How to Communicate Effectively in the Workplace
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Part 1:
Communicating Effectively in the
Workplace
Another pet
peeve of managers receiving
communication from subordinates
has to do with what I think of
“throwing it over the wall.” An
employee may be aware that a
particular decision has to be
made above his level.
Instead of providing the
necessary background, he simply
passes the problem along to his
management.
A far
better way to proceed would be
to present the problem, supply
some background, suggest several
alternatives, and list the pros
and cons of the alternatives.
Why go to all this
trouble for a decision you are
not authorized to make?
Several reasons. You want
your boss to rely on you and on
your judgment. If you
simply throw problems over the
wall between your offices, he
has no idea of how you are
thinking about the issue or even
if you understand it. He’s
far less likely to think of you
when future decisions need to be
made, and even when a
promotional opportunity arises.
Secondly, you are trying your
wings in a pretty safe
environment. Your manager
will evaluate the options you’ve
presented. Hopefully he
will revisit them with you, and
you will have the opportunity to
understand why a particular
course of action was chosen.
I once knew a
teacher who had an overcrowded
classroom of rowdy kids.
She kept a little file box on
her desk with a card in it for
each child in her class.
Any time an event or issue arose
that involved that child, she
made a short note to herself on
that child’s card in her file
box. When conference time
came around, she had relevant,
documented information to share
on successes and opportunities
for improvement for each child
in her class. How does
this idea apply to the business
world? I believe in
several ways.
If you are
a manager of people, get
yourself a file box!
The same can be accomplished
with a notebook, obviously.
How about your critical
projects, or contacts, or
assignments, or customers?
I have seen shop foreman carry
little notebooks around to keep
up with the details of their
jobs. Still others, with
desk jobs, may keep electronic
“notes” on various aspects of
their jobs. The key is to
find a way that works for you to
keep up with the often
overwhelming amount of
information that comes your way
each day. Of course, there
are any number of both paper and
electronic “systems” on the
market designed to help you keep
track of information and
therefore enhance your ability
to communicate effectively in
the work place.
The bottom line is that effective workplace communication is absolutely critical to your success and to the success of your organization. Consider establishing several goals for yourself in the area of communication. Try devising a way that works for you to keep track of projects and assignments in such a way that you can easily status them and communicate the status to others. In addition, cultivate a style of communication with your manager that is the opposite of “throwing it over the fence.”
Learn to present options and sets of solutions rather than problems. Finally, develop a systematic way to keep track of ideas and solutions that occur to you. Revisit these regularly and make an effort to follow up on the ones that seem to have the most promise. If you are successful in these efforts, you will not only be successful in communicating at work, you will be regarded as someone who communicates his own value to the rest of the organization.
Go back to
Part 1: Communicating Effectively in the
Workplace
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