Powerful ways social intelligence fulfils your stuck up life

Social intelligence is not something we inherit from our ancestors. It is something that we learn in order to make our relationships better.

While the basic intelligence is mostly quoted these days - the ability to learn, solve problems, logical thinking or being good at math - social intelligence is just as important. We could say that the former is more of a hard set of skills, while the latter is a soft set of skills. Anyone can learn the basic os social intelligence. You just need the will and power.

What is it?

Ok, I’ve mentioned it quite a few times, but what actually is it? Social intelligence quotient or SQ, is a broader concept of emotional intelligence. It is the ability to is the ability to read and react to social cues, such as body language or voice tone.

Before practising SQ it is really important to undergo the basics of emotional intelligence, as it helps understand and manage our emotions and be aware of others' feelings. While the former helps us to react using the information that we collected from the latter.

So, social intelligence involves understanding and navigating complex interactions. It helps us connect with others, build bonds, and adapt our behavior based on the situation and the people we are interacting with. It’s about responding appropriately and effectively in social contexts.

The key aspects

If you decided to practise it, here are the main components you should focus on:

• Empathy: being aware of others’ emotions, validating them. Fully focusing on the speaker and putting yourself in their shoes.

• Social Awareness: understanding other people’s emotions, wants and needs, picking up on emotional cues, like body language, tone of voice, and facial expressions.

• Self-Regulation: the ability to control your emotions and reactions in social interactions.

• Social Skills: The ability to communicate effectively and build relationships with others.

Example:

• You observe a group meeting and notice that Bobby is stressed. After the meeting, you approach him and ask if everything’s okay - being aware of his emotions and validating them.

• While he puts his heart out, you scan Bobby’s body language - fidgeting with his wedding ring, avoiding eye contact - he is truly stressed about the new project.

• Bobby states a few good arguments why he is stressed, that makes something inside you start to bubble. Instead of reacting impulsively, take a few deep breaths, calm down and then react.

• You offer Bobby to divide the new project’s tasks equally in the next meeting, so that no one is stressed and has the same amount of workload.

Not only did you help Bobby, but also encouraged teamwork.

Why is it important?

Building and maintaining relationships: by understanding others and responding appropriately, we build stronger, meaningful relationships with friends, family, and colleagues. There’s less bickering and misunderstandings. Effective Communication: Those who have high social intelligence have clear communication skills and a clear understanding of others, which leads to professional and personal relationships fostering. Conflict Resolution: the ability to understand different perspectives and find common ground, helps us resolve conflicts more peacefully.

So, long story short: by reading others’ emotional cues you’ll find it easier to communicate and have better relationships. A win/win situation.

How to develop

A few areas that you can start developing to make your social intelligence higher:

• Practice active listening: Pay attention to what others are saying. Sow them that you are actually listening by sliding in a comment or two, show them that you care. Don’t just sit there blinking blankly and nodding.

• Observe body language: A lot of times people are not saying the truth, even if it’s not on purpose. By observing their body language, you can tell if they are lying to you or not. It can also give you an insight into how others are feeling, when they don’t tell you themselves.

• Adapt your responses: Different situations require different responses. The ability to think before responding. Being able to adapt your responses to different situations is a crucial point in social intelligence.

• Ask for feedback: Reflect on your interactions or ask for feedback from your friends, colleagues, family, or partner. Don’t get mad at them if their feedback is negative - learn from it, reflect, plan and change.

To sum up

The ability to read social cues and connect with others on an emotional level in today’s society, where we are constantly facing technology, is crucial. We’re less likely to interact with people on the train, in cafes or theatres, people are glued to their phones. No matter where you start or where you are, you can always improve more. So, what is one thing you can start doing right now to raise your social intelligence?

“What is success?

To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate the beauty; to find the best in others; to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch Or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded!” - Ralph Waldo Emerson.