We often fall into the trap of believing that good communication means sharing well-crafted facts and waiting for a response. But when it comes to developing effective communication skills at work, emotions play an essential role.
Here’s an example:
“I’ve gone over our strategy with the entire staff in our quarterly breakfast meetings, yet the employee survey shows that most people still feel like they don’t know what the strategy is about. How is this even possible?”
This was the frustrated reaction of the CEO of a large corporation. And it’s a common situation.
Leaders spend countless hours clarifying goals and strategies, yet those efforts often feel disconnected, and employee engagement remains low.
Or take another common puzzle: despite having polished sales presentations, the deals still aren’t closing. Why?
These are moments when it’s worth taking a closer look at communication skills at work.
Humans aren’t just rational
When we try to influence others, we often believe that simply presenting the facts is enough. We assume that once the rational content is there, people will absorb the information and act accordingly.
But that’s not how it works – we humans aren’t purely rational!
Facts stir emotions in us.
Here’s a great example: mathematical equations. You might think they’re pure logic, free from emotion – just straightforward reasoning. But research shows otherwise. Students actually evaluate math equations emotionally.
Equations can feel aesthetically beautiful or repellingly ugly. They can feel inviting and solvable or overwhelming and stressful. Emotions are always part of our thinking – even with math.
Facts evoke emotions. And if we don’t recognize this, our chances of influencing others – and their actions – stay limited.
This is just as true in the workplace: without emotions, communication falls flat.
Want to make your message impactful? Use these three emotions!
The world, the internet, and social media are flooded with content. People have become increasingly selective about what they consume. Only content that sparks curiosity or feels personally relevant gets read and remembered.
“A successful message is one the audience wants and chooses to engage with.” (Hakola & Hiila 2012)
Here are three emotions you can use to take communication in your workplace to the next level:
1. Awakening curiosity
The very first thing you need to do to capture someone’s attention is to awaken their curiosity.
Curiosity arises when you sense there’s something out there you don’t yet know – but you want to know. It’s closely tied to the courage to explore and try new things. Curiosity keeps you alert, energized, and moving forward.
It’s one of the most powerful forces behind human progress. Curiosity has driven us to explore new continents, reach space, and advance medicine and technology. It fuels learning and is a fantastic source of intrinsic motivation.
Brain research shows that the anticipation of interesting information activates the brain’s reward centers even more than actually receiving the information. The thrill of curiosity itself is often more rewarding than the moment you satisfy it.
So, awaken curiosity first – that’s what draws people in.
2. Understand and embrace confusion
The second key emotion for impactful communication is confusion.
Confusion doesn’t feel great – which is why it’s often undervalued. But it’s actually one of the most important and useful emotions we experience.
When confused, we pause and wonder: What’s going on here? What does this mean?
Confusion broadens thinking, boosts motivation to resolve the uncertainty, and deepens learning. All profound learning happens through confusion. Without it, we wouldn’t get to the joy of insight and discovery!
So don’t shy away from creating a little confusion. It can spark curiosity and prompt your audience to actively engage and ask the questions that lead to real understanding.
The key, though, is to balance confusion with clarity. Too much confusion becomes frustrating. But just enough keeps people thinking and asking for more.
3. Offer a dose of surprise
The third emotion that makes communication impactful is surprise.
Surprise is usually brief – perhaps the shortest emotion we experience. But in that moment, it grabs our attention and focuses our thinking and energy on the unexpected event. When surprised, it’s hard to think about anything else.
Surprise sharpens the senses and helps create strong memories.
One striking example of surprise at work (and human irrationality) is fake news. Why are rumors and fake news so contagious? Why do they spread so fast? What makes them so hard to resist?
A 2017 study from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) analyzed 126,000 Twitter stories with over 4.5 million readers (2006–2017). Using multiple fact-checking sources, they categorized the stories as true or false.
The results? Devastating for real news.
Fake news spreads six times faster and reaches up to 100 times more people than the truth. And it’s not bots doing the spreading – it’s people.
The study found a pattern: fake news triggers two powerful emotions – surprise and disgust. That combination drives people to act quickly and share without thinking.
In other words, fake news harnesses the power of surprise.
From reasoning to emotional awareness: the shift we need at work
To make your message truly impactful – so that people absorb it and it leads to action – you need to shift from reasoning to emotional level.
At work, we focus on logic, facts, and reason. But the fastest, most effective way to influence people – their thinking and their behavior – is by tapping into their emotions.
We often assume that once we’ve delivered the message, our job is done. But two key questions remain:
- Am I genuinely interested in what I’m saying?
- How can I make my audience interested in what I’m saying?
If yourself aren’t interested, it’s almost impossible to engage others.
Humans are incredibly sensitive to this. We can sense whether a leader, manager, salesperson, or expert truly cares about their topic – and how they make us feel in the process.
Neuroscience shows that we can’t form memories, focus on complex ideas, or make meaningful decisions without emotions. Evolution wouldn’t waste our brain’s energy on something meaningless.
We think about and act on what matters to us – and what matters is always tied to emotions.
Ready to take your workplace communication skills to the next level?
Is teamwork not flowing as it should? Do colleagues struggle to understand your message?
Check out Emergy® SKILLS training and get ready to elevate communication in your workplace.
