Emotional intelligence is the ability to understand and manage your own emotions while recognizing and influencing the emotions of others. Have you ever regretted something you said or failed to say in an important conversation? Activities for emotional intelligence shape how we show up in meetings, relationships, and decision-making, more than you can imagine.
But even if we already know this, how often do we make space to actually practice it?
The good news is, there are plenty of simple, everyday activities for emotional intelligence that don’t require hours of spare time. I’m here to share my experience-based, quick, practical wins to help you respond better, lead smarter, and build stronger relationships both at home and at work.
Emotional Intelligence activities to integrate in your daily routine
There are many ways to practice emotional intelligence as we reflect on our own and others’ feelings, and they are as simple as asking ourselves a question, or naming our current emotional state. Here are the ones I use myself and share most often with my clients during our coaching sessions.
1. Name what you feel in real time
This emotional intelligence activity simply consists in pausing and labeling your current emotion: “I feel overwhelmed.” “I feel excited.” “I feel disappointed.”
Naming your feelings activates your rational brain and slows down emotional reactivity. It also builds emotional awareness, which is the starting point for all the best activities for emotional intelligence. Using the words “I feel…” instead of “I am…” helps you to distance yourself from the emotion, and not identify with it.
Try this: During a frustrating moment at work, pause and ask yourself, “What am I actually feeling?” You might be surprised how clear things get from there.
2. Ask “What else could be true?”
When you receive an uncomfortable question or criticism, do not immediately assume they are out to get you or just being difficult,. Instead, ask yourself: “What else could be true?”. This mindset shift helps you move from assumption to empathy.
This works well in all settings, but especially in tense or high-stakes conversations.
Try this: A team member misses a deadline. Your first thought might be “They did not prioritize well”. But what else could be true? Maybe they’re overwhelmed or unclear on priorities. This question can change how you lead and how people feel around you.
3. Do a daily mood check-in
This means checking in with your own emotions at least once a day, ideally at the same time each day. Write it down in a notebook, in a note on your phone, or use an app like How we feel. You’re not trying to fix anything, just learning to name it.
This quick activity supports self-awareness and reflection, which are critical for emotional intelligence. Over time, it also helps you spot patterns, like how sleep or stress affect your mood. I started doing this years ago, and now naming emotions as they happen comes natural and effortless.
Try this: if you’re a manager, naming how you feel in work settings conveys candor, builds connections and emotional awareness for your team too.
4. Reflect on one trigger a week
This weekly reflection is one of my favorite emotional intelligence activities. Choose one moment from the past week that pushed your buttons, like an email you sent a long angry response to, and then ask:
- What triggered me?
- What story did I tell myself?
- What did I need in that moment?
This isn’t about guilt, it’s about spotting a pattern. And once you see your triggers, they lose their grip.
Try this: if you struggle to recall a moment at the end of the week, just add it to your journal or notes as it happens, and go back to reflect on it when you have time set aside.
Emotional Intelligence activities at work
Our workplace is a great training ground for emotional intelligence. These simple shifts are especially suitable when practiced at work. Try and and discover the impact!
1. Take a breath before you respond
It may sound simple, but I can assure it takes practice. Breathing is an essential function, and our body takes care of it on its own. You can experience directly how of the fastest ways to shift your emotional state is a single deep breath. Inhale. Exhale. Then speak.
This builds a buffer between your emotions and your actions. It’s frequently recommended emotional intelligence activities for work, especially for people who deal with fast-paced environments or tough conversations.
Try this: start practicing during low-pressure moments, like replying to a chat message. That way, when tensions rise, the habit is already there.
2. Use “I Feel…” Instead of “You Always…”
This classic communication shift turns accusations into honest expressions. It reduces defensiveness and increases clarity.
Picture a colleague walking up to you and saying: “You always interrupt me in meetings”. It doesn’t feel good. Now imagine being told this instead: “I feel dismissed when I get cut off before I’m done speaking”. There’s no blame-throwing, but candor. And you’ll probably feel way more inclined to empathize with the colleague and reconsider your ways.
Adopting this communication style helps you express emotion without blame.
Try this: rewrite one high-stakes email using this framework before you hit send.
3. Notice non-verbal cues
Reading body language is one of the most overlooked activities for developing emotional intelligence. It includes posture, eye contact, tone, and pace: not just what’s being said, but how.
Noticing whether someone avoids eye contact, does not sit comfortably, has an altered tone of voice, help you spot possible tensions, or needed accommodations, earlier. You’ll know when to pause, and recognize when someone’s checked out.
This is one of the foundational emotional intelligence activities for work because it builds trust fast. People want to feel heard.
Try this: the next time someone vents, resist the urge to fix. Instead, say: “I can see why you’d feel that way”. Most people exhale instantly when they hear that.
5. Notice emotional contagion
Have you ever been in a meeting where one person’s behavior seemed to initiate a domino effect across the room? It’s not easy to remain focused on your work when that happens. Emotions spread like colds, especially in team settings. If someone’s anxious, distracted, or upbeat, it ripples through the room.
Cultivating awareness of emotional contagion has a notable impact. You will realize that, when you regulate your own emotions (name them, feel tham, but do not react to them), you are not just managing your own state, you’re preventing it from affecting others too.
Try this: after your next group call, ask yourself: “What emotions were present in that space? What did I bring in?”. The more aware you are, the less likely you are to absorb stress that isn’t yours – and to cascade yours on to others.
6. Schedule emotional recovery time
This is exactly what it sounds like. Block time after draining meetings or conflict-heavy tasks to reset. Even 10 minutes help.
This isn’t fragility, it’s crucial emotional maintenance. Just like you wouldn’t run your laptop on 1 percent battery, your brain needs recovery time too.
Try this: schedule a short buffer between meetings, and commit to ending on time or a couple of minutes early. Take short breaks, and your team will start doing the same without guilt.
7. Emotional Intelligence activities for managers
If you’re leading others, you may have different priorities than someone flying solo. Emotional intelligence activities for managers often focus on listening, giving feedback, and emotional role modeling.
Try these:
- Start meetings with a “how’s everyone feeling?” check-in.
- Ask before delivering feedback: “How are you feeling?
- Share your own emotions strategically, for example: “I was frustrated by the delay too,” to normalize emotional expression
These tips will help you feel more confident and rediscover your agency at work, as it happened to my clients and myself. If you’re calm and aware, your team feels safer and performs better. Managers set the tone, remember that.
F.A.Q.
Q: How do I improve emotional intelligence as a manager?
A: Focus on listening more than fixing, name your own emotional state clearly, and ask your team how they’re doing emotionally, not just with tasks. Be mindful of current levels of trust: if you experience conflictual relationships within your team, it will take time for people to open up. Start by sharing how you feel, before expecting them to do so.
Q: Are emotional intelligence activities only for teams?
A: No. Individual habits like mood check-ins and reflection are foundations to build emotional intelligence. And they do have ripple effects across teams and relationships.
Q: What are the best emotional intelligence activities for work settings?
A: Team check-ins, feedback reflection, and pausing before replying are all useful. These help build trust and reduce reactivity at work.
Q: What’s one easy activity for emotional intelligence I can try today?
A: Pause before responding. A few calm breaths can stop a reactive spiral and help you shift to a mindful response.
Conclusion
You don’t need a degree in psychology to improve your emotional intelligence. You just need intention, plus small daily reps.
These activities for emotional intelligence help my clients build better conversations, calmer reactions, and more connected relationships. They can do the same for you.
Pick one today. Practice it this week. You’ll be surprised how quickly things shift.
If you’d like to work with me and define your own path to emotional intelligence, book a free intro call today.
