MicroMessaging: Management Communication

Posted by cecilwampler under Management
From http://www.peoplemanagementconsulting.com 3821 days ago
Made Hot by: ShawnHessinger on November 6, 2013 5:57 am

This week I wanted to introduce a concept some of you may not have heard of called micromessaging. This is an idea made popular by Stephen Young, which is the small, subtle ways we influence the way people perform, succeed, or even fail in the workplace...

Who Voted for this Story

Top BizSugar Users

This week's most active BizSugar users. Join Them!

Comments

Written by bloggerpalooza
3815 days ago

Micromessaging I think is effective, its like pep talk but without so much noise. It is also like a hypnosis where you say things that the respondent doesnt need to hear but is respondin upon your request. It is a low effort, big efficiency system which is effective on most of the companies today.

- 0 +

Written by cecilwampler
3817 days ago

Heather,

I feel some people are going to be naturally better at these types of communication than others, but people can learn to improve. I am often in situations where I am listening to people talk for long periods of time. I have to be really conscious of my expressions and responses in order to get the information I need. So to answer your question, yes, I think managers can learn these techniques to improve their communication.

Shawn,

I like your approach here. I listen to a lot of grievances myself and have found that over time, you see the pattern that leads you to the problem. It’s good you can modify your leadership style based on the situation or person your facing. If you’re getting rid of 95% of the issues, it sounds like you’ve made yourself a problem solver. I’m going to write on this subject in the next week or so. Thanks for the comment!

- 0 +

Written by HeatherStone
3817 days ago

Hi Cecil,

To take this just a bit further, I wonder if on some conscious or unconscious level this is what separates good leaders from bad. And taking it even further still, I wonder if better -- much better -- techniques can be learned. In other words, are MicroMessages we send so ingrained that people who are good at this kind of communication have an innate ability to lead and those who are bad at it are destined to be poor leaders or, worse yet, never reach their potential at all?

- 0 +

Written by ShawnHessinger
3817 days ago

Heather and Cecil,

My practice in the management realm has always been to always seriously listen to grievances no matter how small they seem and to let it be known that they can and should be brought to me. I've taken some heat from other managers for doing this in the past, of them saying it is either coddling or will simply take too much time. But experience has taught that, if there is something I am doing, I can modify my approach and generally get rid of 95 percent of the difficulties with certain employees, sometimes even boosting productivity in the process. If there is not, and the employee is simply a bad fit for the team -- something that certainly has happened -- there is no faster way to determine this definitively.

- 0 +