While some managers find it tough to get messages across to employees, some find it even more difficult to make an impact when communicating upward— that is, when talking to a manager or higher executive. Again, the best way to get the message across is to be fully prepared.
There are basically two kinds of upward communications: conversations by you to your superiors and those from your superiors to you. The specifics vary, but generally they involve some exchange of information, like your manager giving you instructions or your providing information to a member of senior management. Occasionally, too, you may present an idea or request additional resources to complete a project.
Preparation is key to all of these situations, but particularly when you are asked for a project update or other information. Under those circumstances, if you don’t know the answer, promise to get back to the requestor soon. Then research the facts and present the information as soon as you are ready—but not before.
You can’t anticipate what your manager wants to talk about when he drops by your office or walks over as you are standing by the printer. Under such circumstances, be concise and offer what you know. If your manager wants more details, get them. Depending on your manager’s preferred style of communication, you can e-mail them or deliver them in person.
On the other hand, if you are called into your manager’s office, ask about the nature of the meeting beforehand. Once you know the subject, gather all the information you can find on it. Anticipate what questions will be asked and make sure you can answer them. Do you have documents that your manager might want to review? If so, bring them along.
Let’s assume that you have an idea or a request of your manager, like Marge’s request for a promotion. Choose a time when you know your manager is free or even make an appointment. Once again, come prepared. For instance, Marge would have done better had she brought documentation on her accomplishments over the past two years. It wouldn’t have hurt, either, if she had alerted her boss to the purpose of her meeting. Even if she didn’t get what she wanted, her boss would have been aware of her aspirations and might have prepared a compromise offer—maybe a bonus.
Marge should also have practiced beforehand the most economical way to present her case. Wordiness can lose a listener’s attention. Further, Marge should have prepared her case in a manner so that she didn’t play all her cards at once. She could have pointed to some of her past accomplishments. If her manager hesitated, she could have gone into greater detail, stressing how her efforts had significantly helped her manager. Copies of her past performance assessments would have also been handy, had they supported her contention.
Let’s look at a similar situation. In this instance, you want to speak to your manager about an idea you have for reducing a redundancy in your unit’s work- flow. How should you best go about it? After all, it is a good idea.
Before meeting with your manager, consider your idea from his perspective. How would it help address problems? You want to play up these benefits. Document the specific advantages of your idea. Provide convincing supporting data if you can.
Even then, you may encounter resistance. If you expect opposition, prepare in advance. Before an objection is raised, raise it yourself, then systematically and objectively disprove it, speaking calmly and objectively like a bystander, not as a defender.
What happens if the idea is rejected? Find out why. It may be possible to overcome the objection by making adjustments to the initial idea. If you get what you want, include a reassurance that the person will like the final results. Leave your manager with positive feelings about you.
Some objections are common, like concerns about cost and risk. If the idea was tried before and it didn’t work, you might be reminded. Resources may be short. If you know your manager well, you may be able to anticipate specific objections. If you didn’t anticipate the objection, listen carefully. If you aren’t clear about the objection, ask for more information. Don’t argue or become defensive. Attack the questions raised, not the questioner.
Show how you might be able to handle the objection. If resistance to your idea continues, solicit the objector’s plan for overcoming his or her own concern. “How do you think we can overcome this problem?” Close ranks to find a way to overcome shortcomings in your idea. If you see yourself losing, leave the door open. Ask, “I’d like to think through your concerns to see what I can come up with. May I come back?”