Communicating with your employees is essential for a positive work environment. Keep your team engaged and happy with these tips.
Fostering a more positive workplace is a great way to keep your team engaged and focused on the task at hand. The way in which you, as a manager, communicate with your employees is an important element to fostering that positive working environment. Knowing how to engage and motivate a team can be difficult at times.
Here are some tips on how you can better deliver your message and keep your team happy and engaged.
Tip 1: Arrange A One-To-One Meeting
Your feedback may seem pressing and important, but bursting in on your employee's conference calls or interrupting their important workflow is not very conducive. This method of impromptu feedback can often come across aggressively to some.
Instead, take the time to schedule a one-to-one meeting. This can allow your employee to mentally prepare themself and allows you to prepare and put across your feedback in a calm and effective manner, without interrupting any other important work or meetings. The one-to-one nature of the meeting also allows for privacy, which can foster open communication between employer and employee.
Tip 2: Ask Questions
Taking the time to ask questions and pay attention to the response is very important. It is good to establish the other person's perspective rather than simply talking at them.
Engaging in this kind of conversation can help you to understand where someone is coming from. For example, a report may be short and badly written, but perhaps there is a reason for that, such as a difficult deadline or a large workload. This communication style helps to prevent any patronising 'statement fests' directed at the individual.
Tip 3: Give Clear Direction
Provide clear and concise directions about how you want the problem fixed or sorted. Don't simply dump your frustration onto them and expect them to know how to sort the issue. For example, if a report is badly written explain why that is, and what the person can do to improve their work.
Providing constructive feedback and clear direction may feel like something you, as a manager, should not have to do, but this is a great way to clearly set out your expectations. This allows the employee to understand what is expected of them and how their work should be moving forward.
By delivering your message in a more private and positive manner, you will enjoy a more productive and positive working environment. Lessening the aggressive feedback in your business is a simple solution that can work for you. We hope you have learned more about how to engage and motivate a team. Contact PDW Group if you'd like your leaders and people managers to be able to step change how they provide good quality feedback to their teams.
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