Most of us will agree that customer service in the society leaves much to be desired. However, not many of us have made the connection between emotional intelligence and the quality of customer experience, or lack thereof, that we receive on a daily basis.

Dr Robert K Cooper defines emotional intelligence as the ability to sense, understand, and effectively apply the power and acumen of emotions as a source of human energy, information, connection, and influence. Emotional intelligence is the ability to identify, use, understand, and manage one’s emotions in a positive way to relieve stress, communicate effectively with others, overcome challenges, and defuse conflict.

Interestingly, emotional intelligence differs from how we view other intellectual abilities, in that emotional intelligence is a learned, not an acquired skills set. Unfortunately, there is no course of study called emotional intelligence; therefore, there must be a way or ways found to empower and engender a culture which foster the growth of emotional intelligence among our people.

Emotional intelligence is the base for a host of critical skills. Among these skills sets are:

• decision-making

• communication

• teamwork

• empathy

• time management

• stress tolerance

• accountability

• trust

• customer service.

Uncontrolled emotions and stress can and does negatively impact one’s mental health and level of productivity. This can lead to serious health problems, such as heart attack, elevated blood pressure, blood sugar, suppress the immune system, contribute to infertility, and speed up the ageing process.

As a society we need to ask ourselves how do we bridge the disconnect between the lack of attention we pay to emotional intelligence and the education system. One method in which we can narrow or close the gap is by way of a philosophical shift. A paradigm change is clearly needed to embrace a move towards constructivism.

The constructivism learning theory is based on the premise that the learner produces knowledge and associates meaning based on his/her experiences. Among the key pillars necessary for the learner to produce this new knowledge are assimilation and accommodation. Assimilating causes an individual to incorporate new experiences into the old experiences. As a result, the individual develops new outlooks. On the other hand, accommodation speaks to a reframing of old perceptions into the mental competence which already exists.

Educators who follow Piaget’s Theory of Constructivism must see themselves as facilitators, whose role is to assist the student when it comes to their own understanding. Fascinatingly, there is a focus and responsibility shift from that of the teacher to that of the student as he or she learns.

Educators need to move away from the simple recall questions in conducting summative and cumulative evaluations to higher level questions which will force the student to think and respond appropriately.

Our students must be challenged in a holistic way to become critical thinkers. It is only by adapting such an approach we will see better customer service experiences in the long term for all of us who are desirous of this.

In the words of the Greek philosopher Plato, all learning has an emotional base.

Wayne Campbell is an educator and social commentator with an interest in development policies as they affect culture and or gender issues. Send comments to the Observer or waykam@yahoo.com or @WayneCamo.