We communicate emotions whether we mean to or not. You could stay silent about how you feel and leave teammates to do guesswork or you can be open about it. 

By putting your feelings into words for others, you foster connections that can provide space for both you and others to thrive at work.

Open up and talk about your emotions – they’re already written all over your face.

To break the ice and establish a connection with coworkers, start putting your emotions into words. Follow this step-by-step guide to talking about how you feel with someone at work:

Name them for yourself beforehand

Put your feelings into words for yourself then have a conversation with coworkers. Keep in mind that not everyone at your job will have the emotional intelligence to help you work though all of your thoughts and label emotions.

Find an appropriate space and time

Avoid letting everyone know how annoyed you are in the middle of an update meeting. If you want to talk about how you feel with a manager, maybe chat during a one-on-one meeting

Tie your emotions in with what you hope to accomplish at work

Emotions are valuable information for achieving your goals and they can also be valuable data to people you work with. If you have used your emotions to understand something about your workplace environment, share what’s useful.

Let's practice.

You want to communicate the stress you’ve been under over the past few months with your manager. When should you chat?

The answer is B.

When and where you decide to express your emotions changes the way you’re received. Be sure to catch your coworker or manager at a time that’s appropriate to discuss ways you can thrive at your job.