Introduction
Relational intelligence is the ability to establish deep connections, navigate relationships skillfully, and fathom the viewpoints of other individuals. Encouraging cooperation, empathy, and communication strengthens interpersonal bonds. It eventually makes it easier to draw clear borders and enhances the handling of disputes.
Relational Intelligence – 5 Important Principle
1. Establishing Rapport:
Establishing rapport is to say that “we are on the same page.” Good leaders and communicators do this by being good orators and listeners in a conversation.
2. Understanding Others:
It involves investing time and effort and requires emotional intelligence (EQ) to comprehend the feelings of others just as our own. It builds on empathy and helps relationally intelligent people develop deep, meaningful connections.
3. Embracing Individual Differences:
When people from different walks of life come together to attain a single common goal, embracing individual differences becomes important. Relationally intelligent individuals recognise and accept diversity in backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives to achieve superior results.
4. Developing Trust:
All relationships require trust. By being vulnerable and respectful of the opinions of others, a relationally intelligent person can build trust amongst their peers.
5. Cultivating Influence:
Influence in relational intelligence means prioritising people’s growth over results. By showing genuine concern and empowering others, one can make real connections in the workplace as well as in their personal lives.
Relational Self-Awareness
Relational self-awareness is centred around the conception of oneself within the framework of one’s social relationships.
Relational self-awareness helps you understand why you behave in a certain manner in a particular social setting.
Here’s how it functions:
- Greater emotional awareness: It’s similar to knowing whether you’re uncomfortable, joyful, or sad in different social situations. You might find, for instance, that you feel at ease around close friends but anxious about strangers.
- Recognizing Your Behaviour: Knowing how you act in different circumstances helps you recognise your behaviour. For example, you may find that your risk-taking abilities increase when you are with friends but vice versa when you are with your family.
- Identifying Triggers: There are some triggers that exist in the environment. These cause you to react distinctly. Relation self-awareness allows you to gather insight about these triggers. For example, it may be so that you get defensive when you are criticized but happy when you are praised.
- Adjusting Responses: Adapting Reactions: After you’ve determined what your triggers are, you can consider how to react if and when they do arise. To soothe an ongoing heated contention, for instance, you might want to take a few deep breaths to relieve yourself or simply walk out of the room.
- Improving Communication: Over time, you can actively enhance your communication by becoming more aware of your emotions and recognizing your behavior, identifying triggers, and changing how you counter each one of them.
Relational self-awareness can be summarised as having a manual to help you comprehend who you are in social situations. It makes it possible for you to control your feelings and build enduring bonds with other people.
Effective Communication Techniques for Improving Relational Intelligence
Some effective communication approaches for enhancing relationship intelligence in interpersonal relationships are as follows:
- Active Listening: There is a difference between what the other person has to say and actively listening. For example, you can demonstrate your interest by following up with questions after a friend shares their day with you.
- Empathy: Imagine yourself in other people’s situations. Saying that you understand how they might be feeling right now and that you are available to them in case they need anything, for example, helping your buddy when he is depressed.
- Body Language: It’s like the saying, ‘Actions speak louder than words.’ For example, sitting with folded arms in a discussion points toward the person being disinterested.
- Disagreeing respectfully: Every coin has two sides. Similarly, there are different viewpoints regarding subjects of discussion. Therefore, it becomes essential that these differing viewpoints are catered to with respect. For example, if you and your partner can’t agree on something, you could acknowledge them and say, “I see your point, but I prefer X over Y because of Z reason.”
- Express Appreciation: Expressing gratitude and providing recognition, mostly in forms of appreciation, is instrumental in receiving help from others. It must be reflected in your actions and words.
Social Awareness Contributes to Relational Intelligence
Understanding different social signs, adjusting to them, and comprehending others are all parts of being socially aware. By doing so, meaningful relationships can be formed. Davis (1994) asserts that social awareness promotes empathy, which enables people to comprehend and experience the emotions of others.
Social awareness is indispensable today, attributing to the growing diversity. Being socially conscious and accepting of diversity allows us to get past our differences and support our peers in solidarity as more and more individuals from various origins, nationalities, religions, and gender identities come together.
Socially conscious people foster trust in relationships by demonstrating empathy, flexibility, and effective communication, which eventually strengthens bonds and raises relational intelligence.
Managing Conflicts and Disagreements Constructively Using Relational Intelligence
- Understanding Both Perspectives: An empathetic attitude is extremely important when we wish to understand the other person’s point of view. Conflict resolution can easily be executed if both angles of the conflict are understood.
- Effective Communication: Active listening plays a pivotal role in effective conflict resolution. Listening to each other’s concerns and feelings can lead to better understanding and increase the chances of resolution.
- Seeking Mutual Solutions: Conflict management aims to find solutions that are a good bargain for all the parties involved. Therefore, the focus should be on constructive management rather than winning or proving one’s point. It involves a willingness to compromise and make adjustments to reach a common consensus.
- Relational Intelligence: It enables individuals to navigate through conflicts with empathetic understanding. It involves recognising the emotions and motivations underlying the conflict.
- Strengthening Relationships and Building Trust: Constructively managed conflicts strengthen relationships as they lead to trust being fostered. It helps in respecting the other person’s perspective and shows a willingness to work towards a resolution together.
- Promoting Collaboration: Collaboration in problem-solving promotes conflict resolution and management. Since cooperation is encouraged, connections are enhanced.
Conclusion
Relational intelligence, Mayer et al. (2016), involves a mix of empathy, interpersonal competence, and proper communication to help resolve conflicts. By giving consideration and empathy priority, people can improve their lives. Relational intelligence develops a sense of deeper meaning and understanding in our lives. A better social network is built through developing this as empathy, cooperation, and dialogue between individuals are promoted.
References
Davis, M. H. (2018). Empathy. In Routledge eBooks. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429493898
- Gottman, J. M., & Silver, N. (2000). The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work. Harmony.
- Masten, A. S., Burt, K. B., & Coatsworth, J. D. (2005). Competence and psychopathology in development. In D. Cicchetti & D. J. Cohen (Eds.), Developmental psychopathology: Vol. 1. Theory and methods (2nd ed., pp. 696–738). John Wiley & Sons.
- Matsumoto, D., & Hwang, H. S. (2017). Nonverbal communication: Science and applications. Sage Publications.
