Talking Emotions

Emotions surround us. They influence our behavior and shape our cognition. We interact with them on a daily basis, although we might not realize it. Emotional Intelligence, how emotions influence our decisions, and much more are subjects that were discussed at the conference Talking Emotions, organized by Aurore Dawn Donné, trainer & coach specialist of facial micro movements & emotions and founder of Share Ideas. The main question to answer at this event was: how can we take advantage of them in our professional as well as personal life?

The first of four speakers, Dr Marcello Mortillaro, Senior Scientist at Swiss Center for Affective Sciences, justified that the use of emotional intelligence should be important to all of us.

What is Emotional Intelligence

According to Mr. Mortilla, Emotional Intelligence (EI) is an exploration of the human side of global intelligence. This is how we recognize, understand, regulate and manage the emotions that we are experiencing. If we want to learn how to behave with EI, we firstly need to get control of the feeling and be aware of the emotion itself.

After that, it is easier to successfully regulate it. We should remember that EI is also important for better relationships. In this case, empathy is the secret. We need to be able to put ourselves in someone else’s shoes, focus on what is important for that person and put the benefits of that person first. If we can, we are able to understand what that person might feel.

An example used during the conference was understanding why someone does not like a specific kind of food. We cannot judge his emotion only according to his facial expression. Instead, we should try to eat the same food, so that we can understand better not only how he feels but what he feels.

Emotional Intelligence at work

After defining EI, the speakers went on to apply the concept in the workplace. There are four different stages of EI:

• Emotional Recognition is the ability to recognize emotions from nonverbal behavior. The face does not tell the whole story. Body language is also important.
• Emotional Understanding is the ability to understand oneself “the other’s” emotions using contextual information.
• Emotional Regulation is the ability to regulate one’s emotions in critical circumstances.
• Emotional Management – is the ability to respond to and influence other people’s emotions in an effective way.

For children, expressing emotions is essential to development. They usually are aware of them much more than adults, who tend to hide them most of the time.

Since their vocabulary is limited, children are often not able to communicate them properly. They are, however, able to show them. A little girl who feels sad for her crying friend may not able to help with her words. She may offer him her teddy bear instead. This type of reaction may often work for adults as well. If we listen to our emotions, we might be able to solve a problematic situation by actions, not just words.

A supervisor’s EI can help achieve stability and increase productivity in a team, and improve employees’ job satisfaction. That is one of the reasons why this soft skill is more and more in demand by both employers and recruiters.

Ph.D Erika Rosenberg, Consulting Scientist and Senior Teacher, joined the conference via video. Her goal was to explain how meditation can help regulate our own emotions.
“We can be really mean and angry with the ones that we love the most,” she stated. This resonated with much of the audience, since we are often not fully aware of how we act towards others. Her main point was that self-awareness should be one of the fundamental skills that we should work on.

Diego Ingrassia, Master Coach and International Trainer, highlighted the difference between anger and fear. He also touched on why people feel uncomfortable in situations that are not part of their daily routine.

The last speaker, Ghita Ramdhiansing, Researcher and Expert on Behavior Patterns, talked about the interaction between behavior technology and the ability to recognize our feelings and emotions. In the future, researchers will be able to tell us a lot more about ourselves thanks to computer facial models.

In conclusion, all of the speakers were asked how emotions shape lives and how they see the science of emotions evolving in the future. In the last few years, more and more emotional intelligence courses are being offered in the workplace. We also see marketing campaigns focusing on customer emotions, rather than basic information. Analyzing emotions is gaining in popularity in different fields, which are now understanding the importance of emotion in every aspect of our lives.

Sources: www.shareideas.ch; www.thinkmarketingmagazine.com

Photo credit: www.shareideas.ch