'Emotional intelligence' is a popular buzzword these days. But again, not everyone understands what it refers to.

In simple words, emotional intelligence or EI refers to our ability to identify, manage, and balance our own emotions.

EI includes four essential skills:

self-awareness: which is the mental ability to identify and understand our own emotions as well as their causes and effects

self-regulation/management: which helps us to manage our impulsive behaviours and maintain integrity.

empathy/social awareness: is the ability to accurately understand the emotions, needs, and concerns of other people., and

relationship management: refers to our interpersonal skills such as communication, persuasion, leadership, conflict management, and so on.