Dealing with Emotions as a Communicator – Exuding, Expressing, and Establishing Emotions

How do we control our emotions as a communicator? While not every one of us is an emotional communicator, learning how to be an emotive communicator is a necessary skill. What is the difference? An emotive communicator is purposeful, targeted, and controlled in his/her use of emotions as an effective communication tool. Whether you are presenting in a formal setting or having a casual conversation with a friend, communicators need to know how to harness emotive elements to their benefit.

There are two aspects to this emotive control. First, we look at the communicator’s ability to exude or portray specific emotions during their presentation. This is inward-looking and considers how you, as a communicator, can showcase a wide range of emotions relevant to your presentation. Second, we consider the audience’s perspective. This is outward-looking and addresses the emotive effect that a communicator may have on the audience. What do you want them to feel? In a successful communication setting – the inward and outward-looking perspective must be aligned! If you want the audience to place trust in you, for example, you need to exude confidence and credibility.

It is not that straightforward to use these two perspectives to be an emotive communicator. Today, we will share three quick tips on how you can harness the inward and outward-looking perspective!

Tip #1: Strong, but Controlled – Passion

One of the common comments you may have received is to be “more passionate” in your delivery. However, beyond this assertion, it is often unclear how one can be more passionate in delivering their speech or presentations. It is a sought-after effect by most communicators, but not everyone can either showcase their passion while delivering or let their audience feel that same emotion (no matter the content!).

We believe that passion is an example of a strong emotion that is best delivered in a controlled and measured manner. One myth that we often hear is that a passionate speaker (or a communicator sharing about a passion) must be energetic – jumping around the stage with a booming voice. While not entirely off the mark, this is just one example of showcasing passion. There are three aspects you can use to portray passion from both the inward and outward perspectives, using just your voice.

First, experiment with pauses to create emphasis. A passionate speech may be accompanied by a roller-coaster story or an exciting experience that leaves the audience on the edge of their seats. A pause will help them to appreciate the tension. Second, a change of speaking pace can help to create a dynamic introduction to your passion. Speeding up can create an element of energy on its own, but if you accompany that with a slowdown of pace, you can draw attention to your main point. Third, experiment with changes in your tone. While a high tone may typically be associated with an energetic presentation, a gradual drop to a low professional tone can break the monotony of a presentation and pull your audience in.

Try experimenting with the different vocal elements above to create emphasis, pull your audience in, and showcase your strong emotion (be it passion, anger, excitement)!

Tip #2: Reactive Emotions

Moving away from purposeful emotions (i.e. emotions that we intended to portray during our presentations), communicators should be wary of reactive emotions. These are emotions we may carry on stage (whether consciously or otherwise) in reaction to a communication setting. For example, you may find yourself unintentionally frowning or having a hard eye contact (see: staring) in a high-stress communication setting. The most obvious manifestation of this is stage anxiety.

The challenge is in identifying how key indicators such as your speaking speed or facial expression changes based on the stress situation you face. We had a client who shared that he was usually able to present in a small-group setting confidently. However, when given a chance to present to a larger audience, he started to notice a marked increase in his speaking speed. Coincidentally, he received further feedback that he appeared “nervous” and “unsure”. This awareness however allowed him to implement steps to combat the reactive emotional changes. By taking a calming pause or adopting a neutral emotive stance, he could focus on the body language elements to change. The next time you find yourself in a similar situation, try and spot how the audience perceives your emotion from your body language elements!

Tip #3: Guiding an Emotion Effect

For the outward-centric perspective, it is important to chart your audience’s emotion path during your presentation. This does not require you to assess the audience’s emotions at every step of your presentation. Instead, ask the broader question of how your audience is likely to react to an element in your presentation.

For example, if you are sharing a story, break the emotion path into the various parts of your story. Your Character introduction portion, for example, may elicit a warm, welcoming feeling. In contrast, the Conflict portion of the same story may want to place the audience on the edge of their seats. By understanding how each key component of your presentation affects your audience, you can chart your audience’s emotion path and guide them through the emotions you want them to feel.

Be an Effective and Emotive (not Emotional) Communicator!

We emphasise again that this article is not about how to curb your emotions or be a more emotional communicator. Instead, we should acknowledge that emotions play a big role for communicators – both in the emotions we portray (intentionally or not) and the emotions the audience members perceive. By mastering both aspects, you will become that versatile, emotive communicator!

By The Way…

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