Positive Micro-Behaviors
What micro-behavior means giving someone time to finish without interrupting?
Letting people finish.
What negative behavior involves speaking fast, sharp, or irritated?
Sharp or rushed tone.
What is “intent”?
What we mean to communicate.
What is emotional discipline in one sentence?
The ability to control your reactions, not your emotions.
If someone corrects you publicly and you pause before responding, which skill is that?
Emotional discipline (pausing before responding).
What micro-behavior involves taking a moment before speaking?
Pausing before responding.
Reacting before thinking is which negative micro-behavior?
Reacting instead of pausing.
What is “impact”?
How our message is received or felt.
True or False: Emotional discipline means suppressing feelings.
False.
A coworker seems upset and you ask, “Help me understand what happened.” What is this?
Asking clarifying questions.
What does asking clarifying questions prevent?
Wrong assumptions.
Cutting someone off mid-sentence is known as what?
Interrupting.
Fill in the formula: Intent → ______ → Impact → Perception → Response
Behavior.
Which micro-behavior is a primary example of emotional discipline?
Calm, steady tone.
A teammate shuts down in a meeting. What’s a good reset line?
Let’s pause for a moment and reset so we can move forward clearly.”
What positive micro-behavior involves posture, facial expression, and eye contact?
Open, engaged body language
Body language that shows frustration or disinterest is called what?
Closed-off or negative body language.
Why can a “joke” still cause harm if intent was positive?
Impact outweighs intent.
Emotional discipline means feeling emotion without ______.
Becoming the emotion.
You feel yourself getting frustrated. What micro-behavior helps avoid escalation?
Choosing the right timing / Calm tone.
Which micro-behavior focuses on “What’s the next step?” instead of blame?
Solution-focused mindset.
Bringing up issues at the wrong time reflects which negative micro-behavior?
Poor timing.
What is the main goal of understanding intent vs impact in communication?
To improve clarity, trust, and emotional discipline in interactions.
Give one example of emotional sovereignty.
Feeling triggered without losing control
Facing conflict without escalating it
Hearing criticism without internalizing it
Experiencing frustration without weaponizing it
You score 24 on the rubric. What communicator category are you?
High-Risk Communicator.