To achieve Step 1, individuals will be able to recognise positive and negative emotions in others.
In the previous step, the focus was on individuals being able to identify positive and negative feelings in themselves. For this step, the extension is to recognise them in others too.
The building blocks of this step are learning:
In the previous step, we looked at the range of different emotions, which we can think of as being broadly positive or negative.
It is not always easy to tell what emotion someone is feeling, and some people might choose to try to hide how they are feeling for different reasons. However, we can also pick up some clues about how people are feeling:
We might also pick up clues for negative emotions that people might be feeling. For example:
Over time, you might well be able to get better at recognising emotions in other people by looking for some of these signs.
As well as seeing how someone looks, we can also use our understanding of a situation to help us to guess how someone might be feeling. This is another vital source of information to help us to work out someone else’s emotions.
This is because in most cases, emotions are linked to what is going on, and so by understanding events, we might be able to understand how someone else would be feeling. This ability to think about the feelings of someone else is called empathy.
As some examples:
Events might also lead to negative emotions for people. For example:
Of course, it is essential to remember that not everyone will react in the same way to different events and that not all emotions that people feel are linked to what is happening there and then. Feelings can be complicated, and can sometimes be affected by mental health difficulties.
However, thinking about what is going on for someone, as well as how they look, can help to give a better idea of their feelings.
In education you will be learning from and with many different people. Just like you, all of these people will experience different emotions depending on what is going on for them at any given moment. Sometimes they will be feeling positive emotions, sometimes they will be feeling negative emotions. Being able to tell how they might be feeling – by listening to what they say, looking at their body language or spotting how they look or how they are behaving is important. It is also worth remembering that it is likely that others will be able to tell whether you feel positive or negative too. Being able to talk about our feelings is important in education so that any emotions that might potentially get in the way of our learning can be tackled in a positive way.
During a working day or week, the colleagues, managers, customers or clients you may work with, like you, are likely to experience a range of emotions. Some positive, some negative. Being able to recognise how someone else is feeling can make it much easier to work with them. Seeing someone else who is upset and anxious for example can in itself be upsetting. Knowing someone else is angry can be unsettling. Seeing someone else who is motivated and cheerful at work can be inspiring if we perhaps ourselves at that moment are not feeling quite so positive. If we can look for clues as to how others might be feeling, we can try to interact with them in a way that is helpful.That way everyone can get their work done efficiently. Having someone to talk to at work – a friendly colleague or supportive line manager is important so that any situations that are causing negative emotions can be dealt with effectively.
Everyone, no matter their age or stage in life or wherever they maybe in the world, may experience a wide range of emotions. Emotions are what make us human. Sometimes we feel positive emotions such as joy, happiness,and excitement. Sometimes we experience negative emotions such as anger, fear and sadness. Being able to recognise these feelings in other people can help us to understand their behaviours, as well as our own. It is essential to remember that not everyone will react in the same way to the same events. Not all emotions that people feel are linked to what is happening there and then. Being able to understand how others are feeling can help us build positive relationships. It is always best to be respectful of people’s feelings and their mental health.
To best practise this step of Staying Positive, apply what you have learnt to a real-life situation. Choose one or more of the activities below, remind yourself of the key points and strategies in the step, and have a go!
To teach this step:
This step lends itself to being reinforced in different areas of learning. For example, learners might occasionally reflect on how they are feeling and how they think other people might be feeling depending on what is going on.
At other times, when events are described in history, literature or geography, learners could be asked for their reflections on how the individuals involved might have felt at those times and why.
This step is best assessed through discussion or a reflective exercise. For example, learners could write about how individuals in events they are familiar with felt at different times. They might also identify how they think individuals in pictures are feeling and why. Reflection with learners during individual tasks might also be helpful here.
This step will be relevant to those who work with others.
To build this step in the work environment, managers could:
There are plenty of opportunities for building this skill in the workplace:
For those already employed, this step is best assessed through discussion or a reflective exercise. For instance:
During the recruitment process, this step could be assessed by:
We work with a wide range of organisations, who use the Skills Builder approach in lots of different settings – from youth clubs, to STEM organisations, to careers and employability providers.
We have a lot of materials available to support you to use the Skills Builder Universal Framework with the individuals you work with, including:
We also do a lot of work with organisations who join the Skills Builder Partnership to build the Universal Framework into their work and impact measurement systems. You can find out a lot more using the links below.
As a parent or carer, you might be thinking about how best to support your children to build their essential skills. The good news is that there is lots that you can do that will have a big impact, including:
We’ve developed a whole series of tools and resources to help parents to build these skills, including:
There is also content for older children and young people, including short activities and reflections that they can complete alone, or with you.
