Mom Tip - A Little Time Now Gives a Great Pay Off Later

There is an article online called “Emotional Intelligence: Hired for IQ, Fired for EQ” by M.J. Harwood. EQ (Emotional Intelligence) is a term that describes one’s interpersonal skills or ability to relate to people. It has been found that EQ accounts for up to 45% of one’s job success, while IQ accounts for less than 6%.* In summary, one’s ability to talk to people will take a person further in life than one’s brains. The benefit is both personal and professional.

The great news is that interpersonal skills can be taught. Some kiddos are naturally at ease around people. Others kiddos are quiet and shy. No matter what type of child you have, all kids (as well as adults) benefit from perfecting these skills. When the boys were younger, we practiced these skills by role playing in our living room. I modelled for them a 3-part process. It went like this – look them in the eye, shake their hand, and greet them using their name. This activity turned out to be fun and we laughed a lot while role playing.

Then on the way to church on Sundays, I challenged them to greet 3 people throughout the morning using what they had practiced. As we left church, they shared with us who the 3 people were that they had greeted.

We later expanded on this to include making introductions, being a good listener and visiting with people about their interests.

This tip is not meant to take a lot of time. We practiced this regularly never spending more than 5 minutes each time. The small investment of time is worth it as the payoff is great!

Book recommendations: The Friendship Factor by Alan Loy McGinnis and How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie are both excellent books on this topic.

I hope you have a great day –

Robin

*Source: Your Career and Emotional Intelligence by Freda Turner PhD found at www.hodu.com/career.shtml