Lessons 13 and 14: Emotional Intelligence & Persistence/Optimism Teen Leadership

Understand the difference between I Understand the difference between I.Q (Intelligence Quotient) and Emotional Intelligence Develop an understanding of Emotional Intelligence and the skills it measures Comprehend the concept of “Persistence” as one of the Emotional Intelligence scales Comprehend the concept of “Optimism” as one of the Emotional Intelligence scales Objectives

How can you tell if someone is “smart”? Give examples Do you know what your IQ is?

Most people in education have been taught that “intelligence” is a combined score of MATH and VERBAL abilities. The way that we measure this is by giving a test and then scoring it. The result is what we would call your I.Q. (Intelligence Quotient). I.Q.

A person has 14 red socks and 14 white socks in a drawer A person has 14 red socks and 14 white socks in a drawer. What is the minimum number of socks that he should take to get a correct pair? Answer: This is a classic probability puzzle and many puzzles are based on this logic. If the person picks up two socks then there is a possibility of them being different in color. If he picks up three socks then they are guaranteed red or white. So the minimum number of socks required are three. Example IQ Question

A fast train leaves London for Brighton and at the same time a slow train leaves London for Brighton. The fast train leaves at 80 mph and the slow train travels at 35 mph. When they meet, which is farther from London? Answer: When they meet they are both at the same distance away from London. Example IQ Question

However, it has been found that I. Q However, it has been found that I.Q. does not tell us anything about how people will perform in their work place nor does it tell us anything about how “smart” someone is. To determine “smart” we have to look at some other things.

Emotional Intelligence This is where EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE comes into play. It is a measure of several skills and abilities that are neither verbal nor mathematical. What kinds of skills would you guess make up the emotional scales? Emotional Intelligence

Essentially they are the PERSONAL SKILLS or “PEOPLE SKILLS” someone has. Use the acronym I POSSESS to help you remember the following terms. Turn to page 23 in your manual to record some notes as we talk about each.

I Interpersonal Skills P Persistence O Optimism S Self-Awareness S Self-Control E Empathy S Social Skills S Self-Motivation

This scale combines empathy and social skills and contains all of the following characteristics: Interpersonal Skills

Persistence The ability to stick with something

Optimism The ability to be positive in the face of adversity or struggle

The ability to understand who you really are Self-Awareness

Self-Control The ability to control your impulses or urges to do something

The ability to feel what others feel Empathy

The ability to interact with others in a positive, successful way Social Skills

Self-Motivation The ability to tell yourself what to do, rather than having to have someone else tell you what to do

Because each of these is so vital to developing into a leader, let’s take a look at each one a bit more closely. We will do this throughout the next few lessons.

#1 Interpersonal Skills This is a joint scale which combines two of the other scales: empathy and social skills. We will talk about Interpersonal Skills when we look at those two scales. #1 Interpersonal Skills

What situations can you think of where you need PERSISTENCE? What happens to a person who has low persistence? What happens to a person who has high persistence? #2 Persistence

What do you think about this? “Persistence is directly tied to an internal drive to stick with something” Discuss with a partner and answer the following questions. Internal Drive….what does that mean? To stick with something….what does that mean? What do you think about this?

Choices and Consequences Partner up and find 3 answers, What are some of the major choices you will make in your life in the next five or six years where you will need to be persistent? Choices and Consequences

High School: low persistence = drop out or don’t finish, and then get a low-paying job College: low persistence = drop out or don’t finish Job: low persistence = get fired or no promotions, poor, can’t pay bills Marriage: low persistence = divorce Examples

Partner up and brainstorm at least 3 answers. What other areas of your life can you think of where persistence is important to your success?

What would the following situations look like if someone approached them with persistence….or with a lack of persistence? Doing homework Doing chores Training for and practicing a skill or a sport Training a pet

Optimism Partner up and answer the following. What does “optimism” mean? What does that look like? In other words, how can you tell someone is optimistic? What are some situations where you need optimism? What is the opposite of being optimistic? What does that look like? In other words, how can you tell someone is NOT optimistic? Optimism

Optimism is an INTERNALLY-DRIVEN ABILITY TO BE POSITIVE in the face of adversity or struggle. It means a person can CHOOSE and ACT in a POSITIVE way even when things are tough.

What would the following situations look like if someone approached them with optimism….or with a lack of optimism? A sports event coming up A music or drama event Studying for a test Getting into college Example

Example of an optimistic and persistent person….Nick Vujicich

Letter to a classmate. Try to fill up as much of the card as possible. Do not write your name on it. It will be anonymous. Write only positive things. Make sure their name is listed at the top. Be creative as possible. Not-So-RAK