She entered a room where her friends were sitting and without any preamble said, “I have some happy news for all of you. My dad has got the promotion to be the Vice president of the company he is working in '' She waited for the applause and cheer from her friends but nothing came much. She looked around and then saw one of her friends was crying. “What happened to Sheela, why is she crying?” she asked. “Her dad is in the ICU with a severe stroke” was the reply. The girl felt embarrassed for having burst into the room to share her good news.
“Your brother is an idiot” he said as he entered the room
“Sh..Sh..” said his wife
“I don’t know a dumber guy” he continued not hearing his wife
“Can you be quiet?” She asked
“You always try to shut me up” he said, “Can’t I express my opinion about your family?”
“Would you like to tell him directly?”she asked, pointing to her brother sitting in the corner of the room.
The man started explaining his behaviour in a clumsy manner to his brother in law.
Situational awareness is a sign of emotional intelligence. Before opening our mouths to express our opinion, taking the emotional temperature of the room is a good idea. What is the mood of the room? What have they been talking about? Is this the right place for me to express my opinion? Is my opinion needed? Discretion also means whom to share the information with. Does this person need to know? Checking who are the people in the room is important. You don’t want your children to know something you want your spouse to know. You may not want your elderly parents to know something that you want to share with others as it may unnecessarily distress them. The pause between the moment you want to say something and saying it is good. It will save us a lot of embarrassment and trouble in relationships.