Page 76 - Effective Communication Skills by Dalton Kehoe

How do managerial leaders create enthusiastic or engaged employees?
Managers need to see dialogue talk as a strategic tool to deal with those
moments where, despite their best collaborative intentions, employees
seem unwilling or unable to take on
responsibility or make the decisions
Successful managers required of them. Recall that dialogue
learn to lead employees talk has three key elements. Managers
can use description and I-messages to
so that employees can
provide direction: “This is what the
manage themselves. client needs.” “I’d like you to start this
by next Monday.” Asking appreciative
questions and listening actively will get
employees to think about issues and solutions: “If we’re going to do this
better, what would you do?” Managers can use open acknowledgment and

genuine support to ensure employee con¿dence in making and enacting
decisions effectively: “You guys have done a great job in the past, and I
know I can count on you again.”

Lecture 22: Leadership, Appreciation, and Productivity
Appreciative leaders who use dialogue talk strategically get the work done
by sustaining or increasing the engagement levels of their staff. What do
managers do when unexpected differences appear in their workplace? They
use assertive dialogue talk and ask for change. One general rule speci¿ c
to work situations is if you want people to change their behavior, it’s best
to have data to rely on as the basis for your request. Simply stating your
opinion about change is easily resisted, and demanding change puts you
back into control talk. Ŷ

Suggested Reading

Buckingham and Coffman, First, Break All the Rules.

Sirota, Mischkind, and Meltzer, The Enthusiastic Employee.

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