Emotional Intelligence

Task 1. a) There has been criticism of IQ (Intelligence Quotient) tests, partly because they only seem to test logical thinking and ignore things like emotional intelligence. What do you think this is?

1

It turns out that a scientist can see the future by watching four year-olds with a sweet. The researcher invites the children into a plain room. You can have this sweet right now, he says. But if you wait while I go out for a few minutes, you can have two sweets when I get back. And then he leaves.

2

Some children grab the treat the moment he’s out the door. Some last a few minutes before they give in but others are determined to wait. They cover their eyes, they put their heads down, they sing to themselves, they try to play games or even fall asleep. When the researcher returns, he gives these children their sweets. And then, science waits for them to grow up.

3

By the time the children reach high school, something remarkable has happened. A survey of the children’s parents and teachers found that those who as four-year-olds were strong-minded enough to hold out for the second sweet generally grew up to be better adjusted, more popular, adventurous, confident and dependable teenagers. The children who gave in to temptation early on were more likely to be lonely, easily frustrated and stubborn.

4

When we think of brilliance, we see Einstein – deep-eyed, wooly-haired, a thinking machine. High achievers, we imagine, were born for greatness. But then you have to wonder why, over time, natural talent seems to flower in some, yet disappear in others. This is where the sweets come in. The ability to defer gratification is a master skill, a triumph of the reasoning brain over the impulsive one. It is a sign, in short, of emotional intelligence. And it doesn’t show up on an IQ test.

5

In his book Emotional Intelligence, Daniel Goleman argues that brain power as measured by IQ actually matters less than qualities of mind like understanding one’s own feelings, empathy – being sensitive to other people’s feelings – and the ability to manage your own emotions. EQ is not the opposite of IQ. What researchers are trying to understand is how they complement each other. Among the ingredients for success, researchers now generally agree that IQ counts for about twenty per cent: the rest depends on everything from luck, to social class … and emotional intelligence. In the business world, according to personnel executives, IQ gets you a job, but EQ gets you promotion.

Task 2. Read the text again and choose the best summary of each paragraph.

Paragraph 1

a) The experiment started with each child eating a sweet.

b) In the experiment, the children were not allowed to eat their sweets straightaway.

c) In the experiment, the children were promised an extra sweet if they were patient.

Paragraph 2

a) Most of the children decided to eat their sweet straightaway.

b) The researchers were most interested in the children who found ways of passing the time in order to get an extra sweet.

c) Once the researchers had left, many of the children forgot about the sweets.

Paragraph 3

a) Success in IQ tests usually means that people are successful in life.

b) You have to be as brilliant as Einstein to be a success in life.

c) The scientists found that the children who were more patient were happier as teenagers.

Paragraphs 4/5

a) IQ is still considered the most important factor for success at work.

b) According to Daniel Goleman, emotional intelligence is more important than IQ for success in the long-term.

c) People with a high IQ tend not to be very emotionally intelligent.

Task 3. Check the meaning and pronunciation of these adjectives from

the text in your dictionary.

Task 4. Complete the sentences with one of these adjectives.

1. A ………. person is exceptionally intelligent or skilful.

2. A ………. person is very unwilling to change his mind.

3. An ………. person is shy and easily embarrassed in a social situation.

4. An ………. person is willing to take risks and try new things.

5. A ………. person knows what he wants to do and won’t let anything stop him doing it.

6. A ………. person can resist temptation.

7. A ………. person is a person most people like.

8. A ………. person is unhappy because he has no one to talk to.

9. An ………. person does things suddenly, without thinking first.

10. A ………. person is calm and good at controlling her emotions.

11. A ………. person is someone you can rely on.

12. A ………. person is very sure of herself.

Task 4. Which qualities do you think are

- usually positive (+)?

• usually negative (-)?

• both/it depends (+-)