Eye contact and body language
Posted: Thu Feb 20, 2025 8:41 am
As the book Effective Difficult Conversations explains, “we can let our body unconsciously mirror” behaviors such as crossed arms, a scowl, and a lack of eye contact, “or we can assert some discipline and hold an open body position, direct eye contact, and a slight smile.” Those who do the latter are more likely to help lessen the anxiety and have a productive dialogue. I’ve found that the same is true for language.
If an employee says something out of anger or fear that isn’t crucial cyprus cell phone number list to the conversation, I’m unlikely to echo it. But repeating back key points while maintaining open body language helps a great deal. “You didn’t know that was a rule.” “You had too much to drink, and you feel terrible about it.” “Challenges with some prospects were beyond your control.” By saying these kinds of things, I could show my employees that I heard them — and that, despite the circumstances, I still respected how terrible they felt.
This can be especially helpful when these conversations take place by phone, without the benefit of. If an employee has misbehaved or broken a rule, you may wonder, why try to help them feel comfortable? Of course, being stern and clear is important. But in all the examples I mentioned, working to calm things down and ensure we heard each other led to a positive outcome. The great employee was given a chance to express his remorse for breaking a rule, open up about how awful he felt, and take steps to rectify the mistake.
If an employee says something out of anger or fear that isn’t crucial cyprus cell phone number list to the conversation, I’m unlikely to echo it. But repeating back key points while maintaining open body language helps a great deal. “You didn’t know that was a rule.” “You had too much to drink, and you feel terrible about it.” “Challenges with some prospects were beyond your control.” By saying these kinds of things, I could show my employees that I heard them — and that, despite the circumstances, I still respected how terrible they felt.
This can be especially helpful when these conversations take place by phone, without the benefit of. If an employee has misbehaved or broken a rule, you may wonder, why try to help them feel comfortable? Of course, being stern and clear is important. But in all the examples I mentioned, working to calm things down and ensure we heard each other led to a positive outcome. The great employee was given a chance to express his remorse for breaking a rule, open up about how awful he felt, and take steps to rectify the mistake.