Session 1: The Sailboat Metaphor
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Unpacking the Sailboat Metaphor
Welcome to Session 1: The Sailboat Metaphor. This is where we will set the scene from what lies ahead and build a solid foundation from which we can build momentum through your journey into Emotional Intelligence. Below is a brief summary of the session goals and what we will cover, as well as all of the session materials. You will also see that there is a section marked ‘Homework Exercises’, which you can use to complete the homework exercises online if you don’t want to use the PDF workbook.
Session Goals:
Learn about the sailboat metaphor.
Practice using the metaphor to explore your emotions.
Create a vision of yourself as ‘the best possible captain’.
Session Overview:
Throughout this programme, you will use a framework known as the ‘Sailboat Metaphor’. This metaphor will help you better understand yourself and your emotions. It will also help you discuss your emotional experiences and find effective ways to develop emotional intelligence. The metaphor comprises eight elements, and we’ll unpack each of them in this session:
The first element is water. This represents the different areas of our lives with which we interact, such as work, friends, and hobbies. Just as a boat moves through different bodies of water, we engage with different areas of life every day.
The second element is the compass. This represents pleasant and unpleasant feelings, such as joy, energy, fear, and anxiety. Our feelings offer information and feedback, similar to how a compass provides information throughout a boat’s journey. This is an important element for emotional intelligence as it represents your emotions and the main focus of upcoming sessions. Without the compass, a captain lacks important information about their journey; without emotions, we lack important information about our experiences and environment.
The third element is the steering wheel. This represents our values, such as creativity or family. Our values determine where we are heading and how we want to live, much like how a steering wheel determines how a boat moves.
The fourth element is a leak in the sailboat, which represents our weaknesses, which get in the way of achieving our goals and living the life we want.
The fifth element is the sailboat’s sails, representing our strengths that energize and engage us. While it is important to fix leaks to stop our boat from sinking, we must also hoist our sails, catch the wind, and move forward.
The sixth element is weather, which represents positive and negative life events. When positive events occur, this is similar to when the sun shines. When negative events occur, this is similar to bad weather, like storms and rain
The seventh element is other boats in the water. This represents the people who influence us, like friends and family. While some people may support and motivate us as we steer in a certain direction, others may cast doubt and cause fear within us.
The final element is our destination. While values represent the general direction of the boat, destinations are the specific goals we wish to reach. Setting and achieving goals can energize us and build our confidence and self-belief as we pursue further goals.
Going Deeper Into the Sailboat Metaphor
This session was all about getting to grips with the Sailboat Metaphor, which will be our companion right through this programme. So, to make sure you can get the most out of the Sailboat and all it contains, take some time to familiarise yourself with the link between, in particular, the compass, captain, and emotions. Then allow yourself some time to consider what it would look (and feel) like to be the captain who uses the compass in the best possible way.
Exercise 1
To familiarise yourself with the sailboat metaphor, consider the following questions and write your responses in the provided spaces. You can tackle each question by clicking the question tabs. Try not to rush your responses, and be honest in your self-assessment – in other words avoid giving responses you think are the ones you should give rather than themes you want to give – no-one else will see your responses unless you choose to share them.
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Exercise 2
In this exercise you are will envision yourself as a captain who uses their compass in the best possible way to guide their journey. You’ll start by considering how you, the captain, currently use, think about, and interact with your compass (your current relationship with emotions). Then, in question 2, you’ll think of yourself as a skilled captain, using your compass wisely to guide your journey in the best possible way. Finally, in question 3, you’ll reflect on what completing this exercise revealed to you.
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