12/11/08

What can you do in just two minutes? There are several possibilities: boil a soft-boiled egg, sharpen some pencils, write a haiku, or force yourself to do nothing at all. Oh, it also takes two minutes to silently transmit emotions to a perfect stranger sitting next to you.

Emotions are like yawning – they are infectious. Yet, they spread differently among different groups of people and the knowledge how powerful they are may be crucial to maintaining a healthy workplace atmosphere.

Check out: “Spotting Toxic Emotions Before They Infect You At Work”

 

Glossary

  • contagious – infectious
  • prevail – become dominant
  • struggle – fight
  • notably different – considerably different
  • impede something – restrict/hinder something
  • outburst – eruption
  • hijack – seize control
  • abandon – leave, give up, discontinue
  • run on something – be fuelled by something

 

Think about it

Based on the text answer the following questions. Leave your answers in the comments below!

  • How do emotions spread in hierarchies?
  • Where can you find the amygdala and what functions does it have?
  • How can you recognize the amygdala hijack and what can it be triggered by?
  • What is “the human moment” and how can you make it work?
  • What emotional patterns are likely to surface in the workplace?

 

Practice makes perfect

 In the sentences below replace the phrases in bold with the expressions from the original text. Leave your answers in the comments below!
  • Studies show that in just two minutes, silent strangers send emotions to each other, and the more emotionally expressive person’s feelings become dominant.
  • The dynamic, however, is significantly different in hierarchies than in groups of equally privileged individuals.
  • Therefore, in organizations, a leader’s attitude is transferred to his team, either improving or hindering the group’s overall performance.
  • Digital technology has lowered communication costs but increased the likelihood of quarrels.
  • Hijacks have a tendency to happen repeatedly.

 

Fill in the blank spaces with the correct forms of the words below.

  • leader – (abstract noun)________
  • prevalent – (verb)________
  • interact – (noun)________
  • priority – (verb)________
  • interpret – (opposite)________
  • appear -(opposite, noun)________
  • communication – (verb)________

Explore it more

For those of you who aren’t low on emotion :)

 

Something emotive:

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