Speakers: Gail Fairhurst, Ph.D.
Psychological, neurological, and interpersonal perspectives on improving office life.
Gail Fairhurst, Ph.D.: Hi there, my name is Gail Fairhurst and I study how people talk to one another in work environments. I also teach and do executive coaching in this area. When I think about what makes an office environment more successful and congenial, Uh I think of the intangible and interpersonal aspects of which many professionals may be unaware: small moments like the smile in the hallway or the um taking the time to greet another person in the morning or acknowledging contributions, offering a little bit of support or affirmation, a civil disagreement, and the like. While the average professional might say, uh this is hardly rocket science Gail, I would agree but it does qualify as brain science uh which tells us that when we communicate, we actually listen with our bodies, not just our ears. In effect, a person or team's emotions and energy levels influence others consciously or unconsciously to adopt a similar mood. As human beings, we are actually prone towards mimicry, which is another way of saying that we listen with our bodies to mimic or imitate what others are giving off. My students call this a "vibe." And what they are sensing from others, a "vibe check." Uh And so, uh it's, it's interesting translation of that phenomenon. Uh According to Iacoboni, uh uh uh "mimicking others is not just another form of communicating nonverbally, it helps us to perceive others' expressions in the first place." I love that quote because essentially brain science uh has shown us that mimicry operates unconsciously and auto automatically through mirror neurons that map onto what others are saying. This in turn plays a huge role in why emotions are contagious. Hence, the term you're probably familiar with "emotional contagion." Contagion can energize or poison office dynamics, team dynamics, leadership dynamics. So remember, uh do not underestimate the power of an authentic smile, Uh a word of encouragement or affirmation, or civilly disagreeing with one another. It could be contagious.
