Name It to Tame It: Identifying and Understanding Emotions

The first step to emotional intelligence is self-awareness, where one can identify one's emotions and understand the reason behind them. Naming your emotions allows space for acceptance, encourages you to see your emotions as they are, and know the purpose behind them.

Get ready to guide your participants in improving their vocabulary of emotions by using a variety of metaFox tools focused on emotions.

• Enable the participants to name and identify their emotions.

• Develop the participants’ emotional granularity or the ability to differentiate one emotion from another.

• deep pictures set “World of Emotions” coaching cards set “How do you feel?”

• metaFox Emotions Compass

1. Visualize your emotions
   As the facilitator, get your deep pictures set “World of Emotions” and spread the cards on a surface, picture side up.

   • Ask a guiding question like: “Which image represents your current emotional state?” or “How are you feeling today?”

   • For more complex or strong emotions, ask:

     • “What was the last unpleasant emotion you felt?”

     • “Remember a stressful moment within the last 2 weeks. What did you feel?”
       Give your participants 5 minutes to choose.

2. Tell me what emotion you see
   In pairs, ask your participants to show their picture to their partner and have the partner explain the photo and identify what emotion(s) are present.

   • Each person has 5 minutes to speak while the other listens without interruption.

   • After 10 minutes, return to plenary. At this point, participants should not yet reveal why they chose their picture.

3. I can name my emotions
   While the participants are in pairs, the facilitator clears unused picture cards. Then:

   • Spread the “How do you feel?” cards on a surface, word side up.

   • Ask each participant to choose the word(s) that match their emotional experience from the picture card.

   • Allow 5 minutes for this selection.

4. This is my emotion
   Participants return to their partners to share:

   • The cards they chose

   • Why this emotion is the one they want to convey

   • Compare their own interpretation to their partner's earlier one
     Each person gets 10 minutes to speak while the other listens.

5. Checking my emotions
   Back in plenary:

   • Distribute the Emotions Compass digitally or via print.

   • Ask participants to locate their emotions on the compass.

   • Encourage them to reflect on associated thoughts and body sensations.
     Allow 10 minutes of quiet personal reflection.

6. Understanding emotions better
   Open the plenary discussion. Use guiding questions like:

   • “How can you identify your emotions better?”

   • “What is the benefit of naming your emotions?”
     Optionally, use a flipchart and invite participants to post their answers anonymously.