Exercise: Boston EI Questionnaire
The following questions are designed to help you establish just how aware you are of your emotional responses and how well you use your emotional intelligence.
The questionnaire follows the 5-step model of EI. For each question tick the box that comes closest to how you feel about the answer.
|
A |
B |
C |
D |
|
| 1. Can you tell when your mood is changing?
|
Always |
Sometimes |
Rarely |
Never |
| 2. Do you know when you are becoming defensive?
|
Always |
Sometimes |
Rarely |
Never |
| 3. Can you tell when your emotions are affecting your performance?
|
Always |
Sometimes |
Rarely |
Never |
| 4. How quickly do you realise you are starting to lose your temper?
|
Very quickly |
Not very quickly |
Slowly |
Very slowly |
| 5. How soon do you realise that your thoughts are turning negative?
|
Straightaway |
Quite soon |
After a while |
Usually too late |
| 6. Can you relax when you are under pressure?
|
Very easily |
Quite easily |
Hardly ever |
Not at all |
| 7. Do you just get on things when you are angry?
|
Usually |
Sometimes |
Not usually |
Never |
| 8. Do you engage in self-talk to vent feelings of anger or anxiety?
|
Often |
Sometimes |
Rarely |
Never |
| 9. Do you remain cool in the face of others’ anger or aggression?
|
Always |
Usually |
Occasionally |
Never |
| 10. How well can you concentrate when you are feeling anxious?
|
Very well |
Quite well |
Just about |
Not at all |
| 11. Do you bounce back quickly after a setback?
|
Always |
Sometimes |
Occasionally |
Never |
| 12. Do you deliver on your promises?
|
Without fail |
Quite often |
Rarely |
Never |
| 13. Can you kick start yourself into action when appropriate?
|
Yes, always |
Yes, sometimes |
Not often |
No, never |
|
A |
B |
C |
D |
|
| 14. How willingly do you change the way you do things when current methods are not working? |
Very willingly |
Quite willingly |
Quite reluctantly |
Very reluctantly |
| 15. Are you able to lift your energy level to tackle and complete boring tasks? |
Always |
Usually |
Rarely |
Never |
| 16. Do you actively seek ways of resolving conflict?
|
Yes, often |
Yes, sometimes |
Not often |
Never |
| 17. To what extent do you influence others about the way things are done?
|
A great extent |
To some extent |
Very little |
None |
| 18. How willing are you to act as a spokesperson for others?
|
Very willing |
Can be persuaded |
Quite reluctantly |
Not at all willing |
| 19. Are you able to demonstrate empathy with others’ feelings?
|
Always |
Sometimes |
Rarely |
Never |
| 20. To what extent do you find that others trust and confide in you?
|
Frequently |
Occasionally |
Hardly ever |
Never |
| 21. Do you find yourself able to raise morale and make others feel good?
|
Yes, often |
Yes, sometimes |
Rarely |
Never |
| 22. How freely do you offer help and assistance to others?
|
Very freely |
Quite freely |
Reluctantly |
Not freely at all |
| 23. Can you sense when others are feeling angry or anxious and respond appropriately? |
Yes, always |
Yes, often |
Hardly ever |
Never |
| 24. How effective are you at communicating your feelings to others? |
Very |
Quite |
Not very |
Not at all |
| 25. Do you contribute to the management of conflict and emotion within your work group or family? |
Yes, often |
Yes, sometimes |
Rarely |
Never |
Marking your answers
Give yourself 4 points for each box in column A, 3 points for each box ticked in column B, 2 for C and 1 for D. Enter the scores in the boxes below and fill in the totals.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | Total | (Questions 1 – 5) |
| Your score for Self-awareness | ||||||
| 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | Total | (Questions 6 – 10) |
| Your score for Emotion management | ||||||
| 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | Total | (Questions 11- 15) |
| Your score for Self-motivation | ||||||
| 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | Total | (Questions 16 – 20) |
| Your score for Relationship management | ||||||
| 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | Total | (Questions 21 – 25) |
| Your score for Emotion coaching |
If you scored 17 or more on any dimension you seem to shape up pretty well. A score of 13 to 16 indicates some remedial work is necessary. 12 to 9 means EI development is required. 8 or less means some major remedial work is necessary. But do not despair whatever your score. Now that you understand emotional intelligence you will be able to develop your own EI.