How does mood influence verbal communication? Based on recent affect-cognition theories and communication research on message production, this experiment predicted and found (a) a significant affect-congruent influence on performance feedback messages, that (b) was significantly greater for inexperienced rather than expert communicators. Participants, who were either experts (managers) or novices (other staff) in a large consulting company, received a mood induction and then produced verbal feedback to an employee whose performance file they previously studied. Negative mood produced more negative and less polite feedback strategies, and these effects were stronger for novices rather than experts. The cognitive mechanisms mediating mood effects on verbal communication are discussed, and the implications of the results for our understanding of verbal communication in organizations, and for recent affect-cognition theories are considered.
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