{"id":35993,"date":"2025-08-11T08:02:46","date_gmt":"2025-08-11T15:02:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thegoodtrade.com\/?p=35993"},"modified":"2025-08-11T08:04:48","modified_gmt":"2025-08-11T15:04:48","slug":"okay-to-be-awkward","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thegoodtrade.com\/features\/okay-to-be-awkward\/","title":{"rendered":"Why It&#8217;s Okay To Be Awkward (Even At Work!)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p>I was in a Zoom meeting with colleagues recently, where the meeting\u2019s leader was sharing some data that was less than convincing. In a private chat message to a coworker, I playfully wrote, \u201cWeak sauce!\u201d and hit send. Except it wasn\u2019t a private chat message. It went to everyone. Including the meeting leader.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>CRINGE.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We&#8217;ve all been there. Whether it&#8217;s calling someone the wrong name, burping during a status update, or spilling coffee all over your crush from accounting, awkward moments make us all want to melt into the floor. But what if instead of cringing, you embraced the awkward with open arms? What if you realized not only is it okay to be awkward at work, it can actually benefit your career?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\">&#8220;What if you realized not only is it okay to be awkward at work, it can actually benefit your career?&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-join-the-awkward-army\">Join the Awkward Army<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Let&#8217;s start with this universal truth \u2014 everyone has awkward moments, even the most confident and polished people you know. Did you accidentally send a \u201cLove you!\u201d text to your boss? Awkward. Your coworker tripped over her own two feet while walking down the hall? Awkward. You blanked on the name of your most important client in front of the CEO during your first week? Unbelievably awkward. But you&#8217;re not alone. Consider yourself an official member of the Awkward Army, a supportive community that celebrates our cringe moments and shared humanity instead of tucking those moments away. Some of your fellow members include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The ultra-sharp manager with toilet paper stuck to her shoe all day&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The VP who replies &#8220;You too!&#8221; when the barista says &#8220;Enjoy your coffee!&#8221;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The coworker who waves back at someone behind them<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The intern who calls the CEO &#8220;Mom&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>These natural and human moments are born from life\u2019s inherent uncertainty, and to avoid awkward moments means cracking the code on avoiding uncertainty all together. We\u2019ve all been in your shoes, and simply knowing that everyone else can relate will help you recover from your next awkward moment faster. Being a member of the Awkward Army means finding solace, support, and a lot of laughter in our shared experiences, instead of feeling alone in them when they inevitably happen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-separate-emotions-from-evidence\">Separate emotions from evidence<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>After an awkward moment, our minds often go straight to catastrophe mode. &#8220;Now my coworkers will think I&#8217;m a total embarassment and my career is ruined!&#8221; our inner critic screams.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote has-text-align-right is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\">&#8220;Social science tells us that most of the time, people are too busy worrying about their own blunders to deeply notice yours.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>In these moments, it\u2019s helpful to stop long enough to separate the evidence from the emotion. Social science tells us that most of the time, people are too busy worrying about their own blunders to deeply notice yours. Psychologists call this the &#8220;Spotlight Effect&#8221; \u2014 we overestimate how much people focus on our flubs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The next time awkwardness strikes, take a breath and reality check your inner critic:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Is it really as bad as I think?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>How would I react if my coworker did this?&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>What&#8217;s the worst (realistic) outcome here?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Pausing long enough to reality-check the situation and ask yourself some questions helps you regain some needed perspective. It&#8217;s likely not as big a deal as your emotions claim. That time you picked up a phone call from Aunt Mia during a Zoom meeting and realized you weren\u2019t on mute? Yes, embarrassing. But will it change how Malik from accounting views your strategic thinking skills? Doubtful.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-take-small-steps-with-room-for-false-starts\">Take small steps (with room for false starts)<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Now that you&#8217;ve joined the Awkward Army, it&#8217;s time to get a bit more familiar with this emotion. Awkwardness is an emotion of discomfort, but it\u2019s unique in that it\u2019s a social emotion \u2013 we only feel it in front of other people. Improving our awkward tolerance begins with strengthening our social muscles. Start small by allowing yourself to make minor goofs in front of other people:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Keep your phone in your pocket in the supermarket checkout line and say hello to someone<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Say something silly in a meeting even if it gets a few blank stares<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Make a corny joke even if it only gets a polite chuckle&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Fully own up to mistakes rather than downplaying them<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Ask &#8220;dumb&#8221; questions rather than staying confused&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>By avoiding risks out of fear of how we\u2019ll be perceived or fear of embarrassing ourselves, we hold ourselves back. Leaning into awkwardness builds confidence and resilience over time. With repetitions, you realize those &#8220;awkward&#8221; moments weren&#8217;t so bad, and in fact, are key to helping you grow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It&#8217;s natural to have some false starts. Maybe you&#8217;ll overshare on a video call or make one too many dad jokes. That&#8217;s okay \u2014 it&#8217;s all part of the process. Reflect on what you learned and aim higher next time. Growth comes from trial and error.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-awkward-isn-t-all-bad-nbsp\">Awkward isn&#8217;t all bad&nbsp;<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Once you embrace awkwardness, you\u2019ll start to notice the upside. Recent research found awkwardness has workplace benefits:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Awkwardness shows authenticity. <\/strong>Your humanness makes you more relatable. As long as you are generally seen as someone smart and capable, research finds that people find it refreshing to see your whole humanity \u2014 blunders and all \u2014 instead of a version who is overly polished.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Awkwardness builds deeper connections. <\/strong>Opening up makes you more approachable. Coworkers can relate to your shared quirks. Remember, this is everyone\u2019s emotion, and sharing these moments with another actually accelerates our connection and moves us back to a more relaxed, creative state.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote has-text-align-right is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\">&#8220;When used quickly and strategically, humor in an awkward moment becomes a shared moment of lightness.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Awkwardness adds levity. <\/strong>According to researchers, a touch of lighthearted awkwardness makes you seem more confident and competent, especially when you can handle the moment with a laugh. Laughter unites us, suppresses the release of cortisol (the stress hormone), and sparks the release of oxytocin which promotes social bonding. When used quickly and strategically, humor in an awkward moment becomes a shared moment of lightness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The next time you stick your foot in your mouth or have a klutzy moment, go easy on yourself. See it as a chance to build camaraderie and resilience. <br><br><strong>Read on for some of our readers&#8217; awkward stories<\/strong> <strong>and share your most awkward moment in the comments!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-our-readers-stories\">Our readers&#8217; stories<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p><em>&#8220;I finished a text to my boss with <\/em>\ud83d\ude18<em> instead of <\/em>\ud83d\ude02<em>. Just a quick slip of the finger. I\u2019m also really trying to embrace the part of \u00ab&nbsp;asking \u201cdumb\u201d questions instead of staying confused&nbsp;\u00bb. I find it actually makes me come across as authentic and invested and then I learn and grow more quickly!&#8221;<\/em> &#8211; Rachel<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>&#8220;I run a big team and I shared a personal note in a public Slack channel. It was obvious who the note was for and I only deleted it after one of my employees told me what I did. I thought everyone would lose respect for me but it blew over quickly.&#8221;<\/em> &#8211; Kathrine<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>&#8220;I can\u2019t think of a situation at work at this moment but when I was younger at an after school program we had a pizza party and the teacher told me to go look in the staff refrigerator and grab the drumsticks. I looked and looked until a teacher passed by and said can i help you. When I told her I was looking for drumsticks she quickly pointed out the big blue box of ice cream and there was a moment of awkward silence as I had an ohhh moment in my head. Instead of looking for the Drumstick ice cream, I was in search of chicken wings. I guess Pizza &amp; wings seemed like a more appealing combo at the time Lol&#8221;<\/em> &#8211; Anonymous<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><a rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/pryoritygroup.com\/\">Henna Pryor<\/a><\/strong><em> is a renowned Workplace Performance Expert, TEDx and keynote speaker, and author. She&#8217;s known for her science-backed approach to elevate high achievers and skyrocket risk-taking at work, and her award-winning book, <a rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/goodawkward.com\">Good Awkward<\/a>, is out now.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What if you realized not only is it okay to be awkward at work, it can actually benefit your career?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":227,"featured_media":64357,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"ep_exclude_from_search":false,"_enable_custom_container":false,"_custom_container_max_width":"","_is_legacy_styles_disabled":true,"_is_thumbnail_disabled":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[325,7,324],"tags":[152,18,4,5,29],"class_list":["post-35993","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-relationships","category-self","category-work-money","tag-friendship-related-reading","tag-relationships","tag-self","tag-work-money","tag-work-money-featured"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.5 (Yoast SEO v26.5) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Why It&#039;s Okay To Be Awkward (Even At Work!) - The Good Trade<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"What if you realized not only is it okay to be awkward at work, it can actually benefit your career?\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thegoodtrade.com\/features\/okay-to-be-awkward\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Why It&#039;s Okay To Be Awkward (Even At Work!)\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"What if you realized not only is it okay to be awkward at work, it can actually benefit your career?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.thegoodtrade.com\/features\/okay-to-be-awkward\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The Good Trade\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/thegoodtrade\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-08-11T15:02:46+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-08-11T15:04:48+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.thegoodtrade.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/why-its-okay-to-be-awkward-header.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"800\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Henna Pryor\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@thegoodtrade\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@thegoodtrade\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Henna Pryor\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.thegoodtrade.com\/features\/okay-to-be-awkward\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.thegoodtrade.com\/features\/okay-to-be-awkward\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Henna Pryor\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.thegoodtrade.com\/#\/schema\/person\/27471218b8232aee2c5d74e33bb7da25\"},\"headline\":\"Why It&#8217;s Okay To Be Awkward (Even At Work!)\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-08-11T15:02:46+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-08-11T15:04:48+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.thegoodtrade.com\/features\/okay-to-be-awkward\/\"},\"wordCount\":1365,\"commentCount\":8,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.thegoodtrade.com\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.thegoodtrade.com\/features\/okay-to-be-awkward\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.thegoodtrade.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/why-its-okay-to-be-awkward-header.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"friendship related reading\",\"relationships\",\"self\",\"work &amp; 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