How Emotionally Intelligent Are You?

Question

Your colleague takes credit for your work in a meeting. What's your first instinct?

Answer 1

My stomach drops. I feel the sting immediately but freeze up in the moment.

Answer 2

I stay composed and find a calm way to restate my contribution before the meeting ends.

Answer 3

I read the room, pick the right moment, and redirect attention back to myself smoothly.

Answer 4

I let it go in the moment, then replay it for days and draft a response I never send.

Answer 5

Explain myself more — if I can just find the right words, they'll get it.

Answer 6

Step back and ask myself whether I've explained myself clearly in the first place.

Answer 7

Shift the conversation — I'd rather move forward than dwell in the disconnect.

Answer 8

Withdraw a little. If they don't get it, maybe sharing further will just make it worse.

Answer 9

I feel it before I even consciously notice it. I'm already drifting toward them.

Answer 10

I clock it, wait for the right moment, then quietly check in without making a scene.

Answer 11

I engineer a situation to bring them back into the group energy naturally.

Answer 12

I notice but talk myself out of saying anything — what if I'm reading it wrong?

Answer 13

I felt it in my chest before I admitted it out loud — and then I over-apologised.

Answer 14

I acknowledged it clearly and directly. Being wrong isn't a threat to me.

Answer 15

I pivoted — found a way to acknowledge it without losing the thread of the conversation.

Answer 16

Honestly? I defended myself in the moment and admitted I was wrong later, alone.

Answer 17

Setting boundaries when someone I care about is hurting

Answer 18

Showing vulnerability when I'm the one who's struggling

Answer 19

Staying measured when I'm blindsided by something emotional

Answer 20

Sitting with uncertainty instead of reaching for a logical explanation

Answer 21

The one checking in on how everyone's feeling — morale matters as much as output.

Answer 22

The one who stays calm, maps the problem, and gives people a clear next step.

Answer 23

The one rallying people, reframing the situation, making it feel manageable again.

Answer 24

Honestly, I probably contributed to the chaos first and course-corrected second.

Answer 25

I absorb it. Their energy shifts mine before I even know what's happening.

Answer 26

I notice it and stay curious, but I don't assume I know what it means.

Answer 27

I start reading signals — body language, tone — to figure out how to put them at ease.

Answer 28

I might not notice until later, then think — oh, that's what was going on.

Answer 29

"I just need a minute — I'm still processing what happened."

Answer 30

"Let me think about this properly before I respond."

Answer 31

"I think I know how to handle this — let me talk to the right people."

Answer 32

"I said some things I regret. I'm going to fix it tomorrow."

Answer 33

Lead with how I'm feeling — it's the only honest place to start.

Answer 34

Take a breath, name what I'm noticing, and try to stay curious rather than reactive.

Answer 35

Steer the conversation toward something productive — I don't love sitting in the heat.

Answer 36

Push through in the moment and often say something I wish I'd said differently.

Answer 37

I feel deeply and often — sometimes more than I know what to do with.

Answer 38

I understand my emotions well but sometimes keep them at arm's length from others.

Answer 39

I'm great with other people's emotions — my own are a slightly different story.

Answer 40

I'm more self-aware in hindsight than I am in the actual moment — I'm working on it.

How Emotionally Intelligent Are You?

Your colleague takes credit for your work in a meeting. What's your first instinct?

What does feeling misunderstood make you want to do?

You notice a close friend has gone very quiet at a party. What do you do?

Think about the last time you were wrong in an argument. How did you handle it?

Which of these two things is harder for you?

A team project is falling apart. What role do you naturally step into?

Someone you just met seems off — tense, distracted, not quite present. What happens inside you?

Which of these sounds most like something you'd actually say?

You're in a difficult conversation and emotions are running high — yours included. What do you do?

When you reflect on your emotional life honestly, which feels most true?