Building emotional intelligence as a medical writer

Emotional intelligence concerns recognising and managing emotions in oneself and understanding other people's feelings. For medical writers it supports interactions with colleagues, clients, reviewers and readers, and can be developed through reflection, feedback, training and practice.

Meaning and abilities

Emotional intelligence (EI), also called emotional quotient (EQ), includes recognising and understanding one's own and others' emotions, managing one's feelings and empathising with others. ^{1, 2, 3} EI has been associated with success in work and personal life and with overall well-being. ³ In the Salovey–Mayer view, it forms part of social intelligence. ² The four branches used by the Mayer–Salovey–Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test are: ⁴

1. Perceiving emotions.
2. Facilitating thought.
3. Understanding emotions.
4. Managing emotions.

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Relevant abilities include recognising emotions from verbal and non-verbal expressions, accurately conveying an emotional state, understanding sequences and changes in emotion, and consciously reinforcing positive emotions and controlling negative ones in oneself and others. ⁵ Emotional control allows a professional to step back, assess a situation and plan a response. ³

Skills in medical-writing work

Medical writers combine scientific expertise with precise writing and often manage tight deadlines, complex analyses, regulatory standards and stakeholder input; EI can help them respond to these pressures. ⁶ It also matters when influencing without formal authority across functions, countries, personalities and cultures, where empathy and judiciousness in the writing process affect both the writer and colleagues. ⁷

Four practical components are: ^{6, 5}

1. Self-motivation: resilience and motivation that contribute to overcoming burnout and increasing efficiency and productivity.
2. Empathy: understanding others and establishing good stakeholder relationships, including sensitivity to what readers need and a patient-centred approach based on imagining the patient's experience.
3. Social skills: active listening, understanding clients' expectations, managing fast-paced deliverables and revision cycles, working with diverse teams, handling criticism and meeting deadlines.
4. Emotional awareness: recognising positive and negative feelings, their causes and links to actions, remaining collected under stress and choosing when and where to express feelings.

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Readiness to accept setbacks in pursuit of longer-term success is another characteristic. ⁶ These skills can help writers deal with demanding clients and stressful projects with fewer conflicts, greater efficiency and less risk of burnout. ⁶ They extend beyond work relationships: identifying negative thoughts, expressing feelings and their reasons, encouraging positive emotions, remaining open to creative thinking and evaluating behaviour and relationships also involve EI. ⁵

EI supports composure under pressure and recognition of others' emotions. ⁸ It underpins communication, conflict management and critical thinking through empathy, active listening, sensitivity to differing perspectives and awareness of emotions' influence on decisions. ⁹

Applications around the writing

Work-related applications of EI include: ^{10, 11}

1. Resilience: managing stress from varied clients, deadlines and regulatory requirements, responding under pressure, maintaining focus and taking ownership.
2. Technical communication: considering the emotional needs of different audiences, including patients, when tailoring scientific messages.
3. Client relationships: understanding expectations and priorities to build mutual trust.
4. Teamwork: communicating and collaborating with co-writers and stakeholders to improve morale and use the team's capabilities.
5. Conflict management: active listening, empathy and negotiation when opinions or writing styles differ, keeping discussions open, constructive and focused on results.
6. Time management: planning compressed writing schedules and time needed for stakeholder input and agreement, considering others' time, avoiding procrastination and maintaining routines that support work–life balance.
7. Feedback and improvement: accepting multi-source feedback confidently and focusing on solutions and improvement.
8. Continuous learning: seeking feedback and developing skills as an ongoing process.

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For example, a writer can take criticism of a draft calmly and use it to improve the next version. ³ EI can also support communication, leadership and influence, making writers role models for organisational culture and helping create positive client experiences and loyalty. ^{12, 4}

Development approaches

Five suggested approaches to developing EI are: ¹

1. Workplace training and development focused on EI.
2. Daily mindfulness practice.
3. Assessment using multi-rater feedback scales.
4. EI coaching.
5. Realistic goal setting.

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EI development can continue throughout a career, including leadership roles. ¹³ In one regulatory department, group reading of Daniel Goleman's Emotional Intelligence helped a writer prepare for presentations to the US Food and Drug Administration and bring colleagues in other departments into alignment. ¹³

Mindfulness means paying attention to the present moment with curiosity and openness; it can improve writing engagement by reducing stress, encouraging creativity and increasing focus. ^{11, 14}

Assessment

Multi-rater feedback can help assess EI at work and identify areas for development. ¹⁵ Many available measures have not been empirically evaluated; the 2019 review by O'Connor and colleagues discusses credible measures' validity, reliability and conceptual foundations. ¹⁵

The EQ-i 2.0 is a reliable, valid and widely used self-rating tool administered by a certified practitioner; it assesses fifteen competencies grouped into self-perception, self-expression, interpersonal, decision making and stress management. ⁴

EQ 360 combines self-perception with managers', peers' and others' assessments, offering multi-source feedback that can reveal blind spots and areas for personal and professional growth. ⁴

The Mayer–Salovey–Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test assesses the four branches of the Mayer–Salovey model and offers strategies for communication and connection with others. ⁴

Coaching and goals

One-to-one coaching is a widely accepted approach to developing EI, using internal or external coaches. ¹⁶ Coaching can help writers understand EI, identify assessment tools, recognise stressors and triggers, develop positive behavioural patterns and create opportunities to practise. ¹⁶ New perspectives, practical responses to immediate challenges and accountability can help break unhelpful patterns through small but significant changes. ¹⁶

Two coaching frameworks are: ¹⁶

1. GROW: Goal, Reality, Options, Will; a stepwise approach to clarifying where a person wants to go.
2. SMART: Specific, Measurable, Agreed or Achievable, Realistic or Relevant, Time-bound; a business framework for tangible, measurable goals.

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These frameworks can help define and achieve professional aspirations within realistic timelines. ¹⁶ In an environment of information overload and high expectations, an EI coach can help assess the writer's current capabilities and identify improvements. ⁴