WHEN YOU'RE NOT GETTING THROUGH

	Even Hard@Workers who normally communicate well with
everyone sometimes meet the exception: an employee who seems to
take everything the wrong way--when he's listening at all.

	If you're having trouble getting through to one of your
colleagues, try the following tips:

	1.  MONITOR YOURSELF.  Are you communicating completely
and explicitly?  It's often convenient to use verbal shorthand, but
you run the risk that some people won't know all of your
communication shortcuts.  Take the time to make your messages as
direct as possible.

	2.  LISTEN MORE CLOSELY.  Don't let frustration shut you off
from the employee's signals.  Instead of thinking "It's hopeless--the
guy's off in a world of his own," try harder than ever to understand
the employee.  Some workers expect to be perpetually
misunderstood by their supervisors.  Your effort to connect with
them might be one of the most pleasant and productive surprises of
their working lives.

	3.  DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT.  If you typically talk to the
employee at a particular time of day or use the same kind of
feedback each time, change your approach.  It might be just what's
needed to shake loose whatever's blocking communication.  For
example: an employee you normally talk to late in the afternoon
might feel she's low on your priority list.

	4.  ASK FOR THE EMPLOYEE'S HELP.  Don't keep your intentions
a secret.  Let distant workers help you bridge the communication
gap.  Ask open-ended questions like "What do you think we could do
to communicate better with each other?" or "What's worked in the
way you've communicated with supervisors in the past?"
Employees may be amazed to realize that you're open to their ideas
about ways you talk together.  Once you prove you genuinely value
good communication, you may find yourself engaged in a dialogue far
more lively than you'd ever have imagined.

Does that help? YES or NO