Should you cry in front of clients? It may sound like an obvious ”no.” It’s a common belief in the business world that any display of emotion or vulnerability is a sign of weakness. This week I ran a mental health course and on the 3rd session, I was moved to tears by what a client told me. As a wellbeing trainer, emotional connection feels ok but, you don’t want to lose it in front of a client! What I love about what I do, is that if I do feel a bit tearful, it is a safe space to be open about it. In summary, one of the delegates shared that his Manager had called him just after his 2nd session with me. We had been working on empathy and non judgemental listening that day. For the first time ever, that Manager opened up and shared some incredibly difficult information. An hour later, my delegate had gone through all the steps I had taught him on the course and had assessed his Manager was safe but had gently signposted him to get some help. As a trainer, hearing stories like that, reinforces the work you do as you know it is having impact. I had been unsure whether my delegates might worry about me if I got too emotional. I am supposed to be the one in control right? But, now I realise that showing genuine emotion helps everyone else. We used his story as a case study to work through how to practice mental health first aid and it was perfect. We were all moved! I love my job.
