Communicate Effectively with Your Boss
Effective communication is a skill which can help you move up the career ladder. Many employees find it increasingly difficult to discuss with their employers matters pertaining to their work, promotion, workplace issues, or salary increment. Reason? A huge communication gap that exists between the employee and employer. Nevertheless, in order for employees to put their message across, they must learn to communicate with their employers - strongly and effectively.
Below are some tried-and-tested ways you can employ to discuss any professional issue with your boss - with confidence.
1)Use primers to begin the conversation - By primers we mean mild and effective phrases and sentences that can help you initiate the talk. For instance, a good primer can be: "I would like to discuss an issue with you that can affect my productivity. Or, "I have a concern and I would like to discuss it with you to know your feedback."
2)Choose an appropriate time - Always make sure that you talk to your boss when s/he is in a good mood and is not busy. You must be very careful in choosing the right time to talk to your boss; otherwise this will be an exercise in futility. If you´re unsure about the right time to talk, ask your boss when s/he will be free to have a discussion with you.
3)Prepare yourself mentally and physically- Mental preparation is as important as physical preparation when you want to discuss something really important. Always calm down and relax yourself before the conversation. Prepare yourself mentally for possible answers that your boss might give you. Remember the key to effective communication does not lie in being panicky, but in being cool and relaxed!
4)Be logical and reasonable - You must place your argument on solid facts and figures - be logical and to the point. Don´t be harsh, but don´t be too submissive either. If you know you are right, state your points clearly and politely and stay firm on them.
5)Be tactful - You must maintain a balance in your tone and tenor. You must know well where to be polite and where to stand firm on your points. Also, you must not lose your temper or get offensive as such a behavior might boomerang on you.
6)No matter what problems you face at your workplace, always make it a point to openly discuss them with your superiors, but in a logical, relaxed and reasonable way. Learn to put your message across efficiently and effectively.
All Above mentioned needs, we have no option to meet boss, Everything go through HR Functions, they evaluate and they do. They are the Boss. As you said find convenient time to meet boss, when he is free?. He never free, meeting after meeting.
It is helpful...Thank you..Nothing beats a relaxed and tactful conversation..
Nice post:)
I like the tact point..know when to be polite and when to stay firm on whats right..facing that now:)
I have tried being open to my boss and discussing to him further my concerns in a very polite way.....BUT as expected, it's USELESS!!!! Once you have a selfish/greedy and close minded superior (especially ****** people), OMG just don't prepare and think of good results. You are just wasting your time!!!! hahahahhaha...solution is quit your job and look for a better boss.
My boss keeps asking himself if I was his boss :?
that this has not been effective in my present Company. They still follow the rule;
1) The boss is always right.
2) If the boss is wrong, refer to rule # 1.
"Blame Culture" is still rampant here. In my previous company they are very effective.