3 Activities to Strengthen Emotional Intelligence

These short, practical exercises are designed to support Emotional Intelligence (EQ) training programs — whether you're focusing on self-awareness, empathy, or emotional regulation. Each activity can be run independently or used together to support a deeper group experience.

1. Self-Awareness Snapshot

Purpose: Help participants recognize their emotional habits and internal reactions in daily situations.

How to Run It:

  1. Ask participants to take a blank sheet and draw a simple chart with 3 columns: “Trigger,” “Reaction,” and “Impact.”
  2. Have them reflect on a recent moment at work when they felt frustrated, anxious, or overlooked.
  3. They then fill out the chart: What triggered the emotion? How did they respond? What was the outcome?
  4. Afterward, lead a short group discussion (voluntary sharing only) about patterns and what could be done differently next time.

Trainer Tips:

  • This activity works well early in an EI session to build insight before introducing concepts like self-regulation or reframing.
  • Keep discussion voluntary — this activity can feel personal.

2. Empathy Pairs

Purpose: Encourage active empathy by practicing listening without judgment or interruption.

How to Run It:

  1. Pair up participants and assign one as the speaker, one as the listener.
  2. The speaker talks for 3 minutes about a workplace challenge or emotionally charged situation.
  3. The listener may only ask clarifying questions or reflect what they hear — no advice or opinions.
  4. Then they switch roles with a new topic.
  5. Follow with a group discussion about how it felt to be truly heard and to listen without “fixing.”

Trainer Tips:

  • Use a timer to keep the energy balanced between partners.
  • This works well before team-building or feedback modules.

3. Emotion Rewind

Purpose: Practice slowing down and reframing emotional reactions to avoid knee-jerk responses.

How to Run It:

  1. Ask participants to think of a moment they wish they had handled differently.
  2. Have them write a short description of what happened, how they reacted, and what they were feeling at the time.
  3. Now ask: “If you could rewind and do it again, what would you say or do differently?”
  4. In pairs or small groups, invite (optional) sharing and feedback about alternative responses.

Trainer Tips:

  • Good for the middle or end of a session to apply emotional regulation strategies.
  • Can be tied to leadership development, conflict management, or resilience training.

Looking for More Emotional Intelligence Tools?

Browse our free training games and communication activities or explore our Emotional Intelligence Training Kit for complete slides, handouts, and trainer scripts.