Paralinguistics have to do with the tone, volume, and inflection of a person’s voice. Since you are losing the other nonverbal information available when coaching in-person, the paralinguistic qualities of the employee take on even more importance. For example, does the employee’s voice sound stressed, disturbed, or agitated? Is the employee quieter than usual or more hesitant? Follow up these observations with active inquiry to understand what the other person is experiencing or trying to communicate.

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