EQ!

It's been a long and news filled week with plenty to discuss. I thought I'd take pause today an remind everyone how important it is to maintain your EQ while participating in any discussion. What is EQ? Emotional quotient.....

Emotional Intelligence (EI) describes the ability, capacity, skill or, in the case of the trait EI model, a self-perceived ability, to identify, assess, and manage the emotions of one's self, of others, and of groups.[1] Different models have been proposed for the definition of EI and disagreement exists as to how the term should be used.[2] Despite these disagreements, which are often highly technical, the ability EI and trait EI models (but not the mixed models) enjoy support in the literature and have successful applications in different domains.

I like the term emotional intelligence, because when you lose it, your lack of it is apparent. Anytime a discussion elevates to the point where one party loses their temper that person has lost their ability to communicate. At that point you've lost the discussion. You can be right as rain, but if you can't keep your emotions in check long enough to communicate your thoughts, it doesn't matter. In his book, Love and Respect, author Emerson Eggerichs tells us," You can be right, but at the top of your voice, your still wrong!" Powerful words!

So let's remember in these trying times to curb our tempers and communicate effectively. Don't let the message be lost in volume or a tirade. Effective communication begins by holding the attention of the person your talking to! I'm sure you can relate that when your screamed the point becomes moot. It doesn't matter how emotional the topic gets, remain calm and use reason to bring your issue to attention.

God Bless
Capt. Bill