Dr. McLean looked at the scene and it was correct. He then changed the scene then asked the individual. He replied that there is something happy going on and viola it was correct.

Dr. McLean now called an average performer and did the same experiment with him. He in reply to first scene said that it was a happy scene and in reply to the second scene said that it was a sad scene. Dr. McLean repeated this experiment and got 100% results.

Emotional Intelligence:

He then said that a star performer is the one who understands and handles the emotions of the people. Star performers have the ability to judge the emotion of the people without going on the words. He understands the tone of the person saying the words. This makes them a star performer.

Well this is it, comments are highly appreciated. In the next part we will discuss about the Emotional Intelligence and the EI Skills that you need to have in order to perform excellently. Stay connected for updates.

Communication Skills-II

Last time we were discussing about the different noises and their affect on the communication process.

Perception:

Now here perception plays an important role. In the attitude building post we discussed what perception is. Perception is important because our responses are based upon our perceptions. When we are conversing with another person then the way in which we see the conversation is entirely dependent upon our perceptions.

Perceptions are like filters. The idea of a conversation is first filtered and then processed by our minds. If the data gets corrupted through the filters then the processing done is also corrupted. It is very important that before we communicate with a person the filters processing should be absolutely clear. Our responses are based upon our perceptions.

Now if the filters are not clear then there can be difference between encoding and decoding. This difference between encoding and decoding is called misunderstanding or communication gap.

Now a problem arises here. The problem is that we do not have any control over the perception of others. This can disrupt the process of communication and create a communication gap between the source and the sensor. So what should be done to avoid this communication gap?

Factor of Safety:

The answer to this is factor of safety. Factor of safety is the factor which if high, decreases the chances of creating a communication gap or misunderstanding. This factor can be increased by proper selection of words and symbols and to be careful on how to use them.

Another method is to make use of the proper grammar. Avoid the use of confusing words and styles. Just keep in mind the filters of others may not be as clear as yours or all the listeners may not have the same filters. So use of grammar should be correct.

Below are the 7 basic skills to improve your communication skills.

1.       Clarify your Objectives at the Start:

Before starting communication with others clarify the objectives of the communication. This is important because the listeners should know the objective of hearing and this also lays a foundation for the next skill.

2.       Structure Your Thinking:

This is an important skill. After clarifying your objective, take some time to make the sequence, the flow of your thoughts. This will help you in explaining your objective in a better way. When you are done with the sequence, convert your thoughts in an understandable way.

3.       Manage Your Time:

Select a proper time for your conversation. Don’t talk about serious things when the mood is not serious. This may mess up the objective you want to communicate. Another point about time is that manage your time during the conversation. Long conversations create boredom. Be comprehensive and short, this will keep the listeners attentive as well as save your time and the time of the listeners.

4.       Find Common Ground:

A very good way of presenting your idea to a listener is to first find common grounds. Start the conversation on these common grounds and then mould it into the idea that you need to present. Another point in this regard is that avoid going into other people’s territory unannounced. This irritates a lot of people and may spoil the process of communication.

5.       Move Beyond Arguments:

Stop arguing. This won’t help any of the communicators. Go for the solution. It will surely help both of the communicators.

6.       Summarize Frequently:

This is a very important part of the communication process. Summarizing again and again will help you determine whether the conversation is on track or not. If you are going astray from your objective, this technique will help you in coming back on track. If you are already on track you will be satisfied with the progress.

7.       Kinesics:

Last but not the least is the kinesics i.e. the body language you have. This is extremely important. Making use of body language increases the factor of safety thus decreasing the misinterpretation of the message you had sent.

These are few techniques to make you better in communication skills. Follow them and see a change in your personality. Waiting to hear your comments about the work being done.

Keep in touch for another skill.

Communication Skills I

Today the skill that we are going to learn is Communication Skills. Let us ask a question first from ourselves, what do we mean by communication skills? The first answer that comes to our minds is the way of expressing your feelings or the way of saying what you want to say. Well this is the half definition.

Definition of Communication Skills:

The first thing that should be clear in our minds is that communication is a two way process. The definition presented above, only highlights the sending. So the complete definition of communication will be sending or receiving of information or message is called communication.

In the same way communication skills can be defined as, the skills with the help of which we can perform the process of communication in a perfect way are called communication skills.

Misconception:

Well there is a big misconception about the communication skills in many parts of the world. Communication skills are thought to be good if your English is good. Well that certainly is not the case. What if you land in Saudi Arabia and then speak good English? All goes waste because they can’t understand English and so communication skills are zero.

Ways to Communicate:

Communication is interaction with people in a better way. This interaction can be of three different types.

·         Writing

·         Oral

·         Kinesics (body language)

Parts of Communication:

Communication can be divided into 4 main parts.

·         Source

·         Sensor

·         Message/Information

·         Response

Attention:

When communicating it is better to make the person intended to receive the information or message attentive. The receiver on the other hand should know when to be attentive and what sensory organ should be made sharp.

We can give examples about attention.

·         If a teacher says in class to be attentive then the students should instantly sharpen their sense of hearing and seeing.

·         When asked about how the food tastes we should instantly sharpen our sense of taste.

·         If a person asks, ‘hey do you smell anything burning?’, then instantly our sense of smell should go up.

·         Similarly when asked about the hotness or coldness of a thing then our sense of touch should be attentive.

These examples clearly state that being attentive and making our senses attentive is one of the most important parts of communicating in a better way. A good communicator is a one who knows which sensory organ to sharpen and at which time.

Losses When Communicating:

Many problems arise when we communicate with other persons. These problems can totally change the shape of a communication e.g. if we are sending a circle then these problems may change the shape to be a square.

These problems are called losses. Losses can be of many types like noises, not being attentive etc. But the main reason for losses is the noises that are produced when communication process is in progress.

So now let’s talk about noises that occur during the communication process.

            External Noise:

These are the noises that can be heard by both the source and the receiver/sensor and which disrupts the communication between them.

Internal Noise:

Internal noise is the noise that is present at the receiver and which disturbs the interpretation of the communication at the receiver.

Well what can be done to avoid the wrong interpretation of the information/messages is very important. This thing will be discussed in the second part of this skill.

Stay connected to read the second part.

Attitude Building II

So people, here is the second part of attitude building.

Last time we were discussing about the difference between the following two equations.

Performance = (Knowledge + Skills)* Attitude

Performance = Knowledge + Skills + Attitude

The difference is if attitude is zero in the second equation then performance may not be zero. But if we see the first equation if attitude is zero then performance is equal to zero.

Let’s define the terms used in the performance equation.

Performance: The results achieved after doing something.

Knowledge: The information processed into something useful.

Skills: The skills to apply knowledge in real life. Like time management, communication skills, people skills etc.

This can be verified by an example. Suppose there are two doctors having same amount of knowledge and skills. But one doctor performs well and has a high rate of clientele while the other doctor has only a few patients at his clinic.

This is all due to the difference in attitude of both the doctors. A person may not have enough knowledge or skills but still the performance graph of that person will be high if his attitude is high.

So it’s all the game of attitude. You have good attitude and you’ll perform well, a bad attitude will eventually lead to lower performance.

You can practice attitude by being more humble, accommodating and patient. This will not increase your good will but also make you a more respectable person in community.

There is a theory of Stephan Covey about the circles of life.

There are two circles of life. The inner circle is called the area of influence while the outer circle is called the area of concern. If we focus on the inner circle then the push will be on the outer side of the inner circle thus increasing the area of influence. But what we actually do is that we focus on the outer circle i.e. the area of concern. The force on this circle is inwards to the first circle thus decreasing the area of influence.

So if we focus on our area of influence we can eventually set things right in our area of concern.

Stay tuned for more grooming on personality development.

Attitude Building - I

What is attitude? What do you understand when a person says attitude? Nowadays attitude has been limited to a type of response in which you do not care what the other person feels. You show attitude. But this is not enough.

Definition of Attitude

Attitude can be defined as the way of behaving towards other. Another definition, and possibly an in depth meaning of attitude, is how you perceive an idea or how you react to a situation, person or event.

Perception:

Now this word perception is very important. Perception means the interpretation of received signals into something meaningful. Perception can be regarded as a filter with which you see the world. An example will probably help you understand.

Perception can be thought of as spectacles a person wears. If there is dust upon these spectacles then the whole world seems dusty. But if this dust is cleared then this world is seen as a very beautiful place.

PERCEPTION LEADS TO DESTINY:

One’s perception leads one to destiny. Actually perception can be defined as the basic building block of the building of your destiny. 

The following flow chart explains this phenomenon.

See how our journey starts at ‘Perception’ and eventually leads to our ‘Destiny’.

Performance based on Attitude:

Performance is a factor which has been under the consideration of scientists for a very long time. Scientists have been always looking to develop the right equation for performance. In the beginning performance was defined by the following equation.

Performance= Knowledge + Skills

The above equation explains that performance is equal to knowledge plus the skills. This was the first equation developed by the scientists but it was felt that something was missing. And then scientists came up with another equation which simply changed the value of performance.

Performance = (Knowledge + Skills)* Attitude

Yes this was the equation that changed the value of performance. People started to think that why was performance given such an equation. Performance could have been given

Performance = Knowledge + Skills + Attitude

But it wasn't given. Why was performance given the above equation?

The next part of this skill will be posted in the next article so keep connected.