What’s Missing in the Modern Workplace

Most digital tools are built for speed. Like an assembly line, they help us get the information and move on. But communication is more than just transferring facts. It’s about interpretation and understanding that communication is a two-way street.

Remote work has made that more complicated. In virtual meetings, we often skip the warm-up. We lose the nods, the small talk, the subtle read of how someone is doing. There isn’t a water cooler in Zoom. We get straight to the bullets. The result? Fatigue, misalignment, and that nagging feeling of “Did I come off wrong?” Or if you are like me, the excessive worry about the right amount (or any) emojis to convey the correct emotion.

What We’re Building

Phatic is not just a dashboard or solely an AI judge. It’s a training space for your perception intelligence.

We’re starting with an interactive MVP that helps you:

• Tune into tone and intent
• Practice micro-skills like emotion recognition and conversational balance
• Reflect on how your communication lands with others

Think of it like a gym for communication skills, not just what you say, but how it’s received.

Imagine getting feedback like “You sounded frustrated in that call” but also learning why and practicing alternatives until it becomes natural. We use research-backed activities, flashcards, voice clips, and live coaching prompts. We’re not focused solely on judging or scoring your conversations. We’re focused on building your skill set through practice. We’re helping you sharpen your awareness and your ability to connect.

My Story

I built Phatic because I needed it.

In workplaces, I’ve been told I came across as aggressive when I was being direct or assertive. I’ve been in meetings where people misread my tone and assumed frustration or anger where there was none. That feedback is hard to hear when your intent doesn’t align with your impact, and even harder to address when the feedback is vague or biased.

Sometimes it’s not clear how to improve because the guidance is subjective, inconsistent, or coming from bad actors who benefit from you feeling unsure. It makes you question yourself. And it makes it harder to lead, and it tanked my self-confidence.

But I’m not alone. I’ve spoken to many people who’ve been told they’re too much or not enough. Who’ve been called intimidating, difficult, emotional, or cold, when they were trying to be clear, passionate, or confident.

That’s why Phatic matters to me. It’s not about becoming someone else. It’s about becoming more aware and closing the gap between how we think we come across and how we’re perceived.

The Science Behind Phatic

This is more extensive than meetings and permeates all realms of communication. Research shows that interpersonal accuracy (your ability to read others’ emotions, tone, and intent) is a key predictor of empathy, trust, collaboration, and even income. And it’s trainable.

Here’s a quick rundown of research I will be expanding on and referencing in future Substacks:

• A 10.5-hour training improved empathic accuracy scores in adults (Zaki & Ochsner, 2015)

• Short sessions helped clinicians recognize patient emotions better (Roter et al., 2012)

• Salespeople with high emotion recognition skills closed more deals (Schlegel et al., 2017)

• Teams that started meetings with small talk had 40–60% higher follow-up engagement (Gergle, Kraut & Fussell, 2013)

• Couples who accurately read tone handled conflict better (Hall & Andrzejewski, 2008; Gottman & Levenson, 1992)

• In healthcare, recognizing emotional cues leads to better patient satisfaction and treatment adherence (Levinson, Gorawara-Bhat & Lamb, 2000)

Hooray! We know this training works. But most people never get the chance to practice. And that’s unfair, leaving communication a skill that has become increasingly inequitable as we venture further into the digital age.

What’s Next?

In the coming weeks, we’ll share:

Road to Demo Day! (September 17)

Our MVP demo for perception training

Research on tone, communication equity, and interpersonal accuracy

Real stories from early users and what they taught us

And what it’s like to begin a startup focused on the greater good

Future deep-dives will explore:

Specific communication scenarios (meetings, emails, presentations)

Research breakdowns with actionable insights

User stories and case studies

Behind-the-scenes startup journey moments

If you’ve ever worried that you came across as wrong, been told you were too blunt, or just wondered why a message didn’t land, this is for you.

We’re building Phatic to close the gap between intention and impact.

Thanks for Being Here!

This space is for the misread, the misunderstood, and the people who want to do better. We see you. We hear you. We’re building this with you in mind.

Communication shouldn’t be a privilege reserved for those who naturally ‘sound right.’ We’re building Phatic to level the playing field because your ideas deserve to be heard as you intended them.

If this resonates with you, please don’t hesitate to reach out. We’d love to hear about your experiences with tone, perception, and miscommunication in your work.

Together, we can make perception visible.