Emotional intelligence is the ability to be cognizant of your emotions, control them and recognize the emotions of others so that you craft communications with consideration and empathy for maximum effectiveness.
Unlike IQ, EI is a skill in that it is a learned activity. You can improve your EI by studying behavioral psychology and communications.
It is a super skill in that it is the corner stone of so many other high value skills, such as: negotiation, persuasion, sales, team building and supervision.
Every interaction that we have with other people passively trains us in the art of EI. However, actively studying human behavior and analyzing the results can vastly improve your EI very quickly.
Start by looking at patterns of behavior in yourself and others. Look for the markers that cause people to act with emotion over logic. By controlling or avoiding triggers you can manage the outcome of any given interaction more advantageously.
In no time, recognizing behavior patterns and acting accordingly will become second nature. People will be amazed at how effortlessly you gain consensus and never seem to be stressed.
