Risky Business

Tis the season for festivals and holidays as we approach the new year. It is a time of complex interactions some of which are inherently risky. Predictably, stress levels soar at work, impacting communication grace in both professional and personal settings.

Every year around this time, my husband's company has a huge deadline for client projects. So that every year, the stress level at work rachets up right as our social schedule becomes tighter. This does nothing good to his grace in communication in either sphere. Further, the sound overflow in our home office indicates that his colleagues are not doing much better. This is not isolated to my husband. In fact, it is the most frequent topic in 1:1 coaching sessions at GROW beginning the week before Thanksgiving. So, how can we navigate better communication during this demanding time of the year?

High stress and time compression require something that will feel risky to most, your most transparent speech and your most authentic self.

However, transparency doesn't imply freely expressing every emotion. Emotions such as anger, fear, frustration, and a sense of limited choices aren't conducive to professional conversations. Even in personal discussions, it's advisable to limit these emotions unless you've obtained consent from the listener to share your feelings.

In the face of heightened stress and time constraints, the solution lies in embracing your most transparent speech and authentic self. However, transparency doesn't imply freely expressing every emotion. Emotions such as anger, fear, frustration, and a sense of limited choices aren't conducive to professional conversations. In personal discussions, it's advisable to limit these emotions unless you've obtained consent from the listener to share your feelings.

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