Recognising Others' Emotions
Just as identifying and managing our own emotions, stress and triggers is essential to developing our EQ, being able to identify others’ emotions is too. It enables us to collaborate, lead, manage and communicate more effectively.
Paying attention to body language and changing work behaviours are ways to read another person’s emotions at work. Recognising the emotions and concerns of your customers, your stakeholders, your staff, and your family can not only lead to a happy and more profitable workplace but a more fulfilling home life as well. To do this, start by being aware of:
Your own emotional space and how this may be affecting you and/or the other
Observing yourself when in conversation with others – how present are you?
What they say
How they say it
The repetitive language they use
Their body language
The tone of their voice
What they are not saying i.e. “I am sensing that you are feeling….”
Their energy (positive/negative) - ask them questions to discover more about what’s going on for them
Active listening is a skill that can be developed. You can read more about this here.