Communicating with your boss: Master the perfect tactic
It is necessary to perfect the art of communicating with your boss, for how you interact with him has a major impact on your performance appraisal and consequently your career, say Peter Urs Bender and Robert Tracz
We all answer to someone. Bosses come in all shapes and sizes and have many different styles, yet they speak the same language the bottom line. How you communicate with your boss will have an impact on your performance evaluation, your raise and your career.
Here are some tips on communicating with your boss:
· Propose, donot impose, solutions to problems
· Share all the information-good and bad
· Donot take the bosses decisions personally
· Clarify resources, levels of authority, responsibilities, reporting, schedules, desired outcomes and deadlines
· Ask for feedback BreathingGenerally speaking, our feelings are reflected by our rate of breathing and general physiology
If we're nervous, startled, or excited, we breathe rapidly and shallowly.
If we're relaxed, comfortable, or contemplative, we breathe more deeply.
This is an important factor in understanding other people. By adopting their breathing rates and postures, you will begin to feel similar feelings and better understand what they're thinking. Sometimes it's difficult to determine what people's breathing rates are. Watch the edges of their shoulders. See how they move against the background and then try to match it.
In addition, adopt their general body position to get fully into their state of mind. But be careful. If their breathing rate is considerably different from yours, the matching can be exhausting for you to maintain. Don't do it for too long. In any case, the objective is to match them, not slavishly copy them. In fact, once you establish contact and develop understanding for how they are feeling, you may begin to breathe and speak to your normal rate.
Broken record
A broken record doesn't move forward. Some of us remember those vinyl records from long, long ago. The needle would get stuck and the same part of the music would play over and over again. Sometimes people get stuck and try to sidetrack you or change the topic. They will attempt to go over, under, or around you. Use the broken record to stick to the topic, to get a response to a question, or to simply say no?.
Here's how you do it:
· Focus on and state what you want
· Acknowledge what they've said if they sidetrack you
· Repeat what you said This powerful technique is simple and effective yet it's not easy to practice
Bulldozers
We've all met difficult characters. They can't be avoided, so we have to deal with them. Here are some suggestions on dealing with one of the better-known types the Bulldozers.With Bulldozers, it'™s their way or the highway. Bulldozers aren't necessarily hostile, but they are fast-acting, decisive and motivated to get results. When you deal with Bulldozers, you're either going to help them or get in their way.
Here are some tips on how to handle Bulldozers:
· Remain calm, hold eye contact and breathe
· Hear them out, then reflect their main concerns
· Focus on the bottom line be brief
· Offer options they're decisive
· Avoid a battle, because they won't back down
· If possible, allow them the last word
It is necessary to perfect the art of communicating with your boss, for how you interact with him has a major impact on your performance appraisal and consequently your career, say Peter Urs Bender and Robert Tracz
We all answer to someone. Bosses come in all shapes and sizes and have many different styles, yet they speak the same language the bottom line. How you communicate with your boss will have an impact on your performance evaluation, your raise and your career.
Here are some tips on communicating with your boss:
· Propose, donot impose, solutions to problems
· Share all the information-good and bad
· Donot take the bosses decisions personally
· Clarify resources, levels of authority, responsibilities, reporting, schedules, desired outcomes and deadlines
· Ask for feedback BreathingGenerally speaking, our feelings are reflected by our rate of breathing and general physiology
If we're nervous, startled, or excited, we breathe rapidly and shallowly.
If we're relaxed, comfortable, or contemplative, we breathe more deeply.
This is an important factor in understanding other people. By adopting their breathing rates and postures, you will begin to feel similar feelings and better understand what they're thinking. Sometimes it's difficult to determine what people's breathing rates are. Watch the edges of their shoulders. See how they move against the background and then try to match it.
In addition, adopt their general body position to get fully into their state of mind. But be careful. If their breathing rate is considerably different from yours, the matching can be exhausting for you to maintain. Don't do it for too long. In any case, the objective is to match them, not slavishly copy them. In fact, once you establish contact and develop understanding for how they are feeling, you may begin to breathe and speak to your normal rate.
Broken record
A broken record doesn't move forward. Some of us remember those vinyl records from long, long ago. The needle would get stuck and the same part of the music would play over and over again. Sometimes people get stuck and try to sidetrack you or change the topic. They will attempt to go over, under, or around you. Use the broken record to stick to the topic, to get a response to a question, or to simply say no?.
Here's how you do it:
· Focus on and state what you want
· Acknowledge what they've said if they sidetrack you
· Repeat what you said This powerful technique is simple and effective yet it's not easy to practice
Bulldozers
We've all met difficult characters. They can't be avoided, so we have to deal with them. Here are some suggestions on dealing with one of the better-known types the Bulldozers.With Bulldozers, it'™s their way or the highway. Bulldozers aren't necessarily hostile, but they are fast-acting, decisive and motivated to get results. When you deal with Bulldozers, you're either going to help them or get in their way.
Here are some tips on how to handle Bulldozers:
· Remain calm, hold eye contact and breathe
· Hear them out, then reflect their main concerns
· Focus on the bottom line be brief
· Offer options they're decisive
· Avoid a battle, because they won't back down
· If possible, allow them the last word