What is it about?
Difficult conversations can make us feel a range of emotions, such as anger, frustration and fear. These emotions stem from our perception of a situation or person and our emotional response can be seen through our nonverbal behaviours (facial expressions and body movements). This paper examines nonverbal responses to difficult conversations, in the context of farm veterinary practice, and the impact they can have on a negative or positive outcome.
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Why is it important?
Difficult conversations are not uncommon in farm animal veterinary practice, whether this is between vet and farmer or between colleagues and/or employers within the practice. Recognising why we find something difficult, that evokes emotional responses displayed through nonverbal behaviours, can help us to try and reframe our thoughts and modify or regulate our emotions. The way we are feeling can be picked up through our facial expressions and body movements, which can exacerbate the situation. It is possible to influence the outcome of a difficult conversation through an awareness of our nonverbal behaviours, so the experience becomes more positive.
Perspectives
I hope this article helps explain why the way we feel about something can influence the outcome of a conversation and how our facial and body expressions can transmit silent messages that contribute to that outcome. Writing this article was a great pleasure as it gave me the opportunity to share some great examples of how making neuroscience easier to understand can give us practical tips to strengthen communication skills.
Dr Fiona MacGillivray
University of Nottingham
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: How a focus on nonverbal communication can help with difficult conversations, March 2022, Mark Allen Group,
DOI: 10.12968/live.2022.27.2.78.
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