Venkat Muriki, a first-generation, self-made entrepreneur, academician and educationalist, is from modern-day Telangana. He is a teacher at heart and a professional educator. Venkat received his Bachelor’s degree from Osmania University, after which he received an All India Rank (AIR) of 21 in the entrance exam for admission to the prestigious University of Hyderabad. From the beginning of his career, he rose to prominence as a result of his teaching abilities, breadth of knowledge, and natural aptitude to manage operations and administration. Venkat has worked for some of the most prestigious names in education and test preparation, including FIIT-JEE, FIIT-JEE World School, and Narayana IIT Academy, where he had roles with increasing responsibilities.
Higher IQ means an individual has a higher probability of being successful, be it academically or professionally. Although this has garnered widespread attention and belief, Emotional Quotient (EQ) is starting to gear up to reach the top of the list, along with which Communication as a skill has attracted a lot of limelight of its own.
Currently, the academic and professional world is a major arena with ongoing competitions, day in and day out. Students of this day and age are required to develop an extra set of skills to have an edge over their peers in order to excel academically and professionally. Furthermore, there are skills that will help students workwise, and also aid them in developing skills required to deal with society as a whole. Traits such as empathy, determination, motivation, self-confidence, communication and social skills are equally important in achieving goals and performing well in life. Said skills mostly revolve around the concept of Emotional Quotient (EQ) and Communication.
Today, Emotional Quotient (EQ) is valued more than Intelligence Quotient (IQ), which in the future of a student’s life will prove to be the pillar of a successful start to their careers. Furthermore, EQ leads to the development of relationship skills, self-awareness, self-motivation and empathy and is also significant due to its relevance in facing challenging times in professional life. IQ has been given major importance in the development of students’ skills, however, EQ is what matters even more today as EQ, in addition to its professional benefits, it also tends to help one build empathy and also an awareness of their self-esteem and feelings, while allowing them to have control over their expressions and evaluating them in terms of their challenges and outcomes.
How to boost one’s Emotional Quotient?
Students can boost their Emotional Quotient by learning few processes, such as:
Coping with stress
Stress is an integral part of everyday life. Managing one’s emotions by learning the intelligence behind it, is the biggest factor in having a stress free environment. With the ongoing competition in the job industry, it is important for each and every student to learn about how to keep their minds focused in the direction and constantly have the determination to win at every step. This is possible with a peaceful mind, which can be achieved by building a stress-free environment for self and those around. Students need to work towards understanding their mindsets and adopting tasks and activities that will help them in tackling stress and overcoming it.
Leadership skills
Leadership Skills are recognisable by the way a person deals with their peers and organisation, or how he or she behaves with the family and takes up responsibilities at each stage of their life. Students must know how to strategise and organize their tasks, along with planning and achieving goals for long term benefits. Emotional Quotient will provide information on how good a student is as a leader, how he thinks and manages his emotions, and how capable he is in building a mutual understanding of emotions with his teammates. Since most jobs require a team for execution, this skill plays an important role for being industry ready.
In addition to EQ, Communication also plays a significant role in shaping a student’s attitude and behavior. It is a two way process where an individual has to know what will enhance their work processes in future courses. In terms of communication skills, it is important to know that we communicate through various channels on a daily basis. From writing to speaking to body language, we use various skills to receive and impart information. Developing good communication skills will act as a major booster in terms of a student’s professional and personal life. Emotional Quotient and Communication will be established as the most important skills required in a student’s professional and personal life.
In addition to this, students must also develop other skills to be able to catalyze good growth in terms of their career and personal life. Here are a few tips to ensure a good start in the professional world:
Engage in meaningful conversations
Students need to initiate and engage in conversations in order to build effective communication skills. A majority of students may be introverts, which makes it difficult for them to adequately express their emotions. As a result, schools and colleges should encourage students to participate in interactive activities. Beginning and facilitating conversations through creative activities, paired reading activities, and game play is very necessary. In this manner, students will be provided with the support and environment required for the development of good communication skills.
Initiate teamwork
In order to inculcate effective communication in students it is essential to encourage a sense of teamwork in them. Every classroom should have a practice of initiating team building so that conversations can be a part of everyday learning and students who are not very outgoing, will gradually build confidence to speak up. In this way, stress among students due to various factors might have less impact on their mental health while aiding healthy interpersonal relations.
Listen
Teamwork initiation leads to the next skill which is listening. Listening carefully, understanding their viewpoints and offering feedback is what is expected from a good leader. Effective listening also aids dood communicatio. Educational institutions should focus on organizing activities through which students can practice active listening and invest time in understanding each other.
Conclusion
Employers of this era are constantly on the lookout for individuals who possess strong interpersonal and intrapersonal skills. Soft skills are appreciated at every stage of professional life due to its relevance to listening skills, effective teamwork, and leadership. All students, in order to be ready for the professional world, should develop skills like problem solving, taking initiatives, following work ethics and laws, being accurate and thorough with the work that they perform, being well aware of technological innovation and having a sense of adaptability. All of these skills are essential for a successful career in professional endeavors and can prove to be promising for an excellent impression on the employers and organisations that the students might be working with in the future.