Emotional competencies: Connecting to the emotive side of engineering and communication

This paper discusses engineering education in general, and technical writing courses in particular, and how emotional intelligence can be incorporated to help develop a more resilient and emotionally competent student. Seven emotional competencies are examined. These are then connected to the overall development of emotional intelligence. Three specific emotional competencies are discussed further — self-awareness, awareness of others, and emotional regulation. These specific competencies are examined in terms of how they can be incorporated into technical communication courses, and why it is important to do so. Practical strategies for doing this work — through team charters, progress reports, and personal logs, are examined with attention to with these three emotional competencies in the context group work, and group writing.