Emotional Intelligence

How smart are you? While this question may be seemingly simple to answer, it is an interesting question because it suggests someone’s level of mental competence can be measured. If there is an answer to this question, it suggests that a person’s level of smartness or intelligence can be found pretty straightforwardly by a score on a measurement of intelligence such as an IQ test. Find a pen or pencil, have a seat, and take an IQ test. Even better, look one up on the internet. Hours…or even minutes later you will receive a score that supposedly tells you how smart you actually are. “Based on these results, you are ______ smart.” The emphasis is on smart and how well a person’s mental capacity is captured in writing, on a test. Is this really how intelligence is measured? What I would like to introduce today is not just how smart an individual is, but how well he or she handles his or her emotions. I would like to introduce emotional intelligence: the balance of emotion and reason that plays a role in the intelligence of a person, or how smart he or she is to a degree. I will discuss certain aspects of emotional intelligence and introduce the theory as it relates to the business world. Upon completion of this speech, we will all develop an understanding of the role emotional intelligence plays in both our personal and professional lives. According to Kendra Cherry, emotional intelligence refers to “the ability to perceive, control, and evaluate emotions” (Cherry, 2010). Opposing views surround the notion of emotional intelligence as some researchers suggest it can be learned and strengthened while others claim it is an inborn characteristic (Cherry, 2010). Since 1990, Peter Salovey and John Mayer have been the leading researchers on emotional intelligence. Their influential article, appropriately titled “Emotional Intelligence” holds that the “subset of social intelligence that involves the ability to monitor one’s own and others’ feelings and emotions, to

Cited: Brotherson, S. (2003). Exploring emotional intelligence. Family Connections. Meridian Magazine. Cherry, K. (2010). What is emotional intelligence? About.com: Psychology. Retrieved June 14 2010 from http://psychology.about.com/od/personalitydevelopment/a/emotionalintell.htm Salovey, P., Mayer, J. (1990). Emotional intelligence. Baywood Publishing Co., Inc. White, M. (2006). What is the role of emotional intelligence in business today. LoveToKnow: Business. Retrieved June 14 2010 from http://business.lovetoknow.com/wiki/What_is_the_Role_of_Emotional_Intelligence_in_Business_Today