Managing Your Business

Are you causing interruptions?

Supervisors frequently need to know the status of projects or other issues their employees are handling. But is there a way to get this information without interrupting your employees and compromising their efficiency? Try these tips to reduce interruptions:

• Never say "now." Ask employees to deliver requested information or completed projects within a time frame, such as between 3:45 p.m. and 5 p.m. This will keep employees from abruptly having to stop working when you need something.
  
  
• Only share specifics. When delegating a task, outline a project's specifics and do not overwhelm employees with endless details. Also, allow employees to ask questions and make clarifications. This will help avoid disrupting employees' work when they have questions later.
  
  
• Give preparation time. When discussing proposals or procedures, set a meeting date. This will give employees time to prepare their ideas rather than forcing them to brainstorm ideas immediately.
  
  

Source: Adapted from Communication Briefings, November 2001 issue.

Apologize skillfully

Everyone makes mistakes, such as saying something inappropriate and making careless errors. To avoid making matters worse after you make a mistake, consider the following tips to help you apologize skillfully:

• Be specific. A specific apology will prove you have thought about what you did to offend or inconvenience the person to whom you are apologizing. Specificity also will make your apology more sincere.
  
  
• Avoid excuses. If you have done or said something carelessly, it is better to apologize outright than make excuses for your lapse in judgment. Excuses only will make the issue worse.
  
  
• Make a correction. Explain that you are correcting the problem you caused and will avoid making the same mistake again. Correcting a mistake will ease tensions.
  
  

Source: Adapted from Communicate with Confidence! as cited in The Working Communicator, May 2001 issue.

Selling a job

During the hiring process, employers typically discuss company benefits, perks and departments with prospective employees. However, sometimes an employer may forget to thoroughly sell a position in which an applicant is interested.

In addition to describing a particular position's duties, it is important to mention a position's visibility, importance within a company, growth potential and learning opportunities. A prospective employee must like your company, but it is more important that he love the particular position for which he is applying.

Source: Adapted from the Search West Web site, as cited in The Motivational Manager, May 2001 issue.

Staff-meeting troublemakers

If you dread the prospect of moderating a weekly staff meeting because of disruptive employees, consider the following tips to handle four typical meeting troublemakers.

A broken record constantly mentions the same issues during a meeting. Assure him his points have been recorded in the meeting's minutes. If he persists, offer him three minutes to complete his thoughts before continuing a meeting.

A head shaker acknowledges his disagreement with a topic by shaking his head, rolling his eyes or scribbling notes. Ask him to share his views with the group. This will make a head shaker aware of his gestures and may calm him.

A loud mouth is famous for talking out of turn. Try moving toward a loud mouth while maintaining eye contact with him. Once you are standing over a loud mouth, look directly at him. This will compel him to be quiet.

A busybody constantly is answering his cellular telephone and running out of meetings to retrieve messages. Confront a busybody before a meeting begins. Tell a busybody his behavior is disruptive, and ask him to strictly commit his time to a meeting.

Source: Adapted from How to Make Meetings Work, as cited in The Working Communicator, April 2001 issue.