The Importance of Teaching Emotional Intelligence The purpose of this topic is to acknowledge the importance of teaching emotional aspects as well as the more traditional subjects in school. In the ever-changing work environment that seems to be the norm rather that the exception, it is becoming increasingly more difficult to prepare student to be productive members of society. Interpersonal skills and adaptability are perhaps the most important lessons that a student can be taught in schools today. The foundation for both interpersonal skills and adaptability is emotional intelligence. Interpersonal skills have a direct connection to emotional intelligence because it is about dealing with your reactions to other individuals. The better someone can recognize and interpret how another person is feeling allows for a higher quality of interaction between coworkers as well as with the public. Adaptabilities connection with emotional intelligence comes into play when dealing with new situations that might include skills that a worker might not posses. How one deals with change is as much about how a person acts about a situation as it is about learning the new skill quickly. New systems are implemented into a work environment on a fairly regular basis. Those that put up a fight every time there is a new procedure are usually lashing out because of their insecurity about an unknown situation. A student with high emotional intelligence can “manage life’s ups and downs” (Katulka, 2014, education.com) which would provide a much better work environment for everyone. The audience that this presentation would be targeted for would be a PTA group to help encourage them to put pressure on the school district to include the teaching of emotional intelligence in classrooms. The reason that I would choose this type of setting is the idea that this is a more holistic approach to