How emotional intelligence changed the way we work with clients
This spring, the whole Webgriffe team came together for three sessions around a topic that rarely ends up in a company training plan: how we really communicate when things get complicated. We did it together with Stefania, who guided us through a practical journey on adult empathy and assertive communication.
We believe that, in work as in life, transparency should be part of who we are. The rules that emerged from that journey are much more than a compass for managing complexity: they are a way of being, a way of relating to collaborators, colleagues, and clients.
The invisible problem we face every day
We work remotely with clients whose operational offices may also be far away, and a large part of our days happens through a keyboard, between emails, messages, and project chats. It is convenient and fast, but it is also where misunderstandings can quietly begin and then make a very loud noise.
A short message can come across as rude when the person who wrote it was simply in a hurry, perhaps because they did not want to keep anyone waiting. A long silence can be read as a lack of interest, when behind it there is only an unexpected issue. Small gestures made with the best intentions can, in written communication, turn into something very different from what we meant to say.
This is where our work with Stefania began: understanding how to remain clear and empathetic at the same time, even when the pressure rises.
Being kind doesn’t mean avoiding difficult conversations
One of the first things questioned during our sessions was this: empathy does not mean avoiding conflict, and it does not mean always saying “everything is fine” either. When we hide a problem to “protect” someone, we are actually taking away their chance to react with the real information in hand.
Think of a deadline that is at risk. One person might write “don’t worry, it happens” and hide the problem, postponing it until later, when it will be bigger. Another might write, “I need to be able to rely on deadlines. How can we make sure the next one is met?” It is a more direct sentence, and paradoxically, it makes the other person feel more respected, not less.
It is not a matter of tone. It is a matter of honesty. And over time, honesty builds more trust than any empty reassurance ever could.
Clear, honest, and still human
In client relationships, clarity and warmth work best when they stay together.
You can say something difficult, something true and necessary for the project, without making the other person feel attacked. And you can be available and present without becoming so accommodating that you no longer bring value to the project. During the classes, Stefania called it “warm clarity”: not a compromise between the two things, but the moment when both stop seeming in conflict and start working in the same direction.
The stories we build around silence
Our brain hates information gaps. When a piece of information is missing, it does not wait. It fills the gap with a story, almost always built on our fears at that moment rather than the facts.
Think of a very concrete example that often happens in our work. A client who is supposed to approve an activity by the end of the week suddenly stops replying. The project deadlines are getting closer, and different interpretations start circulating within the team. Someone thinks the client has lost trust in the work that has been done. Someone else feels guilty, convinced they should have followed up more. Another person starts worrying about the impact on the project.
Three people, three completely different stories, all built on the exact same fact: a silence. None of those stories is based on real information. They are all projections, and it is easy to fall into them, especially when the stakes are high and time is running out.
The most useful part is not eliminating these stories, but noticing, when they happen, that we are reacting to something we have told ourselves, not to something that has actually happened.
In the case of the silent client, the question that changes everything is not “why are they not replying?” (which fuels more stories) but “what can we do now to keep the project moving forward?” It is a small shift, but it completely changes the direction. From an anxious wait to a concrete response, warm in tone and useful in practice, one that proposes a practical option, keeps the relationship open, and gives the client the chance to come back in without feeling under pressure.
Two simple rules for better client communication
This journey also led to two simple rules, which we have decided to adopt consistently in our written communication with clients, because we believe the kind of relationship we want to build also passes through here.
Positive filter. We read every message assuming a collaborative intent from the person writing, in line with the values we want to bring into the relationship. Before interpreting a tone as cold or a short message as disinterest, we give ourselves the time to consider that this is probably not the intention.
The 5-message rule. If a written conversation goes beyond roughly five exchanges without bringing real clarity, we stop and suggest a short call or a quick discussion of a few minutes. Not because writing is wrong, but because some topics need a richer channel to be truly resolved, and insisting on writing risks only fueling new interpretations.
It is a small agreement that we commit to applying first ourselves, because it helps avoid misunderstandings and build relationships based on real trust, not assumptions.
Why does this matter to our clients, too
We could have kept this work to ourselves. But the way an agency communicates internally is, ultimately, a preview of how it will communicate with its clients. If a team works on empathy, clarity, and responsibility among colleagues, that same quality naturally flows outward too, into the projects and relationships we build with those who trust us.
We have not transformed the way we communicate overnight. We are working on it, and it is an ongoing journey. But two simple rules, applied consistently, already make a concrete difference in the way people (colleagues and clients) feel they are being treated.
Want to know how we really work, even before starting a project together? Discover our approach.
