We road test JCA Global’s The Feelings Wheel
What is it?
As part of its toolkit of resources for accredited practitioners in Emotional Intelligence (EI), people development and business psychology consultancy, JCA Global, part of PSI, a global workplace solutions provider, embraced the theory of emotion experts Robert Plutchik and James Russell to develop the Feelings Wheel, a tool that gives coach and client the language to explore feelings, and enables the client to access how they feel in a specific situation.
How it works
In business, we’re often told to leave our emotions at the door, but humans aren’t automatons. By suppressing or dismissing our feelings we reduce our capacity for self-awareness. This in turn limits our potential to perform effectively and manage stress, and ultimately undermines our health and well-being. Self-development starts with having the ability to identify exactly how we feel.
Enter The Feelings Wheel (Figure 1).
The tool consists of four main quadrants: Energise and Renew (positive emotions); Stress and Burnout (negative, unpleasant feelings).
Under each quadrant are eight descriptive terms, split into two core feelings, which sit at the heart of the wheel.
The tool enables individuals to understand they can have conflicting feelings. For example, it’s natural to feel both Apprehensive about an important event at work, but at the same time Optimistic about the outcome. This shows balance as the client will be spending time in the Stress quadrant, but also in the Energise quadrant (the high energy zones).
However, if negative patterns emerge, individuals need to be aware of how these impact on their workplace and their health and well-being. This might occur when an individual is in the Stress quadrant, for example, feeling Afraid following a large company presentation, and then moving into the Burnout quadrant because they feel ashamed of their performance.
In JCA’s model of EI, Feelings sit between Behaviour and Attitude. Early psychological models described human behaviour in terms of stimulus and response, but advancements in psychology and neuroscience have shown there are several stages in between.
Information is filtered initially through our attitudes before it’s processed as feelings, emotions and thoughts. The response to this is our behaviour, which leads to an outcome.
As part of changing their behaviour, individuals need to identify how they are feeling. They can assess what contributes towards the experience of negative feelings, where and when they are energised and when it is time to renew their energy.
Through the simple but powerful Feelings Wheel, an individual can start making a change, by embedding new habits and behaviours that enable that change to be sustained.
- Jo Maddocks is chief psychologist and co-founder of JCA. For more information, visit JCA Global: www.jcaglobal.com
The coach’s experience
Heather ‘got’ the concept of EI very quickly. But for her knowledge to have a deeper impact we needed to identify how she felt at specific points, particularly as we know that starting a new job is a stressful experience, when our emotions can fluctuate, minute
by minute.
Through the use of the Feelings Wheel, Heather was able to identify when, where and with who she experienced the Positive emotions. She recognised the importance of connections outside her new role that could enhance positive emotional energy as she settled in.
It was also through understanding and discussing her feelings that we were able to look at her underlying attitudes. For example, how her early relationships set in place deeply held beliefs that influenced her feelings and had an impact on her behaviour.
As a coaching tool, the Feelings Wheel lets you delve deeply, quickly. It helps to ask probing questions that lead to self-awareness of the impact and cause of our feelings.
- Veronica Hannon is an accredited EIP3 practitioner
The client’s experience
I’ve just changed jobs and felt that it was important in my new role to understand more about how my feelings affect my behaviour.
I’m approaching things that are new to me on a regular basis. I find this Energising and my main emotion is Happiness. However, I notice that I can easily transition to the Stress area when I’m trying to sort things out.
For example, with familiar tasks, I draw on my experience and expect an outcome. I’ve had lots of instances where I’ve felt Confident and Satisfied making progress by applying techniques I’ve used elsewhere. However, in a new environment I can sometimes find it Irritating when that outcome is different in a negative way.
The Feelings Wheel gives me perspective on what’s happening daily. I realise I’m energised by positive feedback, but when things don’t go well that can lower my mood. This is quite a classic trait in Marketing and Sales. We like doing the great stuff. I know when things don’t go exactly to plan it’s important to draw on good leadership and teamwork to keep going.
Most teams today are remote and relatively small, so when things go wrong it can be easy to reflect on solutions by yourself. This is where I have found building a network of connections with experts inside the business has really helped me explore new ways of doing things and get through those initial weeks in a new post.
I’ve also recognised that I need to draw on the expertise of trusted suppliers, to move back into the Energise and Renew space. They’re really important because they are able to have a broader perspective with access to many more aligned experiences.
I now understand that doing something new and being Creative is what gives me real energy. For me, the Feelings Wheel is useful when something doesn’t go to plan. I use it to identify what’s affecting my attitude to events, and what causes me to feel that way.
Being aware of how you feel, in or out of work, keeps everything in perspective. So I can recognise true setbacks and come up with solutions rather than worrying about details.
- Heather Nickson is head of marketing & communications at Affinity Workforce
Pros and cons
Upside
- When asked, ‘How are you?’ it’s all too easy to automatically respond, ‘I’m fine’. This tool helps people put a label on their feelings and be more granular.
- Raises awareness about the early signs of stress and burnout by highlighting the close proximity of high arousal and low arousal feelings, such as excited and anxious or placid and bored.
Downside
- People are less likely to check in with their feelings when they are burnt out or stressed. It’s important to put time aside every day to do it.
- Referring to the physical Feelings Wheel isn’t very practical if you move around a lot. JCA has a 21-day habit change app that also incorporates the Feelings Wheel.