- What to Look For in Emotional Intelligence Training
- Emotional Intelligence Training Comparison
- Top 10 Best Online Emotional Intelligence Trainings 2024
- 1. Best for Management: Leadership and Emotional Intelligence
- 2. Best Introduction to Developing Emotional Intelligence: Developing Your Emotional Intelligence
- 3. Best for Establishing Empathy: Empathy and Emotional Intelligence at Work
- 4. Best for Using Emotional Intelligence in Your Work-Life: Emotional Intelligence at Work
- 5. Best for Conflict Resolution: Conflict Management With Emotional Intelligence
- 6. Best for Recognizing Your Emotions: Master Anxiety, Fear, & Emotions
- 7. Best for Leading: Leading With Emotional Intelligence
- 8. Best for Understanding Cultural Differences: Managing Conflicts on Projects With Cultural and Emotional Intelligence
- 9. Best for Using Emotional Intelligence to Your Advantage: How to Influence People & Businesses
- 10. Best Free Course for Developing Emotional Intelligence: Develop Your Emotional Intelligence
- Emotional Intelligence FAQ
- Understanding and Making the Most of Emotional Intelligence Training
- Taking the Next Steps
Controlling your emotions is vital for leading a productive and successful life. Recognizing your strengths and weaknesses is critical, which is where emotional intelligence, a term popularized back in 1995 by the author Daniel Goleman, comes in.
Raising your emotional intelligence can help you both inside and outside the workplace, as we shall see in this article looking at the best emotional intelligence training you can find online.
What to Look For in Emotional Intelligence Training
As a beginner in the world of emotional intelligence you’ll find that you have a lot to unpack, all of which we’ll go over here before getting on to the training courses themselves.
Why Get Emotional Intelligence Training?
First, you should introduce yourself to the concept, and there are courses doing just that. The basic crux of it is that emotional intelligence was coined as a phrase by Daniel Goleman and would differ from IQ in that it would focus on the understanding of emotions as opposed to general intelligence.
Now you’ll want to ask yourself why you want to learn more about it and how increasing your emotional intelligence (or EQ ,as it’s also known) could personally benefit you. It may be that you want to increase your performance at work, as EQ is known to improve leadership skills.
On the other hand, you might want to improve yourself personally, using it as a form of personal development. There are countless reasons why managing your own emotions can help you, along with understanding the feelings of others.
Different Types of Emotional Intelligence Training
There are other reasons to pursue this type of training.
The benefits will include dealing with your emotions, looking at them not just at work but as a whole, helping you to master them effectively.
Leadership
Efficiently leading a team is instrumental in achieving success, and there are courses helping you do just this. Learning confidence and compassion, you’ll effectively balance the two.
Social Skills
From learning about conflict resolution, through to simply dealing with people daily, these types of courses will teach you how to better interact and communicate with others.
Making the Most of Your Emotional Intelligence Training
Many courses focus on the workplace, and this is an essential factor to consider in that this is where you’ll want to excel. Finding your momentum at work is key to becoming successful, and you want to make the most of this.
It’s also vital you don’t overlook personal therapy, though, remembering self-care, and exploring first finding out what’s best suited to you.
Course Length
It would be best if you considered how much time you’re going to be spending on the course, with some being longer than others.
Many such studies will also provide you with professional qualifications at the end, allowing you to further continue your qualifications afterward. It all depends on what you’re looking for, and the time you’re willing to put in.
What You’ll Need
Based on theory, many of the courses will require you to take notes, needing little from you besides a good internet connection. Mostly, it’s a case of practicing your skills once you’ve learned them, with many courses urging you to continue adapting and improving to your working environment.
Some courses will provide plenty of resources, allowing you to further your studies once the course is over. These may include actionable plans to help you in the workplace, and you should make the most of them.
Emotional Intelligence Training Comparison
Course Title | Platform | Course Level | Course Length | Course Style | Course Rating |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Leadership and Emotional Intelligence | Coursera | Beginner | 13h | Leadership | 5 of 5 |
Developing Your Emotional Intelligence | Beginner | 1h 8m | Personal Development | 5 of 5 | |
Empathy and Emotional Intelligence at Work | edX | Beginner | 4 weeks, 1-2 hrs weekly | Social Skills | 5 of 5 |
Emotional Intelligence at Work | Udemy | Intermediate to Advanced | 1h | Personal Development | 5 of 5 |
Conflict Management With Emotional Intelligence | Udemy | Intermediate | 3h 30m | Social Skills | 4.5 of 5 |
Master Anxiety, Fear, & Emotions | Udemy | Beginner to Advanced | 6h 30m | Personal Development | 4.5 of 5 |
Leading With Emotional Intelligence | Beginner to Intermediate | 1h 2m | Leadership | 4 of 5 | |
Managing Conflicts on Projects With Cultural and Emotional Intelligence | edX | Beginner | 5 weeks, 3-5 hrs weekly | Social Skills | 4 of 5 |
How to Influence People & Businesses | Udemy | Beginner to Intermediate | 1h 30m | Leadership | 4 of 5 |
Develop Your Emotional Intelligence | Alison | Beginner | 3-4h | Personal Development | 3.5 of 5 |
Emotional intelligence is a vast area to cover. We’ll look closer at the training offered online now before getting down to examining what it means more in-depth.
Top 10 Best Online Emotional Intelligence Trainings 2024
1. Best for Management: Leadership and Emotional Intelligence
- 13h Free with Subscription at $49
- Course Highlights
- Many options to continue your training afterward
- Level: Beginner
- Style: Leadership
Why we like it
Here, you get to look at what’s involved in taking charge in any business and effectively manage a more productive working team.
Taking an in-depth look at what it means to run a team with empathy and understanding, this course paves the way to becoming a team leader. If you want to get a taste of what leading a team through emotional intelligence means, then there are shorter options, available. This course offers further opportunities, though, along with extensive course material presented clearly and straightforwardly.
Prerequisites and Requirements
The course itself is online, so you don't need to worry too much about bringing anything of your own into it besides taking notes. Many of the resources provided will provide these afterward, though, allowing you to follow the lessons at your own pace easily. Fitting into the long-running 'Business Technology Management Specialization,' it does offer a stepping stone to further learning if you so wish.
Verdict
The course itself is very theory-driven, and it could stand to be a little more engaging, with the dry explanations dragging it down a little. On top of this, there's some jargon in there, which clashes with becoming a more dynamic leader. Once you get past this, though, there's a lot of insight offered here from people with real experience, making for a more than worthwhile course.
Pros
- Clear and articulate
- Extensive course material
- Real insight provided
- Provides further opportunities
Cons
- Some jargon
- A little dry
2. Best Introduction to Developing Emotional Intelligence: Developing Your Emotional Intelligence
- 1h 8m Free with Subscription at $29.99
- Course Highlights
- A great introduction to emotional intelligence
- Level: Beginner
- Style: Personal Development
Why we like it
Providing a gateway into the world of emotional intelligence, this takes a general look at how you can apply it to your everyday schedule and working environment.
You should begin with a working knowledge of what emotional intelligence is before going any further, and this course from the eminent psychologist Gemma Leigh Roberts offers just that. There are other courses offering tasters into this area, but this is one of the more in-depth. Examining emotional hijacks and triggers that can impede upon your performance, the course seeks to get to the root of these, helping you better understand them.
Prerequisites and Requirements
Given that it's not a long course, you'll need to be prepared to take notes, although there is a summary at the end. There are transcripts provided, so highlighting anything that stands out which is relevant to you can help. Basing it on your scheduling and planning, you will want to apply what you've learned to your time management.
Verdict
The course itself is pretty brief, with being over quite quickly, and it felt like there was a lot more ground to cover. For one, it could've easily expanded outside the workplace, looking at how emotional intelligence can affect you in your day-to-day. As an introductory course to the world of EQ, it does excel, offering plenty of ideas and workable plans to build upon your emotional reasoning.
Pros
- Looks at triggers and hijacks
- Professional tutoring
- Course is easy to follow anywhere
- Transcripts and resources provided
Cons
- Fairly brief
- Could move outside of the workplace
3. Best for Establishing Empathy: Empathy and Emotional Intelligence at Work
- 4 weeks, 1-2 hrs weekly Free with Verified Certificate of $199
- Course Highlights
- Features university experts and lecturers
- Level: Beginner
- Style: Social Skills
Why we like it
These weekly lessons work at digging up the driving force behind certain traits and emotions, getting to the roots of emotional intelligence.
Bringing together some of the top professional experts in the field, this looks at better understanding how emotions can drive your work performance. Other courses also deal with the roots of your different emotions, finding ways of effectively dealing with them. The lessons offer insight into what trust and empathy mean and what they require from you, helping you find happiness.
Prerequisites and Requirements
Being a relatively easy course to follow, you're not going to need much during this course, as you're simply learning how to relate to others. These classes provide real actionable social skills, applying them in a meaningful manner. Upon completion, you do get the choice of a certificate, which does look good when it comes to future employment opportunities.
Verdict
The course itself isn't all that long, and it only scratches the surface when looking deeper into what drives emotional intelligence. Providing a few more resources could be a good start, clearly showing you how to make the most of what you've learned with more working plans.
It does offer a good start on all that, though, showing you where to take your journey next as you develop your social skills in the workplace for the better.
Pros
- Gain organizational happiness
- Top professional experts
- Studies the roots of emotional responses
- Self-paced and easy to manage
Cons
- Skims the surface
- More resources needed
4. Best for Using Emotional Intelligence in Your Work-Life: Emotional Intelligence at Work
- 1h $49.99
- Course Highlights
- Improves your working relationships
- Level: Intermediate to Advanced
- Style: Personal Development
Why we like it
This takes a practical look at how you can apply emotional intelligence when working alongside colleagues and friends, making for a more conducive working environment.
Growing as a person is vital for your work-life and helps your personal and social life, which this course from executive coach Leila Bulling Towne offers. While it's also critical to deal with conflicts as and when they arise, maintaining working relationships is also essential in fostering a good working environment.
Setting you up, this does work best with some prior knowledge of what EQ means, but it's simple to follow with some effective material provided.
Prerequisites and Requirements
The classes take place entirely on-screen, so you'll need to sit there and take notes while watching along. There is one practice test, so you should be prepared for this, although it's not too challenging, as it's primarily there to help you take in what's said. You also get a certificate at the end, and there are plenty of resources offered for you to continue learning.
Verdict
Content-wise it's a little bare, and you may have learned much of it elsewhere, covering already well-trodden ground. The presentation is also a little stiff, which can be a problem when looking to better understanding engaging those around you. The course does excel, though, in dealing with personal relationships, helping maintain good working relations and friendships.
Pros
- Self-development and growth
- Information for both business and personal
- Builds solid working relationships
- Practice tests offered
Cons
- Quite basic content
- Presentation a little stiff
5. Best for Conflict Resolution: Conflict Management With Emotional Intelligence
- 3h 30m $99.99
- Course Highlights
- Develop conflict strategies
- Level: Intermediate
- Style: Social Skills
Why we like it
As a course, it helps you deal with problems directly, not shying away from conflict, managing them diplomatically and effectively.
Building confidence, which can be managed through learning leadership or dealing with staff diplomatically, is vital, and this course provides that.
Taught by the eminent business psychologist Robin Hills, this series of lessons primarily deals with conflict and managing disputes. Through developing realistic strategies, the course allows you to find your path when coping with conflict issues in and around the workplace.
Prerequisites and Requirements
While you need a basic working knowledge of the core fundamentals of emotional intelligence and what it means, you don't need to be an expert. It's a straightforward course, and you can repeat any of the lessons that you may have missed, catching up on content promptly. There are resources provided at the end, with nine articles in total, so all you need to do is take some notes if you want to.
Verdict
When it comes to this course, one of the significant issues is the somewhat monotonous tone, which does hamper the points made about engaging people. Its pacing exacerbates its dryness, which can be slow at times, holding the lessons back from reaching their full potential. It does make up for this in analysis, looking in-depth into precisely what steps to take when dealing with a conflict.
Pros
- Qualified business psychologist tutoring
- In-depth analysis
- Plenty of resources provided
- Develop realistic strategies
Cons
- Slightly monotonous tone
- Slow pacing issues
6. Best for Recognizing Your Emotions: Master Anxiety, Fear, & Emotions
- 6h 30m $109.99
- Course Highlights
- Ideal for managing stress effectively
- Level: Beginner to Advanced
- Style: Personal Development
Why we like it
This course deals with your fear and anxiety by taking a look at your negative emotions and getting you to look at what causes them in your day-to-day.
Overcoming your inner fears is overcoming one of the biggest obstacles for many, and this course primarily seeks to look at precisely that. Managing the roots of your emotions is key to understanding them, as seen in other courses too.
Taught by Natalie and Joeel Rivera, both with a long history at Udemy, this series of classes is handled sensitively and tactfully, helping you deal with these issues, building your confidence as you go.
Prerequisites and Requirements
It's not a taxing course, so there's not too much pressure, although you will need to print out a few of the worksheets provided. Overall there are three articles, but it's best to be prepared as they do summarize a lot of what's said. Apart from that, all you need to do is listen and take in everything on-screen, all of which you can come back to as often as you need.
Verdict
Over the series of lessons, it could stand to lose a bit, as there did tend to be some verbiage and over-explaining in places, and some editing wouldn't have gone amiss. The presentation of the slides themselves is also uninspiring, with their lackluster presentation not grabbing the attention, despite being packed with information.
Still, it does cover a lot of ground, and you can return to anything you may have missed, as this isn't a light course, offering you more than enough material on the subject.
Pros
- Overcome your inner fears
- Easy to manage and follow
- Covers the topic extensively
- Helps build confidence
Cons
- Some verbiage in places
- Slides are quite bland
7. Best for Leading: Leading With Emotional Intelligence
- 1h 2m Free with Subscription at $29.99
- Course Highlights
- Looks at triggers and brain science in detail
- Level: Beginner to Intermediate
- Style: Leadership
Why we like it
This provides the tools for effectively leading a team with compassion and empathy, creating a working environment that beneficial for all.
Britt Andreatta, a professional CEO, delivers this clear and well-structured course, making for an engaging host with plenty of industry experience. From leading with compassion, and looking to advance, emotional intelligence is vital in gaining empathy.
These tutorials seek to make you a more inspirational and empathetic leader, creating a more productive and progressive workplace for all.
Prerequisites and Requirements
This course is fast and straightforward, and all you'll need is a willingness to adapt to the ideas presented. Showing you how to lead a team with empathy, the course offers many ideas for helping you improve your working environment. Over the series of lessons, this is something that you'll need to take on board and use in your day-to-day schedule.
Verdict
When it comes to the content of the course itself, it is a little broad at times, as it could look in closer detail at actually applying your skills. Through more case studies and providing insight through examples, the course would gain an overall greater sense of grounding.
Either way, as it stands it does offer a clear look at the science of the brain and how this affects you when dealing with emotional triggers and appropriate responses.
Pros
- Well structured and engaging
- Experienced and professional tutor
- Responding to triggers
- Creates inspirational leadership
Cons
- Somewhat broad at times
- Could be more case studies
8. Best for Understanding Cultural Differences: Managing Conflicts on Projects With Cultural and Emotional Intelligence
- 5 weeks, 3-5 hrs weekly Free with Verified Certificate of $199
- Course Highlights
- Learn effective communication
- Level: Beginner
- Style: Social Skills
Why we like it
Joining the global marketplace is an essential stage for any growing business, which this course helps manage and sensitively understand the many cultural differences along the way.
Cultural shifts are an essential factor to consider when navigating any workplace operating on a global platform, as you need to account for the range of different experiences and backgrounds. You can also look at courses focused on resolving more general conflicts if need be. Here though, Bill Brantley from the University of Maryland lays it all out clearly and effectively, teaching you how to comprehend these differences alongside your own better.
Prerequisites and Requirements
The course itself uses a series of actionable plans and outlines to assist you in your day-to-day working schedule. From the four steps of cultural intelligence to emotional intelligence and its five components, you effectively incorporate the teachings into your working style. You can follow it at your own pace, so it's not too difficult to manage, and all you need is to follow along on the screen each week.
Verdict
There could be many more key examples of actual experiences within the workplace to help highlight specific points regarding the course itself. As it stands, it's very theory-driven, which can sometimes negate the more personal human level of interacting with those from other cultural backgrounds.
Regardless, as a solid starting point, it pushes you to find out more and adapt to the methods you best see fit.
Pros
- Understand cultural differences
- Good starting point for bridging cultural divides
- Clear set of actionable plans
- Well laid out
Cons
- Needs more case studies
- Very theory-driven
9. Best for Using Emotional Intelligence to Your Advantage: How to Influence People & Businesses
- 1h 30m $89.99
- Course Highlights
- Straightforward in its aims and goals
- Level: Beginner to Intermediate
- Style: Leadership
Why we like it
Getting ahead in the workplace is critical, and you want to do what you can, which is where this course comes in, looking at what’s needed to succeed in terms of EQ.
Everyone will want to make the most of what they've learned when it comes to EQ, and this straightforward course provides just that. It may be that you want a course that will help you apply your emotional intelligence in a more general sense.
This course from the respected business consultant Serah Lister offers more practical learning when it comes to EQ, showing you what it takes to make the most and advance using your skills.
Prerequisites and Requirements
The course itself is open to everyone as it's not all that difficult, with the running time lasting around an hour and a half in total. All you need is to want to push yourself in the workplace, making some significant changes in how you do things. Adapting to what's being said and putting the skills into practice is essential, as this is what will help you get the most out of it all.
Verdict
There's a lot packed in here, and you may find yourself getting lost within its dense lectures, despite being able to go back over it. On top of that, there are quite a few subjective teachings here which some students may disagree with, finding it may not be personally applicable to them.
That said, she is a highly engaging and experienced tutor, so her opinions do come with a lot of weight, and you can easily take from it what you want.
Pros
- Experienced professional tutor
- Straightforward and honest
- Practical teaching
- Engaging and easy to follow
Cons
- Crams the information in
- Some subjective opinions
10. Best Free Course for Developing Emotional Intelligence: Develop Your Emotional Intelligence
- 3-4h Free
- Course Highlights
- Ideal as a taster to understanding emotional intelligence
- Level: Beginner
- Style: Personal Development
Why we like it
A great introduction into the world of emotional intelligence, allowing you to see where you want to go next.
Giving you the grounding you need to build upon your career, here instructor Robin Hills takes you into the world of emotional intelligence. Working as a great precursor to larger more professional courses of a similar nature, this is an ideal entry point into the world of emotional intelligence. There's also a look at the brain's anatomy, studying it from both a physical and psychological perspective.
Prerequisites and Requirements
This course isn't long, so you don't need to do much when it comes to following along, with it lasting around only three hours in total. You have the option of following along on your mobile too, and there is the chance to gain accredited certification afterward, although this may be charged depending.
You also get the option of looking into related careers, allowing you to carry what you've learned into future employment opportunities.
Verdict
For such an in-depth topic, it's a reasonably short course to cover so much ground in so little time, as there was plenty of room to continue. The resources provided reflect this too, as it could've provided more in the way of plans looking at applying what you've learned. Essentially working as a stepping stone, though, it's a taster of a broader subject, giving you the options of where you can take it in the future.
Pros
- Fast and effective
- Certification offered
- Tests provided
- Study brain anatomy
Cons
- Light on resources
- A short course
Emotional Intelligence FAQ
The short answer is yes; it can be taught in the basic sense, educating individuals to recognize common emotional signs in themselves and others. While contention over what being receptive to emotions actually means can potentially head into a whole other area of debate, understanding emotions is a teachable skill like any other.
These usually involve leadership positions and mainly revolve around taking charge of a team. There are many training schemes for such roles, and they nominally involve understanding the needs of others. That’s not to say other positions don’t also require EQ, as it’s essential to get along with your colleagues.
You can tell this by examining how they conduct themselves around others, dealing with sensitive subjects and the needs of those around them. Signs such as whether they handle criticism well or not and if they’re aware of themselves and their surroundings. Regarding how they see themselves is a clear indicator of if they have a high EQ.
Emotional quotient or EQ is different from intelligence quotient, or IQ in many regards. IQ measures a person’s cognitive ability and intelligence in a general sense, seeing how they function within an intellectual capacity. Then there’s EQ, which looks at the individuals’ understanding of emotions, both in themselves and those around them, and is entirely separate from cognition.
Practicing is managed by carefully regarding your surrounding environment and the people within it, evaluating yourself and your reactions. It’s an ongoing process that you can stop and consider at any time, looking at your feelings and listening to your inner voice. This analysis will help you not only gain self-awareness but also empathize with your friends and colleagues.
Here you’re primarily factoring in the ability to be vulnerable, facing an intense emotional experience directly head-on. Learning this usually only comes from experience and due diligence, as you seek to find your own inner strength. Emotional intelligence training is something that can help lead to this.
This question is a philosophical question for the ages, as nobody truly knows why this is yet. There are many theories, with your psychological interlinked with evolutionary and biological drives. When it comes to the day-to-day, though, it’s best to analyze what they mean to you and the world around you.
There’s not much separation between the two, to be honest; it’s just that those with a higher EQ typically have a better understanding of emotions in the practical sense. That’s not to say sensitive people can’t also learn to raise their EQ, as they should find they’re more intuitive when it comes to learning and training. Much like anything else, emotional intelligence is a gift that anybody can potentially nurture.
Understanding and Making the Most of Emotional Intelligence Training
Although we’ve gone over it briefly, the phrase emotional intelligence itself has roots dating back to 1990, when two professors John D. Meyer and Peter Salovey, initially coined the term itself.
Goleman then popularized the concept in 1995 with his bestselling book ‘Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ’ which brought it to an even wider audience. This book would see the term then being introduced to the workplace, allowing it to flourish into the field that it currently is today.
How Do I Know if I Have Emotional Intelligence?
As stated by Daniel Goleman in his original text, there are five recognizable traits to help determine how emotionally intelligent you currently are, which go as follows:
- Empathy: this means understanding the needs and emotions of others, being able to put yourself in their shoes for a moment. From this, you can see what needs working upon and improving as a whole.
- Self-regulation: keeping yourself in check is crucial to becoming a more rounded person, as this, in turn, allows you to make more rational decisions while staying balanced and in control.
- Motivation: this falls under time-management, and there are courses to help deal with this, as you re-examine the purpose of your job and where you currently stand.
- Self-awareness: knowing yourself is key to understanding how you can adapt and improve as a human, showing introspection in and around the workplace.
- Social skills: usually, this will include communication and interactions, which can involve such concepts as conflict resolution between staff.
These will vary between individuals and personality types, but this is just a general overview.
What Benefit Does Emotional Intelligence Have in the Workplace?
General intelligence is great for problem-solving, especially when it comes to dealing with business-related issues. Just as important is your staff and working with others, as you must manage yourself and those around you.
It may be that you want to achieve success, in which case there are good courses for that. On the other hand, it’s equally vital that you get through the day with a minimum of stress, dealing with any issues as they arise.
What Are You Doing It For?
A lot of online courses are business-driven. While this is obviously important, it’s also essential to keep in mind that emotional intelligence development can potentially lead towards therapy-related areas.
There are legitimate criticisms of emotional intelligence in the workplace. That’s why you mustn’t forget your own needs before anything else. You want to develop yourself first and foremost, and focusing on it simply as a tool for business success isn’t always productive in the long run. Most decent courses will not overlook this, though, regardless of how they intend to help you.
How Can You Potentially Improve Your Emotional Intelligence?
You should find a series of simple exercises that you can easily manage to improve upon your overall emotional intelligence.
- Self-evaluation: a simple method for this is quizzes and tests, of which there are many online. Truly self-evaluating is an ongoing process, though, as you continually keep your emotions in check, studying how you respond to people and situations.
- Take responsibility: this will mean taking responsibility for your actions and apologizing if you hurt other people. Being honest and truthful will benefit you enormously here, helping raise other people’s opinions of you.
- Pay attention: look at how you integrate into the world, noting your role at work and in your home. These observations should then give you a clearer idea across the board on how you can improve upon everything as a whole.
- Practice humility: you may find that this also falls under responsibility, as you humble yourself, not overestimating your abilities. In time this should alter other people’s perception of you and how they regard you.
- Examine others: this means regarding the world around you, seeing how it operates. Take the time out to analyze the needs of others, seeing how they relate to yours, and this should help give you a clearer idea.
Taking the Next Steps
Now is just the beginning of your journey into the world of emotional intelligence training online. It’s an ongoing process that’s never entirely done, as there are always new avenues to explore and new methods to adapt and improve through. Once you’ve taken the first steps, though, you should be ready to find and discover what comes next in your path to success.