The Communication Problem Solver 27. Managers need top-flight communication skills to keep their staffs productive and collaborative. But often, those who manage lack the ability to get things back on track once miscommunication occurs. This book helps readers analyze their communication skills and challenges and explains how they can use simple problem-solving techniques to resolve the people issues that derail productivity at work. Easily accessible and filled with real world management examples. This no-nonsense guide is packed with practical tools to help any manager be immediately effective, as well as a handy list of common communication problems and corresponding solutions | Leading Collaborative Conversations Comments such as Uh-huh Hmmm Yes I see and Oh said in a neutral friendly tone of voice are nonjudgmental and noncommittal and encourage the speaker to continue talking. They are indicators that the listener is interested in hearing more detail about this topic. Employee So accounting has not gotten back to me on that report. . . Manager Oh Employee No. I guess I had better call them right now to follow up. Clarifying What We Think We Heard Another valuable act of listening is clarifying what we think we heard. This is done by restating comments the direct report makes asking clarification questions and paraphrasing what we thought we heard. This way we can be sure we understand the real meaning of what the person meant to say. It does not necessarily mean we agree with what the person said. It does mean we respect her enough to let her know her message has been received the way she wanted it to be heard. This is easy to do if we take the time to clarify rather than tuning out what has been said or accepting it at face value. 1. Restate comments. When you use the speaker s own words you prove that you are still listening and want a more in-depth explanation. These comments reflect what the direct report says or implies. These comments can be used to draw out more information and to establish empathy. Here is an example Employee I m not sure I can make that deadline for project X. I ve got so many other projects right now. Manager So you might not be able to meet the deadline because of your other projects 2. Ask clarification questions. When you want to probe deeper to clarify your understanding of what the direct report really means request clarification. For example 242 Don t Have Time to Listen Try These Tips Employee I need more employees if we are going to meet the target date. Manager Tell me a little more about why you think you need more staff. Or Employee That sales department is such a loser. They promise the moon to our
