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What's your team connection language? Take the quiz to find out + earn the Work Life badge!

Maddie

We've all been there - staring at a message from a coworker, wondering what do they actually mean by that? 😅

That mental energy spent decoding tone, intent, and meaning? It's called emotional overhead, and it's more common (and costly) than you'd think. The good news? A lot of it comes down to how you and your teammates prefer to connect.

Read more about where emotional overhead comes from and how to cut it down - starting with a quiz to uncover your team connection language, so you can communicate in a way that actually lands.

So what's YOUR team connection language?

👉 How to avoid emotional overhead at work - Inside Atlassian

Take the quiz and drop your results in the comments below to earn the Work Life badge 💙

work life badge.png

Comments

Sean Perry

Apparently I'm The Personal Pal.

"I love to check in, and feel most appreciated when your team does the same. For you, something as simple as a “hey, how was your weekend?” can fill your cup all the way.

You communicate with real emotion, and kudos to you as teams that express emotion at work are 3x more likely to be highly productive."

I hate spelling mistakes, I do encourage my team to express emotion at work and feel connected to each other, I do prefer written communication, especially when clarity is the priority, so overall I'd agree with this.

Amanda Barber

Definitely not surprised by this one!

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Gary Spross

Sounds about right.

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Barbara Szczesniak

I am also the Personal Pal. I'll need to read what people post about the other possibilities to see why I am not in those categories.

Tomislav Tobijas

Interesting 👀

For you, talk IS action. Your most used work phrase is “do you have five minutes to chat this through?” and you love when your team huddles up to problem-solve out loud.

Because you get affirmation through dialogue, you search for meaning in words AND tone, so every yes, no, and a-ha! is important.

And you’re not alone! 56% of people say that phone calls are one of their top three forms of communication.

You feel most appreciated at work when your colleagues:

- Say “hey, you didn’t sound like yourself in that meeting – want to chat about it?”

- Send a voice note over Slack instead of a written message

- Start thinking out loud and then grab you to riff on an idea

- Huddle you to chat through a brief rather than sending a lengthy email

Priorities definitelly shifted as I'm handling and monitoring 4-5 projects at the same time - so, if it can be a 5-minute talk instead of a lengthy email, I'll sign it

James O_Connor_o89ye8

The Visual Validator - I like it!

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Cornelia Jeppsson

Personal Pal 🎈 But I do love when someone creates a timeline AND actually USE IT! 😁

ottoman eratales

NICE

Lukasz Modzelewski

+1 The Straight Shooter.

"Being kept in the loop" - yes, if I'm early in process I can help asking right questions! ^^

Debbie Lindsey_a6ri64

I appreciate small social interactions, but I love to see the team effectively communicate through chats, emoticons, etc. in a fun manner.

Tobias Twardon - t2consult

The Quiz is such a nice idea! I am a Straight Shooter too - so interesting to see how different we all are, isn't it?
I love a good workflow!

Patricia Francezi_iDev_

Thats me!

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Bevan Williams

Not surprising at all - I'm the Straight Shooter.

Vanessa Mouriz

I'm The Personal Pal.

When it comes to your team connection language, it truly is the thought that counts.

From remembering birthdays to celebrating wins, big and small, you love to check in, and feel most appreciated when your team does the same. For you, something as simple as a “hey, how was your weekend?” can fill your cup all the way.

You communicate with real emotion, and kudos to you as teams that express emotion at work are 3x more likely to be highly productive.

Loves:

- When someone gives you a high-five, virtually or IRL

- Getting a shoutout on your work during a group call

- When a coworker checks in during a really busy time to see how you’re doing

- Taking time for social moments, planned or spontaneous, because #vibes

Anwesha Pan

Ah! This is interesting ✨

Looks like I am Visual Validator 👩🏼‍🎨

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Hana Kučerová

+1 The Straight Shooter

Liz Tanner

The Message Maestro

You are The Message Maestro.

For you, there’s nothing better at work than when someone takes the time to write a thoughtful message.

You mean what you say and say what you mean – there’s little reading between the lines, which means you feel your best at work when your colleagues.

And you’re not alone, as the most productive teams are 1.4x more likely to prefer written communication when prioritizing clarity.

You thrive when your team:

- Makes messages interesting to read by using bold for impact and italics for sarcasm

- Sends clean and simple messages without emojis

- Conveys their tone effectively by CAPITALIZING important notes

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Feels intense dread and disdain whenever desk phone rings

Feels intense relief when caller messages in any other text-based comms format

Brita Moorus

Screenshot 2026-07-29 at 12.36.59.png

Often hard to define, and sometimes deemed “too harsh” because of your directness, you actually feel deeply connected to your teams when work is delivered on time and efficiently.

Whether it’s a clear project timeline or a concise DACI, you live for clarity so you can optimize your day and your teams'.

You despise inefficiency, especially with written messages and you’re not alone as 64% of people say they waste time struggling to interpret written messages from colleagues at least a few times a month, if not more frequently (even daily!).

What you do love is:

When your team uses a Slack integration to automatically ask for weekly updates

When deadlines are met without you having to ask them or chase them down

Being kept in the loop – even as an FYI

To optimize workflows so everyone can work independently