Warm-Up

Warm-Up

How would you respond if someone in the office asked you, “How was your weekend?”

Consider the responses given by the three people below.

• It was good thanks. And yours?
  
• It was great thanks! We took the kids swimming, which they loved! You know the new swimming pool in the center of town? Then we watched this silly Ben Stiller film that always makes me laugh and ate pizza. Yesterday, we just caught up on sleep and went for a walk. How about you?
  
• It was OK, I guess. We went to this new Mexican restaurant near us, and I had the nachos. I don’t know what was in them, but it gave me really bad gas. My wife told me we should have gone to the Italian place so had no sympathy. But Italian food always gives me heartburn.

How do you feel about these people? What do you think about their answers?

Now, consider the following list of emotions.

• anger
• sadness
• joy
• jealousy
• fear
• anxiety

In your opinion and considering the culture in your country, which of these emotions are acceptable to display in a professional environment? In what situations, would they be appropriate or inappropriate?