The Center for Creative Leadership (2019) describes active listening as “...your willingness and ability to hear and understand” (p. 10). How does active listening play a role in developing emotional intelligence? According to Wheeler (2021), “active listening requires intense concentration, not just on the words that are spoken but also their tone and implied meaning.”
The basis of active listening rests upon mutual understanding.
To practice active listening, you may wish to follow these steps:
Give the speaker your undivided attention
Be mindful of body language such as posture and facial expressions
Nod to show understanding
Ask open-ended questions when appropriate
Paraphrase to ensure you received the message correctly
By sharpening your active listening skills, you can avoid miscommunication and increase your emotional intelligence. If you are interested in practicing active listening, consider these resources from the Harvard Business Review and MIT.
Where can I use active listening in the Libraries? You may find active listening helpful when assisting a patron at the circulation desk; when conducting a reference interview; or when meeting with a direct report or supervisor.
Center for Creative Leadership. (2019). Active Listening: Improve Your Ability to Listen and Lead, Second Edition. Center for Creative Leadership.Accessed August 6, 2024. https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=ip,sso&db=e000xna&AN=2246275&site=ehost-live.
Wheeler, K. (2021). What is active listening? SAGE Publications Ltd.
Having the ability to quickly build trust and rapport testifies to an individual’s emotional intelligence. The basis of trust and rapport resides in communication and understanding.
The adage says that trust takes a lifetime to earn and a moment to lose. While there may be some kernels of truth in conventional wisdom, building trust does not have to take years. It does not need to be a mysterious process, either. In fact, with some tried-and-true tips, anyone can learn to build trust and rapport.
According to Daniel Goleman (2015), the grandfather of emotional intelligence research, there are two main ways to build trust:
“You’re willing to get experience doing the work of your team. This doesn’t mean giving rousing speeches, putting out strongly worded press releases, or releasing polished promotional videos. This means you actually spend time with the people doing the work.
“You honor those people by listening and responding in earnest.”
How is building trust and rapport relatable to the Libraries? You may need to quickly establish trust and build rapport with groups in many library situations. For example, you may need to use these skills when delivering classroom instruction, when leading a tour, or when overseeing a project for a committee.
Communication in the 21st century takes place across multiple modalities. Some conversations take place exclusively in one medium; others may spread across several different platforms. Before beginning a conversation, you may find it worthwhile to inquire on the communication preferences of those with whom you are speaking. Stanwicks (2017) notes “effective communication in the library workplace can be achieved by asking employees to tell their coworkers how to effectively communicate with them, as well as communication approaches to which they are not receptive” (p. 4). There are many formats in which conversations now take place, so keep in mind that each medium presents its own set of challenges and opportunities.
Face-to-face conversations tend to be the most preferable mediums for emotionally intelligent conversations. Why? When communicating face-to-face, you not only can engage with the speaker's content, but also with the accompanying tone and non-verbal cues. Tone and body language/facial expressions add subtext to a conversation, reveal meaning, and provide a fuller picture of the message a speaker wishes to convey.
Virtual calls can have similar advantages to face-to-face interactions. To ensure that non-verbal cues are noticed, however, it is important to have your camera on when participating virtually. This is important not only in one-on-one conversations, but also in larger presentations. Having your camera on allows the presenter to see that you are engaged and read non-verbal cues.
Phone calls, while less frequent today, play a key role in the workplace. They are often much faster than emails for urgent matters. That said, there exists the opportunity for miscommunication by telephone. Speaking via phone eliminates the ability to pick up on non-verbal cues such as facial expressions or posture. Tone also can become difficult to interpret. When speaking on the phone, try to articulate your point as clearly as possible. You may also wish to express any subtext that could get lost.
Emails present a significant challenge for emotionally intelligent communication. The tone of a message easily gets lost when presented in written format. One can easily misread a benign message as harsh or, even worse, hostile. Similar to phone calls, to avoid miscommunication, try to be as clear as possible with your message. Remember to address the individual to whom you are writing with an introduction ("Hello" "Hi" "Dear" etc) and a respectful sign off ("Best", "Sincerely", "Thank You"). Emails should also have a pertinent subject line.
Chat and instant messaging may be less formal, but these challenges still exist. It is easy to read a negative tone into a chat that is simply asking for assistance. You may wish to focus strictly on the message without inferring malice.
How can I use these practices in the Libraries? You may use these skills when interacting with colleagues, when sending emails, or when meeting with students. If you are working closely with someone, you may wish to ask them what form of communication they prefer.
Stanwicks, Kabel Nathan, "Let's Talk About How We Talk: Communication Agreements in the Library Workplace" (2017). University Libraries Faculty Scholarship. 170. https://scholarsarchive.library.albany.edu/ulib_fac_scholar/170
Before diving into the best practices for conflict resolution, it makes sense to explore what exactly constitutes a conflict. A conflict is not a simple disagreement. If two competing parties agree to disagree, there is no conflict. A conflict, then, is a disagreement so severe or pervasive that it prevents from working together or moving forward (Rahim 2011).
Conflicts are an inevitable facet of social behavior. They will occur in every workplace; that is human nature. But conflicts don't have to be destructive or damaging. They can--and should--be resolved in an emotionally intelligent fashion.
Martyna Siekanowicz et al (2022) provide this useful open-source infographic for managing conflict.
When will I need this in the Libraries? Managing conflicts is inevitable in any workplace. You may find yourself having to use these skills as a supervisor, as an employee, or even with students.
Rahim, M.A. (2011). Managing conflict in organizations. New York: Routledge.
Siekanowicz, M., Delaviz, Y., Jafry, A., Blair-Hamilton, A., Fortune, K., Nairn, B., Page-Cutrara, K., Richardson, N.S., and van Dreumel, L. (2022).
According to the University at Albany's Office of Intercultural Student Engagement, cultural competency refers to the skills an individual requires to:
Emotional intelligence and cultural competency share similar characteristics. An emotionally intelligent individual is able to recognize and label their emotions; a culturally competent individual is able to recognize and label their biases. Both skills draw from the same self-reflection toolkit.
When do I need this in the Libraries? All the time! UAlbany has a massively diverse campus - across countless dimensions. The student body, the professorate, the staff and employees. Each individual you meet brings with them their cultural background and a diverse set of norms. It is vital to respect that, and to learn how to communicate with individuals different from ourselves in an emotionally intelligent manner.
Cultural Competency. University at Albany Office of Intercultural Student Engagement. Retrieved August 13, 2024 from https://www.albany.edu/multicultural/competency.php.
The idea of feedback lends itself to fear--either the fear of receiving negative feedback, or the fear of having to deliver criticism. Feedback, however, helps us improve. Like the other subjects in this guide, there exists a skillset to help deliver feedback in an emotionally intelligent manner, and one on how to receive feedback well.
Before beginning, you should refer to Communicating Across Multiple Modalities. It helps to ask the person to whom you are giving feedback how they prefer to receive it. The first step should always be ensuring everyone is on the same page.
Once that's squared away, consider what Phoel (2009) has to say in these tried-and-true tips for giving effective feedback:
Receiving feedback sometimes feels like a visit to the principal's office. Nobody likes to be criticized, of course. But there are ways to receive feedback in a healthy, productive manner. Conaway (2022) notes that the keys to receiving feedback well involve poise, time to process, and deciding whether or not to act on the feedback. For full details on how to receive feedback well, see his article in the Harvard Business Review.
In the meantime, this decision tree walks through the process of receiving feedback in an emotionally intelligent fashion.
When will I need to use these skill in the Libraries? You should consider delivering feedback intentionally any time you work with direct reports or student employees. Remember to provide feedback regularly, not just when it comes time to review performance plans.
Conaway, C. (2022, June 14). The Right Way to Process Feedback. Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2022/06/the-right-way-to-process-feedback.
Phoel, C. (2009, April 27). Feedback That Works. Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2009/04/feedback-that-works.
It comes as no surprise that the pervasiveness and ambiguousness of meetings leads to frustration. That said, meetings don't have to be a source of stress. In fact, you can conduct meetings in an emotionally intelligent fashion by following these best practices:
When will I need to use these skills in the Libraries? You may want to try these tips with your committees, with working groups, or even in your own departmental meetings.
Library jobs are stressful.
Librarians face intractable pressures in the workplace, such as keeping pace on the tenure track, balancing librarianship with service obligations, and fighting off decision fatigue--all of which may lead to persistent or severe burnout (Cameron, Pierce, & Conroy 2021; Natal & Salzman 2022; Nardine 2019). These variables don't even factor in the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, nor the stressors facing front-line staff workers, each of which have been documented (Salvesen & Berg 2021; Caputo 1991).
How does stress management relate to emotional intelligence? According to Goleman (1997), through the recognizing and naming of emotions, an individual can better regulate stress levels. This process of naming/recognizing emotions creates beneficial separation between the live experience and the perceived experience. This, of course, takes practice.
Forbes offers a few tips on how to manage stress in emotionally intelligent ways. These include:
When would you need to manage stress in the Libraries? Across a variety of areas! You may find these tips helpful when dealing with a difficult patron, when pressed for time on a tight deadline, or when tackling a major work project.
Cameron, L., Pierce, S., & Conroy, J. (2021). Occupational stress measures of tenure-track librarians. Journal of Librarianship & Information Science, 53(4), 551–558. https://doi-org.libproxy.albany.edu/10.1177/0961000620967736
Caputo, J. (1991). Stress and burnout in library service. Phoenix, AZ: Oryx Press.
Goleman, D. (1997). Emotional Intelligence: Why it can matter more than IQ. New York: Bantam Books.
Nardine, J. (2019). The State of Academic Liaison Librarian Burnout in ARL Libraries in the United States. College & Research Libraries, 80(4), 508–524. https://doi-org.libproxy.albany.edu/10.5860/crl.80.4.508
Natal, G., & Saltzman, B. (2022). Decisions, decisions, decisions: decision fatigue in academic librarianship. Journal of Academic Librarianship, 48(1), N.PAG. https://doi-org.libproxy.albany.edu/10.1016/j.acalib.2021.102476
Salvesen, L., & Berg, C. (2021). “Who says I am coping”: The emotional affect of New Jersey academic librarians during the COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of Academic Librarianship, 47(5), N.PAG. https://doi-org.libproxy.albany.edu/10.1016/j.acalib.2021.102422
