
You are having difficulty getting through to your employees, they just aren't following directions. Why aren't they listening to you? What is their problem?
Do you realize that we think much faster than we talk? This means that while we are listening to someone speaking, we have lots of time for our thoughts to wander, making our understanding of what the speaker was saying murky.
Ralph G. Nichols & Leonard A. Stevens, in their article "Listening to People" suggest that when we listen we do four things: 1. We think ahead of the speaker and try to anticipate what the speakers point is. 2. We ask ourselves is what the speaker is saying all of the facts, is it valid. 3. We periodically review the points the speaker has made and mentally summarize. 4. We try to "listen between the lines' by reading non-verbal cues and looking for clues that let us know there are things the speaker isn't telling us.
As a speaker, we need to be aware of these things. While talking to employees ask them to summarize what you said or ask questions and wait for their answers to let you know they understood what you have told them. Watch their body language; is there confusion, are they bored, are they energized about the subject? Make sure to take the time to insure that what you are saying is interpreted correctly.
As managers, it is also very important that we listen to our employees and truly hear what they are saying. Not just their words, but the meaning of their words. Read their body language, their facial expression. In order to get things done, it is important that we have "buy in" from our employees. An excellent way to do that is to make them feel respected and listened to!