URI MENA Cultural Café – 38 session
On Saturday, 9 Jan. 2021, our Cultural café session was on Emotional Intelligence facilitated by Mamoun Khreisat- Desert Bloom CC.
Major takeaways:
• Emotional Intelligence (EI) is the ability to understand, use, and manage our own emotions in positive ways to relieve stress, communicate effectively, empathize with others, face challenges and soothe conflict.
• EI helps us succeed in our social and professional life. It makes a huge difference in our ability to navigate social situations, integrate ourselves into groups, and communicate effectively.
• EI is important to our mental health. Uncontrolled emotions and stress can negatively affect our mental health, making us vulnerable to anxiety and depression.
• The key skills for building our EQ:
1. Self-management; controlling impulsive feelings and behaviors, manage our emotions in healthy ways, take initiative, follow through on commitments, and adapt to changing circumstances.
2. Self-awareness; recognizing our own emotions and how they affect our thoughts and behavior. You know your strengths and weaknesses, and have self-confidence.
3. Social awareness; understanding the emotions, needs, and concerns of other people, pick up on emotional cues, feel comfortable socially, and recognize the power dynamics in a group or organization.
4. Relationship management; knowing how to develop and maintain good relationships, communicate clearly, inspire and influence others, work well in a team, and manage conflict.
