Communicating Instructions
February 17, 2005
Have you ever asked an employee to do something only to have your request completely forgotten?
Or perhaps, the employee did a poor job. Or carried out the assignment in a manner completely different than you had requested.
When you ask an employee to do something and the result is not what you expected, you wonder what happened. How could the employee have misunderstood such a simple request?
Was she even listening at all?
Depending on the circumstances, you may feel disappointed, frustrated, even angry.
The truth is, there are may reasons why employees fail to carry out assignments as instructed. They may be pressed for time. They may feel the request is unreasonable. Or they think they know a better way to achieve the same outcome.
By far, however, the most common reason why employees fail to perform as expected is a breakdown in communication. Either the employee didn't fully understand what you wanted, didn't realize how important it was, or didn't know why it had to be done a certain way.
Improving your ability to communicate clearly and effectively in these instances will go a long ways toward preventing similar breakdowns in communication.
With that in mind, here are six tips to consider when issuing an assignment or making a request of an employee:
- Be Direct.
Don't beat around the bush. When making a request of an
employee, say what you mean in clear, unmistakable words.
"Ellen, will you please get me the...?"
Refrain from using indirect language when making a request.
For example, "Would you like to go over the sales figures
for last month?"
People who treat such messages literally might not recognize that question for what it is - a request to meet and go over the sales figures. Instead, they may say, "No thanks. I'm busy right now."
Be sure to clearly s-p-e-l-l out your request or expectation.
- Get quickly to the point.
State your request or expectation first, before providing
any necessary background information.
Employees who feel rushed or distracted often have a short
attention span.
If you take too long to get to the point, you run the risk
of losing their attention midway through the conversation.
Then, by the time you get to the important part where you
say, "And I need that by Friday morning," the employee has
long since tuned you out. Like the sound of an adult in a
Charlie Brown movie, all he hears is "blah, blah, blah,
blah, blah."
- Be specific.
Explain exactly what you want. Now that you've stated your
request, take whatever time is necessary to clearly describe what you want done, how you'd like it done, and when you'd like it done. Use examples, if possible.
If the request is urgent, say so.
Don't assume anything. Try to anticipate how this assignment could be fouled up, then make sure it doesn't happen by giving clear instruction. Having an employee roll her eyes while you're giving instructions because she believes you're stating the obvious is better than getting an unpleasant surprise later on.
I know of one manager who routinely issues cryptic
instructions to his employees during staff meetings.
Following each meeting, the employees get together and
talk amongst themselves, asking each other if anyone
understood what was just asked of them.
- Be pleasant.
Remember that nonverbal communication speaks louder than
words. Make an effort to smile. If you frown or glare at
an employee while making a request, the person is likely
to interpret the entire message as negative, even if you
don't intend it to be. Negative facial gestures can convey
the message that you don't trust the employee to complete
the assignment as requested.
Likewise, it's not advisable to stand with your hands on
your hips while issuing assignments to employees.
- Justify the request, if appropriate.
It helps if you can explain why you are making this
request at this particular time, especially if it poses
an inconvenience to the employee. Here's where you can
provide more background information, but only if it
helps the employee better understand the nature and
purpose for the assignment.
- Look for acknowledgement.
Pay careful attention to the employee's response to your
request and look for signs that the person understands and
concurs with your request.
Pay special attention to any nonverbal signals that indicate a lack of understanding or agreement on the employee's part, such as looking down while giving you a verbal response or not offering any response at all. Needless to say, it's a bad sign if the employee responds to your request by spilling hot coffee on you.
While you can't always ensure a desirable outcome in every situation, following these six suggestions will greatly improve the effectiveness of your communication with employees and, thereby increase the odds of getting the type of reponse you expect.
Best regards,
Stephen Foster, Ph.D
Expert Supervisor, LLC
1493 Market Street
Tallahassee, FL 32312
(850) 893-5699
E-mail me at: Steve.Foster@ExpertSupervisor.com
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