Managing the Impact of Others' Emotions
Purpose
This job aid helps learners become more aware of other people's emotional reactions and guides them on how to respond to those reactions in an emotionally intelligent, non-judgmental way. This information is especially helpful for those taking Developing Your Emotional Intelligence (TRN 458) and Emotional Intelligence for Successful Leadership (TRN151).
Why does being aware of other people's emotions matter?
- Other people's emotions and actions can have a significant impact—positive or negative—on those who work closely with them.
- People sometimes subconsciously mirror each other's attitudes and behaviours in work environments. Trying to understand what contributing factors are at play can be a useful way to develop social awareness or social perception skills.
- Showing genuine empathy toward a colleague about their situation helps you to consider their feelings and perspectives. This approach may also empower others to explore their options and consider actions they could take.
- When we see, hear, understand and care about others, it helps us build a foundation of trust and respect.
Public servants need to feel supported and respected, and they should see a path to reaching their full potential in the Public Service.
How to develop social awareness
Social awareness can be developed over time. Here are some ways to do that:
- Engage in collaborative, non-judgmental and inclusive conversations with others to understand what makes them unique and what they are trying to communicate.
- Listen to other perspectives and foster a culture where others are encouraged to express their views constructively.
- Be curious; ask insightful questions and practice active listening to better understand the situation. Summarize what you have heard to make sure you heard correctly.
- Interpret the many non-verbal cues others use when communicating. These cues help us understand what others may be feeling, how their emotions may be influencing a situation and what is truly important to them.
Reflection in action
Being mindful in all interactions with others
What happens when you set aside distractions, like electronic devices, thoughts and judgments, to focus on understanding what others are saying?
- Be fully present in the moment.
What happens when you make others feel seen, heard and cared about?
- Use empathy and intuition.
Why is it important to manage working relationships with others?
- Developing relationship management skills helps you recognize the impact of others' emotions, improves communication and encourages greater cooperation.
- Over time, you can also develop organizational awareness, the ability to read the unspoken mood and culture of an organization. Developing organizational awareness can be helpful when navigating complex human networks (for example, the patterns of influence, values, emotions and power dynamics that make up an organization's human operating system).
Developing meaningful and fulfilling working relationships
- Express appreciation for the opportunity to discuss an issue and hear another person's point of view. For example, "Thank you for sharing that. That took a lot of courage."
- Use active listening to deepen your understanding and allow others to express and clarify their feelings on the situation. For example, "Do you have any other concerns about this?"
- Ask permission to confirm what you have heard to make sure that you have understood what others are saying. For example, "Can I sum up what you just said to make sure that I understood you correctly?"
- Be aware of other people's feelings and perspectives and how group dynamics, emotions and reactions may be affecting them.
Please note that it is important to reach out to a health professional if you or anyone on your team are experiencing any mental health issues, high anxiety, or depression.
Additional reference tools
Books
Emotional Agility: Get Unstuck, Embrace Change and Thrive in Work and Life, by Susan David, Ph.D. This book explains how anyone can thrive in an uncertain world by becoming emotionally agile, using four key concepts that can help us acknowledge uncomfortable experiences while simultaneously detaching from them, thereby allowing us to embrace core values and align our actions with what we truly want.
Working with Emotional Intelligence, by Daniel Goleman. This book demystifies emotional intelligence as a set of skills that anyone can learn and offers practical insights into their importance and how best to develop these skills.
Canada School of Public Service
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If you want to learn more about psychological safety and cultural differences, Workplace Strategies for Mental Health and Canada Life have created a helpful online orientation tool for navigating psychological health and safety in the workplace that is designed to help employees delve deeper into the topic.
