Today’s workplace is fast-paced. Understanding the effect of the subconscious mind on business relationships is crucial. It can play a key role in improving communication and productivity. This article explores how our subconscious influences work environments. It provides practical ways to use the subconscious mind to improve business relationships.
Understanding the Subconscious Mind
The subconscious mind drives many of our automatic behaviors and ingrained skills. The conscious mind controls deliberate and logical thinking. In contrast, the subconscious controls intuitive and emotional thinking. The subconscious mind does not process facts and figures. It processes emotions, pictures, and stories. This distinction is significant because 80 to 90% of our decisions are made in the subconscious brain.
The Power of Automatic Responses
Think about the first time you learned to ride a bike or play an instrument. Each movement demanded focus. Over time, these actions became second nature. This shift is from effort to habit. This illustrates the difference between the conscious and subconscious mind.
The Role of the Subconscious in Shaping Perceptions, Attitudes, and Behaviors
The subconscious mind shapes our views, attitudes, and actions. It quickly processes emotions and senses and affects how we see and interact with the world. For example, studies show that our subconscious mind can recognize facial expressions in 0.047 seconds. The conscious mind cannot match this speed. This rapid processing helps us instinctively respond to social cues and emotions.
The Subconscious Mind’s Influence on Business Relationships
The subconscious mind is crucial in business interactions. It influences how we see and respond to our colleagues. Our subconscious mind often makes associations and assumptions. It relies on past experiences and internal stories.
When a person shares their view on something, our minds might fill gaps with assumptions. This can lead to misunderstandings. To fix this, we must quiet our subconscious. We must also actively listen to the other person’s story. As communication consultants, we teach a process called transformational listening. While active listening is commonly taught, transformational listening is designed to help people quiet their subconscious mind so they can listen effectively.
Real-Life Applications in Workshops
In our workshops, we have breakout groups where our clients can practice the skills that we teach. This helps our clients feel prepared when they go back into the real world. During one of our breakout sessions, a manager was paired with an employee to discuss personal goals. The manager’s task was to understand the employee’s story. He had to do this without letting his own subconscious assumptions interfere.
The employee shared that his goal was to buy a house before turning 30. One might assume the employee’s motive was to feel successful or to impress his friends. However, the manager didn’t make assumptions. He used our transformational listening process. He gained a deeper understanding and found that the employee actually wanted to buy a home to start a family. This led to a more emotional conversation between the manager and employee. Because of the manager’s transformational listening, the employee felt heard and knew the manager understood that it was not about the house. With this knowledge the manager had a greater understanding of what was motivating the employee.
Harnessing the Power of the Subconscious
Harnessing the power of the subconscious mind can transform our interactions and strengthen relationships. Here are some practical strategies:
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Be Aware That the Subconscious Mind is Always Active: Recognize that the subconscious mind is constantly at work, influencing our thoughts, behaviors, and interactions.
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Communicate with Stories, Pictures, and Emotions: Use storytelling, visual aids, and emotional expressions to communicate more effectively. These elements engage the subconscious mind, making your messages more relatable and memorable. Sharing stories and emotions can build a deeper rapport by tapping into shared human experiences.
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Listen For Feelings: Pay attention not just to the words being spoken, but also to the emotions behind them. Empathic listening involves understanding the feelings and motivations driving the conversation. By focusing on both facts and feelings, you can respond more thoughtfully and build stronger, more empathetic relationships.
If you would like to learn about the advanced techniques that we teach, please consider signing up for a free webinar here.
Understanding Emotions in Relationships
The Role of Emotions in Communication
Emotions play a vital role in communication and relationships. They act as a bridge between our unconscious and conscious minds.
In relationship dynamics, emotions influence how we perceive, react, and interact with our colleagues. These feelings are deep in our subconscious. They are shaped by past experiences and internal narratives. When people engage with one another, their subconscious minds continuously process emotions. This then guides their conscious reactions and behaviors.
Enhancing Communication through Emotional Awareness
Our ability to recall information from our subconscious is tied to the emotional intensity of our experiences. Every bit of information you’ve ever smelled, touched, felt, heard, seen, or talked about is stored in your subconscious. Your ability to recall it depends on how emotional the experience was.
When we become aware of the emotional content in others’ subconscious minds, we can communicate more effectively. Speaking to people on an emotional level enhances our ability to connect. It makes our interactions more powerful and meaningful.
Emotions as a Tool for Better Communication
Emotions and the subconscious mind interact in powerful ways. Understanding this can serve as a powerful tool for improving communication. Here are some practical strategies:
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Empathetic Responses: Respond to others’ concerns with empathy. Acknowledge their emotions and validate their feelings to build trust and strengthen relationships.
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Mindful Observation: Pay attention to non-verbal cues, such as body language and facial expressions, to understand the unspoken emotions of others.
Building Rapport: Harnessing the Subconscious Mind
Rapport can be defined as the comfortable feeling you experience when you are with someone you intuitively like. Rapport goes beyond mere words. It involves a deep, often subconscious connection that fosters trust and cooperation. When we share this bond, communication gets better, collaboration improves, and business performance soars.
The Role of the Subconscious Mind
Interestingly, much of the rapport we build with others happens on a subconscious level. Psychologists estimate that up to 90% of communication is non-verbal. Much of it occurs through cues that our conscious minds might not even register. This means that our ability to connect with others depends on factors beyond the words we speak. Understanding and leveraging this can be a game-changer.
Authenticity: The Foundation of Genuine Connection
Authenticity is at the heart of building genuine rapport. When we are true to ourselves and express our genuine thoughts and feelings, others can sense our sincerity. This honesty creates a foundation of trust, making others more likely to open up and engage with us. Authentic interactions pave the way for meaningful connections and deeper relationships.
Vulnerability: The Strength in Openness
Showing vulnerability is a powerful way to build rapport. When we allow ourselves to be seen as we truly are, including our imperfections and uncertainties, it fosters a sense of relatability and trust. Sharing personal stories, admitting mistakes, and expressing genuine emotions can break down barriers and create a safe space for others to do the same. This mutual openness strengthens the bond between team members and enhances collaboration.
Humility: The Key to Mutual Respect
Humility involves recognizing our limitations and valuing the contributions of others. When we approach interactions with humility, we show respect for others’ perspectives and acknowledge that we don’t have all the answers. This attitude fosters an environment of mutual respect and learning. Being humble allows us to listen more effectively, appreciate others’ strengths, and create a culture of cooperation and support.
By integrating these techniques into your daily interactions, you can foster a deeper, more effective rapport. This enhanced connection will not only improve communication and collaboration but also contribute to more harmonious and productive business relationships.
Conclusion
Understanding the impact of the subconscious mind on business relationships can significantly enhance communication and productivity in the workplace. We can create better relationships by recognizing how our subconscious affects our views, attitudes, and actions.
Embracing strategies like transformational listening and storytelling, and helps us tap into the power of the subconscious. This creates deeper connections and understanding.
Building rapport is another crucial aspect of leveraging the subconscious mind. Rapport involves a deep, often subconscious connection that fosters trust and cooperation. Techniques such as mirroring, mindful observation, and empathetic responses can greatly enhance business relationships. By aligning with the subconscious cues of others, we can build trust and mutual respect, creating a more harmonious and productive business environment.
As communication consultants, we specialize in transforming relationships dynamics through our unique approach. Our Dynamic Relationship Model™ and TrueConnect™ product suite leverage the principles of transformational listening and emotional awareness to help connect, understand, and inspire one another.
We equip you to build trust, boost teamwork, and achieve results through assessments, workshops, and coaching.
To learn more about how CI2 Advisors can help your team unlock their full potential, sign up for a free webinar here.
