The Importance of the Four Categories of Emotional Intelligence for Trainers

28th May 2021

Emotional intelligence can be defined as the ability to connect with others on an emotional level. It refers to one’s ability to perceive, process, and regulate emotional information in order to develop healthy interpersonal relationships with the people around her/him. This form of intelligence is extremely important for trainers as it enables them to understand their learners’ needs, guide them, and also build relationships that allows the learners to have faith in the trainer. When that happens, a trusting bond is formed, and the learners’ willingness to learn and perform well accelerates. Typically, a live online trainer training program will always emphasise the importance of interpersonal relationships between trainers and learners, and emotional intelligence or EQ is one such factor that enables better connections. EQ can be broken down into four main categories, and we will explore why each these categories are important for trainers.
 

 

• Self-Regulation: This refers to the ability to manage and control one’s negative or disruptive emotions, and be able to adapt to the changes stemming from different circumstances. Trainers with strong self-regulation are better equipped to handle conflicts as they do not let their emotions intervene. Thus, when managing arguments or difficult learners, self-regulation can prove to be valuable as the trainer will be able to focus on what really matters: the learning quality and content. Moreover, since trainers often come to interact with learners carrying different emotional baggage, it becomes vital for their trainers to be able to self-regulate their emotions and opinions.
   
• Motivation: This relates to the ability to motivate oneself intrinsically, instead of seeking external rewards and praises. As a train the trainer program would posit, successful trainers are those who manage to truly enjoy the training process, and attains renewed motivation when they manage to deliver impactful sessions that help enhance the employees’ performance. The ability to stay motivated is very essential because things may not always fall in place, and staying driven during such stages instead of wanting to give up makes for great trainers.
   
• Empathy: Put simply, this refers to the ability to identify and comprehend how others are feeling, and considering those feelings before responding in social situations. In others words, a trainer with a lot of empathy will be able to understand the learners’ emotions and situations, and guide them accordingly. They realise that one size does not fit all, and are willing to take the extra effort to make the learners feel valued. By doing so, the learners naturally feel more motivated to pay attention during the training sessions.
   
• Social Skills: This identifies as the capacity to manage the emotions of others through emotional understanding, and using this to build rapport. Building a rapport with the learners if very vital because by doing so, the learners become an active part of the learning process. They feel comfortable around the trainer, and are more likely to share their doubts and problems. 

While almost all of us have heard of the term: Emotional Intelligence, very few of us actually have high EQ levels. In fact, while some of us are born with high social skills and EQ, many of us work hard and develop our EQ levels by interacting with others, attending courses, and many more. It is also worth noting that EQ is often confused with being extroverted. An extroverted individual can still fail to regulate their emotions and not be empathetic, despite being outgoing. At the same time, it is important for the learners to also possess adequate levels of EQ for relationships to form. It does not work as a one-way street.

Written By : Shivangi Chakraborty