Tune up your EQ

It is with deep regret that the family and friends of Galba Bright wish to inform you of Galba’s untimely passing.

Galba Francis Adeyinka Bright, Human Resource Consultant and Author, died at his office on March 31 of natural causes, leaving his wife Sandra, numerous family members, friends, associates, readers and fans.

Out of respect, the Tune up your EQ website created by Galba will therefore be offline for a short period.

We thank you for your understanding at this time and appreciate the interest you have shown in Galba’s work and ideas.

Should you wish to post comments about the personal impact of Galba’s thoughts and writings, please feel free to click here or go to his blog.

The Service of Thanksgiving for the life of Galba Bright will be held at St. John’s Methodist Church, Montego Bay, Jamaica, at 1.00 pm on Sunday, April 19, followed by interment in Dovecot of St. James Memorial Park, Orange, St. James.

Episode 8, Emotional Intelligence Laughing Out Loud

March 8th, 2008 by Galba Bright

Have you ever improved your emotional intelligence by laughing at yourself?

It was a hot steamy evening in South London, back in 1993. My long working day was finally coming to an end. I’d conducted numerous research surveys with some refugees.I’d listened hard and I recorded their answers faithfully. I was hot and tired.

One last interview and then I’d relax.

I met the last interviewee, raced through the survey instructions and started to ask him the questions. The inquisitive interviewee started to ask me to explain the purpose of the research again. I answered his questions.

The he asked me again.

I gave him a quick answer and pressed on. Time was short.

He was having none of that. His quizzing continued.This interviewee wanted HIS QUESTIONS answered. This last interview clearly wasn’t going according to plan. My usually patient approach vanished as quickly as a magician’s vanishing trick.

I reminded my new found “friend” that I was a qualified social researcher. I had lots of experience. I reeled off the names of the many organisations that I had worked with to press my point home.

Slowly he eyed me up and down.Then he offered his wise advice:

“just because you’ve done something for a long time, doesn’t mean that you know what you’re doing.”

He was absolutely right. I wasn’t particularly amused then, but 15 years on, the memory of an unforgettable, informal lesson in life still makes me laugh.

Have you ever improved your emotional intelligence by laughing at yourself?

Tell your story by leaving a comment in the comment box, or send me an email, using the contact form.

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2 Responses to “Episode 8, Emotional Intelligence Laughing Out Loud”

Jann Freed Says:
March 9th, 2008 at 10:44 am
You have a great way of integrating stories into your blog posts. I will read them more carefully as a good model. My goal is to start reading more and leaving more comments. If you have tips you are willing to share, please let me know since I am so new at this. Thanks again for commenting on my blog. Jann
Galba Bright Says:
March 9th, 2008 at 2:12 pm
Hello Jan:

Thank you for kind comments. I think stories and Emotional Intelligence are made for each other

Here are some ideas that have worked for me. Perhaps they’ll generate useful ideas for you.

#1 Find a blogging mentor, someone whose approach you admire and can learn from. Mine is Dr. Ellen Weber of Brain Based Business http://www.brainbasedbusiness.com . She has developed a great learning community through her genuine interest in others, in depth knowledge of her subject and her humility. I participated on her blog many months before I started Tune up your EQ.

#2 Get involved in reading and commenting on other blogs.

#3 Read good quality blogs not directly related to your niche.Brian Clark of Copyblogger is outstanding IMHO because his writing is a real time demonstration of what he espouses, so one can learn from him at a variety of levels.

#4 Honour your own voice and your own unique story, your core reason for writing your blog.

#5 Remain responsive to your readers and stay true to yourself. This requires balance and wisdom.

#6 As you progress, devise ways to become more organised and seek to become a more efficient writer.

#7 I think being comfortable with discontinuity and complexity helps immensely. This perspective affects how I set my goals and decide my priorities. I believe in the core concept of your blog. It resonates with me and I’d like to see you fulfill your purpose.

#8 My closing tip is drawn from this article http://tuneupyoureq.com/2007/07/06/whats-your-emotional-intelligence-story/ . However you treat the donkey, others will always have something to say.

Listen to your heart, do what you feel resonates with you and enjoy your blogging for as long as it has meaning for you.

Wishing you all the best. Let me know how you progress.