Have you run into some communication snafus with your boss at work? Even if you’ve spent time mastering company technology such as learning to use a zoom office background with company logo, and even if you’re a dedicated and accomplished professional, you may still find it difficult to communicate openly, clearly, honestly, and regularly with your manager. Although this feeling is common, it can be dispelled with a little communications know-how. Check out these five ways you can communicate better with your manager starting today.
Understand & Clarify Expectations
In many cases, communication issues arise when the two parties involved don’t understand the other’s expectations. For instance, your boss may have indicated that all employees need to start using immersive view zoom backgrounds, but because you didn’t reach out to clarify what he or she meant by the immersive view, you weren’t able to follow the company guidelines correctly. These sorts of issues can generally be avoided by starting up conversations to clarify:
- What are your primary questions and concerns are
- What your manager’s work expectations for you are
- Potential gray areas that may lead to confusion or even missed work deadlines
- Potential communication complications that may arise in the future
Contribute To The Conversation
Beyond learning to use zoom office backgrounds, there is a wide range of issues that can pop up in the office and feel difficult to bring up to your manager. In these cases, a little confidence and professionalism are key. Contributing constructively to work conversations can help soften your questions and even improve your relationship with the manager. Make sure you:
- Speak up periodically in meetings to make your voice heard
- Keep in touch with your manager regularly via email or company instant messaging
- Offer solutions to problems you know your boss has been thinking about for a while
- Volunteer to discuss key problems with other employees and report back to your boss
If you want to work on building up your communication skills over time, there are five rules of thumb to know. Always remember that you should:
- Be proactive and bring up concerns before they turn into major problems;
- Maintain a professional, upbeat, and positive tone in interactions with your manager whenever possible;
- Get to know your manager better in settings such as work parties or team-building meetings to establish a friendlier rapport;
- Brush up on your communications skills, and learn to use key communication technology such as intercom systems, email, and texting as needed;
- Be honest and take responsibility for your work products and performance.
For many workers, communicating honestly and effectively with the manager can be a tough task. Even if you’re a highly accomplished professional, you may still find it difficult to express concerns or questions to your boss. Fortunately, you can improve your professional relationship with your manager and master the art of communication with the five tips outlined above. When in doubt, make sure you understand your manager’s expectations, clarify potential points of confusion early on, and contribute to work conversations with unique and original ideas.
