EI and the power of little things

What is Emotional Intelligence?

Emotional Intelligence is actually very simple. It is simply understanding our own emotions and those of others and crafting a behavior suitable to the context

Does Emotional Intelligence require great effort?

Actually, it does not. It is not so much about doing great things as it is about doing little things that bring joy to people and doing them consistently. There are many small gestures that people do for us that make us feel good. There is a need for us to do the same unto others as well so that good cheer may spread.

Some good practices on social media

Whenever appreciating somebody, take the trouble to go beyond just a “like” or a “great” or “awesome”. Take the pains to read what the person has done and let your answer indicate that you devoted time to it.

When somebody announces an event, to the extent possible, do not express in public that you will not be able to attend. Nobody wants negative energies around their event. You can let them know privately

When you receive a text message from an unknown person, refrain from a brusque “Who is this?”. A polite “May I know who this is?” or “Could you let me know your name please?” is more conducive toward creating a good relationship. Needless to say, the person reaching out must identify themselves if they know that their number is not listed with you.

Do not tag people without their permission or post on their timeline without permission. If the person is close enough to you to allow you that much latitude, go ahead.

Never get into acrimonious argument online. Whenever you see an argument getting a little heated, take things offline. The outcome is never good for us whether we “win” the argument or “lose” it.

Some other small gestures

Do wish people on their birthdays. It is a day they cherish and our wishing them means a lot to them.

A person’s name is the sweetest word to them in any language. We must make every attempt to remember their name. A good thing to do when we are introduced to somebody new is to repeat their name during the course of our conversation with them.

When dining out with somebody, when we are footing the bill, it is nice to make people feel as much at ease as possible, so they may comfortably order. When the other person has announced that they would be paying the bill, it is a good idea to be conservative in our ordering.

When dropping people, especially ladies, late at night, it is good to see that people safely get into their house before driving away. If we leave a venue our own ways, we may like to message that we reached safely and inquire about their welfare too

In summary

Opportunities to make people happy and build bonds with them always present themselves. Let us do whatever we can to make the best of them