[Image by Gerd Altmann of Pixabay]
Yes…you may be your biggest obstacle. How is that possible, you may ask? Consider that you’re a coach or a supervisor where your client or team member is either older than you or more experienced than you or possibly both!! You can’t change your age or level of experience, however you can alter the way in which you communicate with these 10 guidelines. Here’s how that’s done.
- Be patient with yourself; this takes time but there are no rules as to how long it will take.
- Accept what you know as well as what you don’t know; honesty is the best policy.
- Ask insightful, open-ended questions to learn more about a subject or process.
- Improve your active listening skills so that you fully acknowledge what the other person is saying.
- Praise where appropriate. Respect what another person says.
- Seek clarification as needed, to strengthen your understanding even if it differs from what you thought.
- Use meaningful examples to enhance what you’re saying.
- Use different modalities as necessary. Therefore, it may help to show a diagram/picture/gesture and enhance credibility.
- Say more by using less words; be succinct.
- Ensure you’re easily understood. Try asking “What are your thoughts?” vs. “Have any questions?“
It’s not easy to coach or supervise people older and possibly more experienced than you however it’s a reality for many of us. The goal is to monitor how you communicate and reap the rewards. It can be done!