Teaching EQ

There has always been a debate about school curriculum and whether it should be more focused on academic skills, practical skills or a bit of both however something that is being discussed at the minute is how far emotional intelligence should be taught. There are many companies on the internet that offer emotional intelligence (EQ) consulting and the fact is that the concept as a whole is certainly growing in stature and prominence. Indeed, we can look at the legal profession as one example of this. Lawyers are now expected to have a certain degree of EI so that they can better emphasize with their clients and also take action based on the emotions and feelings of those who they are representing; indeed, just having a good law degree and IQ is not longer seen as being the only thing needed to be successful.

But what about teaching EQ in schools and does it have any benefits? Well, for a start, it encourages greater face to face communication. We live in a world now where a lot of interaction is done via electronic means – text and email – so our ability to properly judge the feelings and emotions of others can be limited. By teaching emotional intelligence and how to look out for various signs in others then we are encouraging more interaction. Furthermore, those with a high EQ level (and emotional intelligence can be taught unlike IQ which is generally static to each individual) tend to be more successful in life and are more highly motivated as a result.Emotional intelligence has many practical advantages for being taught to children and it is certainly something worth pursuing; considering that so many industries are now making use of EI to some degree then it should be on the school curriculum at some level.