Emotional Intelligence Coaching: Your Guide to Hiring an EQ Coach

Are you book smart but want to improve your emotional intelligence? In this article, learn how emotional intelligence coaching works, including the vast benefits of hiring an EQ coach to enhance your relationships, career, and overall well-being.

What Is Emotional Intelligence Coaching?

Emotional intelligence coaching—also referred to as EQ coaching—is a type of coaching that focuses on developing an individual’s emotional intelligence. Emotional intelligence refers to one’s ability to recognize, understand, and manage one’s own emotions, as well as the emotions of others. 

People pursue emotional intelligence coaching for a variety of reasons. Some want to become better communicators to improve their interpersonal relationships. Others want to increase self-awareness and empathy to become more successful leaders at work. At a)plan, our coaches work with clients to identify their goals related to EQ—whether personal or professional—and create a plan of action for mastering essential skills to help achieve those goals.

What Is Emotional Intelligence or EQ?

Emotional intelligence (EQ) is the ability to understand and successfully manage emotions in oneself and others. It entails developing an awareness of our feelings and how they affect our actions and interactions with those around us. 

By developing emotional intelligence, we can build stronger relationships, have better communication, and become better leaders. EQ is an important skill to build, as it allows us to navigate through life’s challenges with greater ease and success. Whether we’re dealing with difficult coworkers, family conflicts, or personal stress, emotional intelligence enables us to respond in a calm and collected manner.

By developing one’s emotional intelligence through EQ coaching, an individual gains access to a number of key benefits related to life and work. Read on to learn about getting better at managing your own emotions, understanding others, and building positive relationships—and, ultimately, accessing improved well-being and fulfillment.

How Does EQ Coaching Work?

The personalized process of emotional intelligence coaching involves working closely with a coach to identify goals, develop strategies, and practice skills. It also requires clients to open themselves to honest self-reflection with themselves and their coaches. 

To help facilitate this, all coaching engagements at a)plan include weekly sessions, unlimited coaching app access, and launch exercises that encourage clients to reflect deeply. During these engagements, an emotional intelligence coach focuses on topics such as self-awareness, communication, behavioral cues, and other skills. The EQ coach works with the client to identify opportunities to practice their skills, providing feedback and support along the way.

3 Common Benefits of Working with an EQ Coach

Since coaching at a)plan is a completely personalized experience, you’ll likely enjoy a unique set of benefits from your bespoke coaching journey. Generally, clients looking to improve their capacity for emotional intelligence may expect some common benefits related to relationships, business, and personal fulfillment.

1. Improved Relationships

Emotional intelligence coaching may catalyze improvements in your relationships by helping you develop the EQ skills necessary for healthy and positive interactions. This includes learning how to:

• Express your wants, needs, desires, and emotions, leading to more effective communication with others
• Develop empathy toward others, leading to more compassion, understanding, and tolerance of others
• Become better at managing and resolving conflicts, leading to more effective compromise and collaboration.

Ultimately, individuals working with EQ coaches can develop the skills necessary for deeper emotional intimacy and stronger bonds with friends, family members, and acquaintances. This leads to more fulfilling and satisfying personal relationships.

2. Increased Capacity for Career and Leadership Advancement

By becoming more aware of your own emotions and how to manage them effectively, you can improve your ability to handle stress, navigate challenging situations, and make sound decisions—all of which will serve you well in the business world. EQ coaching supports clients in this way by helping them develop greater empathy and social awareness. These outcomes help you improve your ability to work productively with others, build strong teams, and communicate more effectively. 

Additionally, an emotional intelligence coach supports clients in developing conflict resolution skills which are critical for effective leadership and collaboration. This type of professional development ultimately leads to greater career success and advancement for coaching clients.

3. Enhanced Personal Satisfaction and Fulfillment

EQ coaching focuses on self-awareness, self-management, and self-care, all of which may drastically improve one’s life experience. Perhaps the most valuable benefit of emotional intelligence coaching is what it may do for your day-to-day life. Whether it improves your ability to cope with stress, regulate your emotions, or maintain a positive outlook on life, coaching is designed to meet you wherever you are in life, then get you to the next level.

How to Hire an EQ Coach

When looking for a coach to support you in your journey toward greater emotional intelligence, it is essential to find someone who has high EQ, as that person is likely to understand this specific topic very well. Three common signs of emotional intelligence include:

1. Active listening: An emotionally intelligent coach will demonstrate active listening skills, allowing you to speak without interruption and responding thoughtfully to what you say.
2. Empathy: A coach with high emotional intelligence will display empathy toward you, showing a genuine interest in understanding your emotions and experiences.
3. Nonjudgmental attitude: An emotionally intelligent coach will create a nonjudgmental and accepting environment, allowing you to be vulnerable and honest without fear of criticism.

Matching with the Perfect Coach at a)plan

At a)plan, our coaches are thoroughly vetted and undergo in-depth training on our proprietary whole-person coaching approach which includes tools, strategies, and best practices for helping clients build emotional intelligence.

When it comes to EQ coaching, it’s essential to feel comfortable exploring vulnerable topics and practicing skill-building techniques with your coach. A great first step to ensure you hire the perfect coach for you is to complete our coach matching survey. By answering a few questions and sharing your personal development goals, you’ll unlock customized EQ coach recommendations and a free compatibility call to ensure you choose the best fit for you.

Interested in emotional intelligence coaching?
Take our coach-matching survey to get started.