Social intelligence describes the exclusively human capacity to use very large brains to effectively navigate and negotiate complex social relationships and environments.

Social intelligence (also commonly referred to as people skills) is, therefore, the ability to relate to, understand, and interact effectively with others on a daily basis.

It allows us to work effectively with our work colleagues and people within our community and it is a skill that is vital to many professionals including educators, religious andpolitical leaders, salespeople and social workers.

Certain aspects of social intelligence can be summarized as

follows:

_ the ability to accept others for what they are;

_ to display an interest and curiosity about the world in general

    and what goes on within it;

_ to take an interest in other people;

_ to always try to understand people’s thoughts, feelings and

     intentions;

_ to have a social conscience;

_ to think before speaking and doing;

_ not making snap judgements;

_ to make fair and considered judgements;

_ never being afraid to admit your mistakes;

_ to assess thoroughly and discuss with others when necessary

    the relevance of information to a problem at hand;

_ at all times to be sensitive to other people’s needs and desires;

_ to be frank and honest with yourself and others;

_ to take an interest in the immediate environment;

_ to be good at taking the perspective of other people;

_ to adapt well and quickly to different social situations;

_ to be open to new experiences, ideas and values.

Understanding the Basic Concept of Social Intelligence

In the early 20th century, a foremost psychometrician formulated the concept of social intelligence. E.L. Thorndike, a modern theorist on multiple intelligences, proposed a psychometric view of intelligence.

Thorndike emphasized that there are three specific intelligence. The first is abstract intelligence, which dwells more on cognition and the ability to learn and manage ideas. The second is mechanical intelligence, which is practical knowledge and touches on the ability to manipulate objects. The third is social intelligence, a type of intelligence that is more related and very similar to interpersonal intelligence as proposed by early multiple intelligence theorists.

By strict definition, social intelligence refers to the ability of individuals to lead others. Essentially, this concept dwells specifically on the capability of some people to persuade and convince those around them.

Social Intelligence as Action Oriented Intelligence

Social intelligence is an action-oriented intelligence. People with superior social intelligence are more dynamic, highly energetic, and very persuasive. Socially intelligent people are also keen on using emotions to convince their peers.

It does not necessarily mean that individuals with high social intelligence will also have superior abstract intelligence. But it is commonly accepted that people with below average IQ levels will have a difficult time developing their social intelligence.

Modern companies are trying to devise ways on how to accurately measure and predict social intelligence. The concept proves to be very hard to quantify. Some psychometricians tend to rely on the results of personality tests and interpersonal testing methods to measure social intelligence.

How to Measure Social Intelligence

Even the proponent of the social intelligence theory admitted that it would be very difficult to create specific metric for social IQ. Some psychologists, however, specifically rely on observation to spot people or individuals with high level of social intelligence.

For example, in a children's playground where a group of kids are playing, there will emerge a group leader who will provide leadership. This leader can dictate the type of play and the rules that should be followed by the group. The group leader can also assign specific roles to each participant. The hows and whys of this ability, however, would be very difficult to ascertain. Some psychologists tend to believe that those with superior verbal skills can impose leadership.

However, there would be instances when individuals with strong verbal skills will still look for a leader figure who will impose leadership in the background. That is why psychology experts are still researching the methods on how to measure social intelligence.

The Future of Social Intelligence

As modern society tends to put more importance on output and leadership qualities, the study of social intelligence will definitely prosper. Psychometricians are beginning to realize that social intelligence is more important than general aptitude. That is why more research is being undertaken to quantify and measure this type of intelligence.

Companies also will demand new intelligence test techniques and methodologies to include other intelligence types. It is highly probable that social intelligence will become a major part of the pre-employment screening processes of companies. This development can significantly help companies in identifying new employees who have the capability to inspire those around them.