Strategies for Teaching Social and Emotional Intelligence in Business Communication

Incorporating social and emotional skills (EI) training into the business communication curriculum is important for preparing students to function effectively in a global workplace with its complex informal networks, intercultural issues, team emphasis, and participatory leadership. EI skills enhance communication behavior in work groups and improve the quality of student responses to various business scenarios. Scientific research indicates that modeling social and emotional behavior is key to acquiring competency in these skills. This article describes four classroom strategies for developing EI skills in business communication courses.