This article aims to identify the features of using metaphorical cards for the development of students' social skills studying in university. The methods of research included testing and observation methods that allow to identify the levels of formation of students' social intelligence structural components effectively; to determine the features of changes in the perception and control of their own and others' emotional and behavioral reactions, as well as the level of development of understanding of emotional expression. The study shows that the technology of using metaphorical cards is one of the leading ways of emotional-psychological, pedagogical and socio-moral influence on the development of structural components of students' social intelligence. The effectiveness of working with metaphorical cards in developing communicative skills has been shown to be due to the mechanisms involved in different forms of working with metaphor. It is considered that metaphorical cards allow projecting both negative emotional reactions arising in communication onto images, reducing the intensity of their experience, and projecting social images, acting as moral guidelines, onto real situations, using them as models of behavior. It has been found that working with this educational technology helps to develop students' skills in understanding and managing their feelings, emotions and experiences. Practical relevance: The data obtained in this paper can be used in the study of problems related to educational psychology, personality psychology, social psychology and pedagogy.