SELF-AWARENESS
What is Self-Awareness?
The ability to recognize and understand your moods, emotions, and drives, as well as their effect on others.
Define self-management.
The ability to control or redirect disruptive impulses and moods and the capacity to suspend judgment and think before acting.
What is social awareness?
The ability to accurately pick up on emotions in other people and understand what is really going on with them.
Define relationship management.
The ability to inspire, influence, and develop others while managing conflict.
You're running behind in clinic and a patient complains. How do you handle it using EI?
Apologize sincerely, acknowledge their frustration, and reassure them of your commitment to quality care.
True or False: Self-awareness includes knowing your emotional triggers.
True
What’s one method for calming yourself during a stressful clinical situation?
Deep breathing, taking a short pause, mentally reframing the situation.
Give an example of a non-verbal cue that might show a patient is uncomfortable.
Crossed arms, lack of eye contact, fidgeting, tense posture.
What’s a good response to a peer who is clearly upset during a group project?
“You seem frustrated. Is there something I can do to help?”
A classmate makes a joke you find offensive. What’s an emotionally intelligent response?
Let them know privately how the comment made you feel and why it wasn’t appropriate.
Name one tool or strategy that helps improve self-awareness.
Journaling, meditation, feedback from others, personality assessments.
What does it mean to "own your emotions"?
Acknowledging and accepting responsibility for how you respond emotionally.
Why is active listening important in dentistry?
It builds trust and helps accurately identify the patient’s needs or concerns.
Name one way to build trust with classmates or patients.
Example Response: Be consistent, communicate openly, follow through on commitments.
You receive an evaluation that doesn’t reflect your effort. How do you process and respond?
Take time to reflect, seek clarification, and ask for actionable feedback without defensiveness.
What is a "blind spot" in the context of self-awareness?
An aspect of your behavior or personality that you don't recognize but others do.
You received unexpected critical feedback from an instructor. What’s a self-managed response?
Example Response: “Thank you for the feedback. I’ll think about how I can apply it.”
A patient is short with you and seems irritated. What’s a socially aware response?
Example Response: Consider external stressors and respond with empathy, asking if everything is okay.
How can emotional intelligence help manage conflict?
It allows you to stay calm, listen actively, and work toward mutually respectful solutions.
You’re paired with a classmate you clash with. How do you maintain professionalism?
Focus on shared goals, set boundaries, and use open communication.
Give an example of a time when self-awareness could improve patient communication.
Example Response: Recognizing frustration during a difficult procedure and adjusting tone or approach with the patient.
Name two signs that you might be struggling with self-management.
Snapping at others, procrastination, avoiding difficult conversations.
What’s one way to improve your social awareness skills in clinical settings?
Example Response: Practice observing body language, listen more than you speak, ask clarifying questions.
A team member continues to miss deadlines. How can you use EI to address this?
Have a private, respectful conversation expressing concern and seeking solutions.
Describe a time EI helped you during a patient/peer or instructor interaction.
Open ended response