'How do we teach Emotional Agility to Children'

Dr Susan David (December 21 2019) A short 6 minute video-interview.

Summary:

Susan David advises teachers and parents on teaching children emotional agility. The process involves acknowledging children's emotions, helping them articulate their feelings, guiding them to make value-based choices, and encouraging them to make changes congruent with their values. She highlights how these skills are critical for children's future mental health and societal contribution. Susan David is a renowned psychologist and thought leader in management, and her work on emotional agility has reached millions.

Short video focusing on Teaching Emotional Agility to Children. (6 minutes)

Advice to teachers and parents to teach kids how to be Emotional Agility.

1. ‘Showing up’ to our children's emotions and showing up to the child. 'I'm here. I see you.' Acknowledge the feeling, even if you don't know why or what the child is feeling. This results in a de-escalation of the feeling.

2. ‘Stepping out.’ Helping children articulate and label their emotions more accurately helps them better understand their feelings. What is the emotion?

3. ‘Walking your Why.’ What are my values here? Who do I want to be in this situation? Importance of values. Discovering their way to make a choice that will move them towards their values, e.g., Do you feel sad and rejected that Jack didn't play with you? Is that because you think friendship is important to you?

   1. What does friendship look like to you? How do you want to be a friend when you go to school tomorrow? How can you ‘bring yourself to the situation’?

   2. You’re moving away from those moments when the child is emotionally in-agile towards trying to help your child make conscious choices. ‘This is what I’m choosing to do from a wise place in my heart’.

4. Moving on. How do you make on-the-ground changes that are congruent with your values?

These are fundamental tools because we are facing a mental health crisis.

Children need to be equipped to deal with their own mental health, well-being, and emotions in a way that is essential to their future, society, and the future of the workplace. This allows a child to grow up into someone who's going to contribute, who's going to be a thoughtful member of society, and who's going to be able to deal with complexity and change. These are critical skills.

Susan David, Ph.D.

Susan David, Ph.D. is one of the world’s leading management thinkers and an award-winning Harvard Medical School psychologist. More than 10 million people have seen her TED Talk on emotional agility. She frequently contributes to the New York Times, Washington Post, and Wall Street Journal and often appears on national radio and television. #1 Wall Street Journal Bestselling Author. Thinkers50 Breakthrough Idea Award Winner. Harvard Business Review Management Idea of the Year. Cofounder of the Institute of Coaching (a Harvard Medical School/McLean affiliate).

Susan David work complements the work of Professor Carol Dweck:

The full interview and notes:

An Interview: Dr. Susan David 'Emotional Agility'

The animated summary of Susan David’s book by Nathan Lozeron:

Resource: Nathan Lozeron's Animated Summary of 'Emotional Agility.'

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