Do you FEEL like you are going around in circles trying to communicate your message to certain staff members? You know you have SPOKEN to them on more than one occasion but they just haven’t gotten the PICTURE?
In order to get the response you’re LOOKING for, you may CHOOSE to adapt your communication style to suit the individual. One of the greatest challenges for employers and managers is to understand - and to accept – that your staff will not change their style of communication for you.
Your pain is in the resistance of this!
Therefore the meaning of your communication with your staff member is the response you get (or don’t get).
If you are not getting the response you are LISTENING for from a particular employee, then the problem is YOURS not your employee’s. A perceptive manager will GET A HANDLE on the situation before dealing with such an individual by adjusting their own behaviour and tactics in order to minimise friction, increase rapport and achieve the desired response.
Here’s an example of what I am on about…..Teacher v’s student
Student: I just don’t FEEL excited about learning to spell
Teacher: Well, I think if we just take a closer LOOK at your work sheet, you will SEE that it’s not so difficult to learn these words
Student: It’s not something that I can really get in TOUCH with.
Teacher: You’re not trying hard enough. Just LOOK at them a little more carefully.
Student: I can’t seem to get a FEEL for it
Teacher: Pay attention to what I’m trying to SHOW you. Just FOCUS on your work. With a little effort, it will all become CLEARER.
Student: Ah, well …. I guess it FEELS like another boring day at school.
These two may as well be talking a foreign language to each other because neither has understood the other.
This is an example of the teacher’s communication style primarily being visual while the student’s is kinaesthetic (touching, doing and feeling).
The person with the most flexibility of behaviour will have control over the situation.
In this case the teacher could have adapted the communication style to that of the student to enable a meaningful interaction.
So how will this information help me? Most businesses employ a number of staff, each with their own unique idiosyncrasies and communication style.
If you can SPEAK the same language as your employee, the chance of getting the response you are LOOKING for is much higher. For some employers, this will FEEL completely out of their comfort zone but doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different response is foolish.
Remember that everything you desire is outside your comfort zone.
So to get a different response from your staff …………………….
1. Learn your own natural preferred communication style
2. Learn your staff members natural preferred communication style
3. Practice communicating in the staff members’ communication style. Maybe you could try it at home or with friends?
4. Have a go at communicating with your staff member in their communication style and see what happens.
Would you like a FREE Tool Kit to establish you and your staff member’s communication style to improve your communication flexibility? If so, please click on this email link mark@profilingsolutions.com.au with tool kit in the subject line.
Utilising a staff profile from Profiling Solutions with these new found communication skills will greatly enhance you’re staff communications.
Until next time,
Cheers
Mark Bell
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