Giving
and receiving feedback can be a fragile endeavor.
Whether
or not your company has an actual suggestion box, most leaders want to know
where their employees stand and most employees want to feel heard. If you want to be heard, you need to communicate your ideas in a way that will be accepted.
Based
upon communication skills training research, much of your success depends upon the
“way” you communicate…the way you fashion your idea, suggestion or complaint.
- Be sure the right person is listening. There is no point in directing your complaint to someone who cannot fix it.
- Be specific. Gather whatever facts you can to show what is not working. The better you can describe the situation the better your listener will understand what’s going wrong from your point of view.
- Provide a possible solution. Rather than just describe the problem, have an idea about how it might be resolved.
If you have a complaint, use effective communication skills and constructive dissent for the greatest likelihood of success: engage the appropriate listener, provide specifics and end on a confident note with a thoughtful suggestion for improvement.
