Rachel and Shane Krider host a podcast, Mind Power, that teaches about the insights that dramatically changed Shane’s life after a near-death experience. In the episode of Emotional Intelligence and Lateral Thinking, Shane describes how important these two topics are to powerful communication.

If you’re looking to increase your emotional intelligence (EQ), it’s good to know what that looks like in your everyday life. Having a high EQ can lead to becoming an influencer in whatever industry you’re in. It allows you to think about human behavior and predict the emotions of others. Here are a few ways it’s manifested in life.

Self-Awareness and Social-Awareness
Having a high EQ allows you to take this awareness and be reflective. Some questions you may ask are “how does my current emotion affect my thoughts and the decisions of myself and others?” or “what’s the underlying reason for what others are doing?” By taking a look at emotions in this perspective, valuable insights are then able to be used to your advantage.

Think before you act
While in theory this seems easy, it’s very difficult to take a moment and pause to think about your actions before you commit them. But taking this pause can be crucial to helping save you from committing too quickly to a permanent decision or creating an embarrassing moment.

Have control of your thoughts
The emotions you feel at any given moment aren’t easily controlled but you can choose how you decide to react to those emotions but turning your focus to the thoughts you’re having. Controlling your thoughts frees you from the slavery of your emotions and allows you to live your life in a harmonious way. Give it a try and you’ll see how much easier you’re able to reach your goals.

Empathy
An empathetic person has the ability to understand another person’s feelings. Having this ability  an lead to a greater connection with others. Empathy isn’t agreeing to what someone else is feeling or thinking but it does allow one to understand what it’s like to be in someone else’s shoes.

Provide praise to others
No matter if a human is introverted or extroverted, shy or loud, everyone craves appreciation and acknowledgement. By providing this type of praise, at appropriate times, it can build a stronger trust between you and the person receiving the praise. Focus on the good of someone to inspire them to be their very best version they can be.

Apologize
The last EQ action I’ll touch upon is knowing when and how to apologize. Sometimes it takes gumption, real strength and courage, to swallow your pride and admit you’re sorry. By through this actions, it shows humility, a trait that draws others toward you naturally. Having a strong EQ will show that even when you’re not in the wrong, your apology means you value the relationship of someone rather than your ego.