4 questions and phrases to use regularly

You know that communicating regularly with your employees is key to guiding and leading them to perform to the best of their ability, but when you and your employees are juggling multiple tasks, projects and priorities, it can be too easy to focus on the work employees are doing in the here and now, while glossing over critical conversations that will help you understand what they think, feel and care about professionally.

Here are four questions and phrases all managers should include in employee conversations to deepen your relationships.

1. “Tell me.”

Research on effective negotiation techniques reveals that the words “tell me” make it easier to understand another person’s point of view, and invite the opportunity to learn more about the dynamics of any situation, free of judgment or assumptions.

When you lead employee conversations with “tell me more about the situation” or “tell me what you need,”…