Microcommunication: high-valence minicontent bursts

Micro is not just for microformats, hardware miniaturization, microexpressions, micropractices, and political microtargeting, it can be a concept and a platform. One use is in the new concept of microcommunications.

Microcommunications are very small communications, possibly carrying a burst of high-valence content, emotional or otherwise. Conceptually, the next node smaller than tweets, microcommunications are ultra-lightweight, where no response is required but could be two-way chatted. One reason that microcommunications are more light-weight is because they are coming from a personified virtual coach as opposed to a real person. An example of microcommunications is in Figure 1, light-weight SMS messages from a Siri-2.0-like personal virtual coach used in the DIYgenomics Social Intelligence Genomics & Empathy-Building study.

Microcommunications from the empathy-building module are displayed. A range of other applications are currently in design, modules for developing and enhancing mindsets of leadership, charisma, motivation, influence, and gratitude.

Figure 1. Empathy-building Microcommunications from your Personal Virtual Coach. (Source: DIYgenomics Social Intelligence Genomics & Empathy-Building Study)

Empathy-building 101: the top 10 list

Some important social intelligence skills are empathy, compassion, and a positive mental outlook. These skills can be taught as any other skills such as leadership and goal-setting. Some of the important aspects of developing empathy are self-awareness, self-compassion, active listening, and the ability to experience or identify with the thoughts and emotions of others.

One way to deliver social intelligence-building experiences is on the mobile platform. A virtual coach ('Siri 2.0') can send you randomly-timed messages like the examples below. If you are interested, sign up now for the beta launch the DIYgenomics Social Intelligence Mobile app by messaging our personal virtual coaches led by Marbet Grant 650-209-0872 or marbetgrant AT gmail.com.

1. What is one of your best qualities? Think about how you know you have this quality. Who else has this quality? Where are useful places in your life that you might use this quality?
2. Think of three goals you plan to accomplish today or tomorrow and write them down
3. When you really stop to think about it, what is really great about your life right now?
4. Where are you today? How are you feeling in your body right now?
5. What do you feel grateful for right now?
6. What’s one of your biggest flaws that a lot of other people might have too?
7. Think of a recent situation where you noticed the emotion experienced by someone else and get a sense what that must feel like
8. Take a moment, drop inside and get a sense of how you are felling right now, describe this with some emotion words
9. Think of a recent situation with someone else that didn’t go as well as you wanted. Put yourself in the other person’s position and identify what positive intent they may have had for the way they behaved
10. Ask yourself what you really want out of this current work project (or job or relationship). Say this back to yourself, ‘so what you really want in this [project, job, relationship] is _________’ and see what you notice