For the past five years, Jill McGillen has written a weekly work advice column ("Ask Jill") for many California newspapers and is also a member of the National Society of Newspaper Columnists.
NEXT TURN publishes a quarterly electronic newsletter. Work tips,
and facts are included on topics such as Customer Service, Communication, Team Building, etc.
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Q&A Archive
Work Advice Topic: Communication |
Dear Jill,
My boss told me he has been getting complaints about my lengthy e-mails. The
problem is that I need to communicate a lot of information in a
weekly e-mail. If I make the e-mails briefer I will have to leave out
critical information that certain people need. Do you have any suggestions? - R
Dear R,
For many, the volume of e-mail has become overwhelming. I have heard it
referred to as e-mail jail-spending so much time reading e-mails that there
is little time for essential work. Some thoughts:
1. Choose your distribution list carefully. Find out and copy only those
that need (and want) to be copied.
2. Use short paragraphs and separate ideas with bullets.
3. Be concise. If certain people need more information send them a more
comprehensive e-mail. This may take more time for you, but is more efficient
for the entire group.
4. If your e-mail requires action, indicate that in the first sentence or
subject line.
5. Identify and separate background information. Let your readers decide
whether they need this additional information.
Remember that correspondence is only a means to an end, not an end in
itself. |
Dear Jill,
My boss recently gave me my annual performance evaluation. His
constructive feedback was that I need to improve my “active listening”
skills.
Do you have any recommendations? - S
Dear S,
Active listening means listening with the intent of fully understanding what
the speaker is trying to communicate. Most people are so busy thinking
about how they want to respond they miss the opportunity to understand the
message and the speaker.
Strategies to practice active listening:
Listen for subtle cues such as tone of voice, choice of words and
emotional quality in the voice.
Listen for both the verbal and non-verbal message. Beyond just listening,
observe facial expression, gestures and eye contact.
Listen with an open mind. What we think is apparent by our facial
expression. If you disagree, your expression may dissuade the speaker from
fuller explanations for fear of being judged.
Nod or indicate other acknowledgment when appropriate. Let your speaker
know that you comprehend and are listening to him/her.
If you do not understand what is being said, ask the speaker to give more
detail. Use clarifying questions such as “what I heard you say is . . .is
that right?”
Active listening is a way to show others that you value their thoughts and
opinions. It builds good will and creates a likelihood that they in turn
will listen more closely to you.
Besides all those benefits . . .you will increase your knowledge! |
Dear Jill,
One of my new staff members is making a lot of mistakes. And he gets
defensive every time I let him know what he did wrong. I need to let him
know when he makes mistakes so that he doesn’t keep doing the same thing. I
am not good at giving feedback. He told me that I make him very nervous. His
trial period of 3 months is almost up and I am on the fence about whether to
keep him. I know he is trying hard. He has great credentials and experience.
And his former employers gave him terrific references. I thought maybe I
could try a new approach to improve the situation before I make up my mind.
Any thoughts? - M
Dear M,
It may be that you are unintentionally contributing to his difficulty
adapting to the job. Try some new approaches for better results: Begin any
feedback with “I think” not “You didn’t…” This produces better results.
"You" statements are heard as blame and criticism. "You" statements may also
communicate a lack of respect and cause defensive behavior.
Some guidelines for giving constructive feedback:
1) Give immediately after the occurrence;
2) Give it in a private setting;
3) Be very specific. Stay away from generalizations:
“What you did was incomplete”. A better way: “The report needs to include
xyz because of the following reasons….”
4) As much as possible try to provide examples or detailed explanations of
what the final product should look like;
5) Once you have addressed a mistake, move on. Do not bring it up again
unless it reoccurs;
6) Stick to evaluating the problem, not the person;
7) Provide concrete recommendations of how to fix the problem.
Give your employee positive reinforcement on what he is doing well. This is
important and will help reduce his nervousness. Generally, work performance
is consistent. If he was successful elsewhere, the chances are good he can
be successful in this new position.
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Dear Jill,
I am having trouble with an employee’s motivation and attitude. She sets a
bad example for my team. I have tried several different ways to develop her
motivation and encourage a better attitude – with no success. I am at the
point of discussing a transfer with her. I am open to try anything at this
point. Do you have any suggestions? - L
Dear L,
Please reconsider a transfer as the solution. This is not solving a
problem; it is relocating it. Would you like it if another supervisor
transferred a problem person to you?
Regarding your employee’s attitude: you really cannot change attitude.
Attitude is something that is personal to an individual. What you can
address is behavior. Behavior affects others and task performance and is
therefore under your sphere of control. Does her behavior impact others and
her work performance? Those are the things that need to be addressed. Are
her tasks and your expectations of how to perform such tasks clear? How
does she not meet the expectation and how can you create a development plan
to facilitate that result? Has the training been sufficient for her to
succeed?
As to motivation, assess the following list of performance motivators and
answer the questions to ensure that performance motivators are in place:
Goals: Are the goals clear and challenging?
Standards: Are the standards realistic and documented?
Feedback: Are you delivering appropriate and timely feedback?
Competence: Is additional training needed?
Opportunity: Does she understand what would happen if she were to
improve/not improve?
Compensation: Is this amount competitive and adequate for the job?
Environment: How can you create an environment (in general) where employees
thrive and are motivated?
What motivates this employee? Not all employees are motivated by the same
factors.
Like attitude, you cannot create motivation. You can only identify what
conditions make motivation surface. Are these conditions within your
control?
Finally, I always recommend Human Resource (HR) involvement with decisions
related to employee performance issues. After analyzing above, try these
measures:
1. Create a development plan;
2.Set expectations and timelines;
3.Identify
motivation needs;
4. Document your results. If you still have an employee
who is not performing, then HR should help determine next steps.
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Dear Jill,
My boss constantly criticizes me. It seems I can do nothing right. I get
so angry that I become silent when this happens. Otherwise I am afraid I
will lose my temper. My friends tell me to ignore what he says and just
keep my cool. Do you have ideas on how to handle his constant criticism? - R
Dear R,
First, I would not recommend ignoring your boss. Please consider the
following idea: His criticism is useful to you. How? Anyone doing a job
requires input about his or her work in order to improve. It may be that
some or even most of his criticism is unwarranted. But there is some part
that will help you do your job better. Next time he criticizes you, instead
of remaining quiet, try this:
Thank him for taking the time to give you feedback
Ask him to fully explain his criticism
Explore the specifics; understand the problem
Ask him for suggestions on how he would like it done next time
Ask him what he liked about what you did so you can continue doing that
My experience tells me that your boss will be less critical when he sees
that you are open to his suggestions and trying your best. |
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