Mindfulness is key to Emotional Intelligence

“Mindfulness is a particular type of consciousness. It is about slowing down, paying attention to the present moment without judgment. Developing mindfulness skills means we can free ourselves form the myriad of distractions, in order to pay attention and to focus” (Chapman-Clarke, 2017, 1).

Mindfulness is a key factor in the development in emotional intelligence. A big part of emotional intelligence is being present when you are in a conversation with someone. That way you can really sense what the person is feeling and develop a deeper connection with them. This can be hard in today’s society. People are so distracted by their phone, other people, and even their own thoughts. Being present in a conversation is very important to have, not only when you are in the workplace but even in everyday life.
Developing this skill will take time. To learn a skill you must practice. It is as simple as that. I want to develop my emotional intelligence so I can be successful with communicating with others. The way that I find most helpful for myself is going out and doing it how I think it should be done and observe my results.

So I did just that. I went out and had a conversation with a person to put my emotional intelligence skills to practice. I was sitting waiting for my class and I noticed that a girl was sitting next to me doing the same Accounting homework. So I asked what Accounting class she was in and that started the half hour conversation I had with her. While I was talking to her, I was completely focus. I did not touch my phone the entire time, that way I was really present to what she was saying. I found this extremely helpful because then the conversation flowed better. I also let her do most of the talking so that I could really get a sense of her feelings.

Overall, I think the conversation went very well. I learned a lot about taking people’s feeling into consideration when you are talking to them. One thing that I think I could work on is asking people their feelings about the topic, that way I can see if what I am sensing is accurate.

Stay tune for next blog to see my development in emotional intelligence skills. Bye!!