Follow Us on Facebook
Follow Us on Twitter
Follow Us on Linkedin
Follow Us on Google+
Rss Feed
"Facebook" is a trademark of Facebook Inc. (see www.facebook.com), "Twitter" is a trademark of Twitter Inc. (see www.twitter.com), and "LinkedIn" is a trademark of LinkedIn Corporation (see www.linkedin.com). We have no association or connection with these organizations.
When you open up, you can build trust and rapport, and develop better relationships.
© iStockphoto/timstarkey
Anna is meeting with her team to talk about possible cutbacks. When she looks around, she can see that her team members are anxious and angry, and that they are scared they might lose their jobs.
Anna plans to preserve every job on her team, so she shares a personal story to help calm her team members' fears: several years earlier, she was a victim of a layoff. She tells them how upset she felt, and about the promise she made to herself – to do everything she could to make sure that no team member of hers ever felt this way.
Anna could have given her team members reassurances that they wouldn't lose their jobs. But when she opened up and shared this personal story, she convinced her people that she would do her very best for them.
If we do it right, self-disclosure can change minds, strengthen relationships, and build trust. But, if we make unwise, inappropriate, or untimely disclosures, it can have the opposite effect.
In this article, we'll look at the advantages of self-disclosure, and we'll offer strategies that you can use to share personal information in an appropriate, measured way.
Mind Tools Club members, click here.
Join now for just $1, first month
"When I started using Mind Tools, I was not in a supervisory position. Now I am. Along with that came a 12% increase in salary." – Pat Degan, Houston, USA
The Mind Tools Club gives you many more resources than you get here on the basic Mind Tools site, including these 4 free workbooks.
You'll find training, help and ideas to boost your career.
Find out what you getLearn new career skills every week, plus get our Communicate At Your Best Workbook, worth $19.99, free when you subscribe!
With the Mind Tools Club, you get much, much more than you do here for free.
And we'll give you the 4 workbooks above when you join!
Find out what you get
PUZZLED about where to find content for your learning program, portal or LMS?
Get 1000+ management and soft skills training resources from Mind Tools Corporate.
Find out more
Collins, N.L., and Miller, LC. (1994) 'Self-disclosure and Liking,' Psychological Bulletin, Volume 116, Issue 3, November 1994. (Available here.)
Derlega, V.J., Metts, S., Petronio, S., and Margulis, S.T. (1993) 'Self-Disclosure,' Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
Sprecher, S., et. al. (2013) 'Taking Turns: Reciprocal Self-Disclosure Promotes Liking in Initial Interactions,' Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, Volume 49, Issue 5, September 2013. (Available here.)
Let us know about anything wrong, or anything you don't like about this site, and you could win a US$50 Amazon voucher!
Click here
This ensures that you don’t lose your plan.
Please enter your username or email address and we'll send you a reminder.
Your log in details have been sent to the email account you registered with. Please check your email to reset your login details.
Learn a new career skill every week, and get our Personal Development Plan workbook (worth $19.99) when you subscribe.
Please check your Inbox, and click on the link in the email from us. We can then send you the newsletter.