Assertiveness is the capacity to state your needs clearly to the rest of the world and pardon the rest of the World for not being psychic if you haven't been able to state those needs clearly!

Assertiveness is something many people find difficult to achieve. Often it's confused with inappropriately direct or aggressive behaviour. That's where people go wrong...

Assertive behaviour, language and actions are about having the confidence to commit to your thoughts, opinions and relationships with other people.

Reality testing is the ability to assess the difference between what you think is happening, the subjective, and what is really happening, the objective.

This is a competency that seems almost too simple to mention. It's about knowing the difference between what we think and believe and what is actually, factually true...

We have noticed that in interactions, the person with the most flexible behaviour will control the outcome.

In relation to emotional intelligence, flexibility is all about how you adjust your thoughts and behaviours in the face of change.

To be effective as a leader, you need to have broad methods of thinking...

Holistic thinking in an emotionally intelligent universe is about the ability to be adaptable and to be able to keep in mind the bigger picture view of exactly how you impact the world.

Holistic thinking is not about seeing the bigger picture, but about seeing the whole picture.

You'de think we'de see the signs of stress getting on top of us. Trouble is, we often don't, until it's too late.

Pressure, stress and the need to get things done yesterday are common concerns. It's easy to see things that way, and to become overwhelmed.

A great deal of stress comes from within us. Stress could be defined by the feeling of not having the resources needed, in the moment, to deal with the situation in front of you.

One of the trickier things to consider about emotional intelligence is stress tolerance. Many people mistake it to mean, don't feel stress. That's just not so.

Many of us spend our working lives going from one meeting to the next; one call to the next. It would be lovely to prepare, but so many of our clients feel they simply don't have time. So what can we do?

Impulse Control can be described as the ability to defer instant gratification; to avoid the, quick fix‚ of reacting emotionally.

Have you ever had one of those moments whilst recalling events in a day when you freeze and think, can't believe I said that, I can't believe I did that; that was so stupid!

Optimism is an attitude. Mixed with a healthy dose of realism it can keep you motivated when your work life becomes challenging.

This film illustrates the effect an optimistic or pessimistic attitude can have on other people.

Optimism is at the top of our pyramid of interpersonal competencies for a reason...

Here are some day to day actions you can take to support your learning from Part 1 of this course.