One big question you're going to face is, what should you tell your boss? Share information freely, but don't tell them everything that is going on in your work group, that's too much information. Focus on big picture stuff and inform them regularly of a few important things, like progress toward performance goals. Share good news and bad news, and definitely warn your boss about potential problems before things go really bad. Nobody likes bad surprises. Also, potentially controversial matters like arguments with other supervisors, problems with policies, and discipline problems. Try to explain your side first and support it with facts. Also, attitudes and morale. Remember, your boss doesn't have direct contact with employees, so keep them in the know as to how employees are feeling. Make sure they know how they feel about specific issues like the mood in the department after cutting back on overtime. Also, share constructive suggestions. Every positive change starts with a new idea. Supervisors have a unique opportunity to identify areas of business that can improve through cost-cutting and policy changes. Sharing ideas has the potential to make both you and your boss look good. Your boss will be happy to know they have a thinker wooing to them. It probably goes without saying that you should always tell the truth and not try to hide bad news even if it makes you look bad. Lying doesn't work out too well in the long run. If you expect employees to be truthful with you, you better do the same. It's important to remember that not every employee learns effectively the same way. People usually learn best through one of these three modes. Visual learners learn best from what they see and read. They need things like charts, graphs, written materials, and concrete examples. Auditory learners learn best from hearing, they may also talk out loud to themselves. They like discussion, debate, and asking questions. Kinesthetic learners do best by touching or experiencing something for themselves. They are hands-on learners, they need you to give them a hands-on demonstration, and then try it themselves. I should also mention that you may need to be creative to teach something to kinesthetic learners. For instance, it's probably not a great idea to give a hands-on demonstration of the organization's sexual harassment policy, but a role-playing exercise would be a much better choice. Now, you'll often figure out which mode is best for an employee through trial and error. If they don't grasp a new policy by reading it, but get it right away when you explain, they're probably an auditory learner. From then on, you will know how to communicate with them. Figuring them out and adapting your approach accordingly will save a lot of time and headaches in the long run. Ultimately, the most important thing is getting your message across. If you search the web, you'll get dozens of suggestions for how to do that, but we've narrowed it down to seven of the most important. Number 1, if it's important, repeat yourself, try rephrasing what you said previously. Repetition is a powerful tool for comprehension. Have you noticed I've said some things more than once in this course? Not an accident. Number 2, ask for questions. You have to ask for them since people are often are afraid they will look stupid if they ask a question. Questions give you the opportunity to address areas of weak understanding and stop them from causing problems later. Number 3, use examples and tell stories. People learn better when they hear how something was done before. Have you noticed me doing that from time to time? Not an accident. Number 4, tell the truth and admit your own mistakes. You can turn mistakes into opportunities by admitting them and making it right. Number 5, be specific, speak plainly, and use as few words as possible. Say, "Please get this done by Thursday.", rather than, "Please get this done as soon as possible." Number 6, communicate in multiple modes. The old proverb, tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn is true. Number 7, when things go wrong, give explanations, not excuses. Excuses don't serve any useful purpose. Explaining a problem is the first step to solving it. Last but not least, there are some ethical issues that supervisors should consider. Here are a few that may cause you trouble. Number 1, not sharing information with all employees. This may be seen as being unfair or playing favorites. Number 2, violating an employee's right to privacy by sharing their private information with someone else. Number 3, bullying an employee to force them to act in ways that violate their personal beliefs. That's absolutely inexcusable. Number 4, disciplining inconsistently. It's unfair to not treat everyone the same. Number 5, forcing someone to communicate on your terms, especially if cultural differences are involved, it's disrespectful and possibly discriminatory. Number 6, failing to disclose law-breaking by any individual or the organization. You may not be under any legal obligation to report a violation, but if there is a potential for harm, the ethical thing to do is report it. Look at a bare minimum, make sure you know and understand your organization's communication policies, and follow the rules consistently and fairly.
