Lunch and Learn: Emotional Expressions and Adding a Personal Touch to Your Online Communication

In this Lunch and Learn I talk about the social function role of emotions and their expressions as well as debunk commonly held beliefs around emotional expression (first video). I also share with you 5 great tips that you can start applying today to personalize your online communication (second video).

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE CONTENT

COMMON BELIEFS THAT lead to MISUNDERSTANDINGs around emotions:

  • Emotions are irrational.

  • Different people feel emotions differently.

  • Emotions are not professional.

  • A “Poker face” is a great way to prevents others from knowing what you are thinking.

Accurate and EMPOWERING BELIEFS TO HOLD AROUND emotions:

  • Emotions are socially rational!

  • We all feel emotions, but we express them differently.

  • Emotions are normal, and we need to express them professionally.

  • A “Poker face” is a great way to undermine trust in relationships and signal that you aren’t going to be cooperative.

5 TIPS TO START APPLYING TODAY:

  1. Communication hierarchy: Video calls -> Voice Calls -> Email

  2. Start all interactions with positive emotional expressions.

  3. Practice your “listening face”.

  4. Appropriately response to other’s emotional cues.

  5. When uncertainty and misunderstandings come up, connect and clarify in a timely manner (a.k.a. relationship repair).

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