A note on emotions and consultancy

Although most consultants appreciate the role emotions play in change projects, many have little understanding regarding emotions and how they influence behavior. By providing a basic framework of emotions, and explicating how emotions affect cognitive processes and behavior, argues that emotions and change projects are interlinked. Because the client’s need for help is typically triggered by negative circumstances, clients often experience unsettling negative affective reactions they wish to alleviate. Although consultants are ostensibly hired to provide expertise and assistance on matters of content, we argue that clients’ manifest requests for assistance are also almost always implicit calls for emotional help. The emotional help that consultants may provide consists of effectively managing the client’s emotional needs in two arenas: the situation in which the client finds him or herself, and the client‐consultant relationship.