Social Media is nothing we can hide behind. It exposes us in areas we didn't know we even had areas. I wanted to introduce you to what I call the "coffee shop syndrome" of Online Social Media:

Remember those times we skived off from school pretending to be sick so we could have a day off. Remember then how your parents would tell you "well if you're too sick to go to school you're defiantly too sick to go to the shops." You tended to agree only because if someone from school saw you out and about they would wonder why you were not in class. Well the coffee shop syndrome relates to this concept but I just wanted to set the scene offline first.

"The Coffee Shop Syndrome" relates to our level of Emotional Intelligence and how we act upon these skills in the world of Online Social Media. Remember that Emotional Intelligence refers to how often we demonstrate certain behaviours.  It's a set of skills that define how effectively we perceive, understand, reason with and manage our own and others' feelings.  It's all very well believing we demonstrate a high level of EI but if we don't have an outward display of this behaviour then others may have a different opinion!!

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With the use of on-line Social Media on the rise focus continues to move towards effective communication on-line  But what does that mean?

Consider the following:
FIRST COMMUNICATION: Please divert your course 15 degrees to the south to avoid a collision

SECOND COMMUNICATION: Recommend you divert your course 15 degrees to the north to avoid a collision

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I felt compelled to write this post in light of the recent Twitter crazed support of the most popular reality show in the history of Australian TV, MasterChef. Something fundamental was uncovered for me and it relates to a change which we are all going to have to face up to. Twitter is crossing boundaries and these are quite serious ones indeed which Media companies such as Channel 10 are going to have to face up to.

The MasterChef final went to air on the East coast of Australia at 7:30pm last night. It was only to be aired two hours later on the west coast of Australia when it would be 7:30pm there, due to the time zone difference. MasterChef, during the series, gained a massive following on Twitter. If you don't believe me do a search in Twitter on #masterchef and see for yourself. The series for many who use Twitter was made that much more special when shared with new and old friends alike on the Twitter Social Media platform. The advertisement breaks for once became useful as Tweets spun between the lounge rooms of viewers. This is entertainment and we will see this concept grow and grow.

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So far we have looked at a broad definition of Emotional Intelligence.  I want to really break it down so we can all get a good feel for how it fits in whilst continuing to tie it’s relevance back to the workplace and Social Media.

Unfortunately, poor emotional intelligence in the workplace is rampant and widespread – and the consequences of having to work alongside authoritarian CEOs and toxic co-workers have been well-documented by books like Work Would Be Great If It Weren’t For The People and popular television shows like “The Office”.

With a challenging global economy where downsizing is more the norm than the exception and with the ever increasing use of Social Media in business improving emotional intelligence in the workplace is not just a luxury or a nice thing to do – it’s an important business strategy and a smart, cost-efficient way to stay healthy as an organization.

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Is it relevant? 

There are plenty of studies around which demonstrate that Emotional intelligence has been linked to better staff morale, increased productivity, higher job satisfaction and organisational commitment.  However as we move more and more to the use of on-line mechanisms of communication what does that mean for our ability to communicate … as people?

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