Emotional Intelligence
Think of a time when you lost your sense of humor and made a mistake as a result. What relations do you see between doing things the ‘right' way and keeping your cool? What are some strategies for keeping your sense of humor when things get stressful?
Discuss the ideas of emotional illiteracy, emotional growth, schooling the emotions, and re-educating the emotional brain.
A sarcastic ‘thanks,' a grateful ‘thanks' and an angry ‘thanks' have the same wording but the emotional tone is different. Discuss the importance of not just knowing what the other person is saying, but understanding the person's tone of voice. What role does understanding ‘tone of voice' play in trying to be a careful and critical thinker? Does critical thinking require an understanding of not just syntax and meaning but tone?
What are some important and frequent tones of voice that come up in everyday life? In politics? In marriage and relationships? In parenting? In being parented? In school?