COMMON COMMUNICATION PROBLEMS IN THE
WORKPLACE:
Not Actively Listening
The problem
In a situation like this, where a boss or client
is showing you something they want done,
what might happen if you aren’t listening
properly? List three things.
The solution
Actively listen during conversations about instructions, detail, reasoning, examples,
feedback, and informal conversations – everything at work really!
The benefit
What can you gain from listening?
List three things.
The implementation

Pay attention
Paying attention can be difficult
when the content is boring or
when you are tired. What are two
things you can do that might help
you to pay attention better?

Ask clarifying questions
These are questions you ask someone who has been giving you information, that
allows you to check that you understand what they are saying. This is particularly
important when you are getting instructions.
Open clarifying questions often begin with what, how, why, or when. For example:

"Could you explain what you mean by that?"

"How do you think we should approach this?"
If you were a plumber doing a residential job,
speaking to the owner of the house before
starting the job, what open clarifying questions
might you ask? Give one example.
Closed clarifying questions confirm understanding of a specific point and usually
require a yes/no or limited response. For example:

"Did you mean Tuesday or Thursday?"

"So the deadline is 3 PM tomorrow, correct?"
Using the same example as above, what closed clarifying questions might you ask?
Give two examples.

Rephrase
Repeating what someone said, in your own words, is another way to confirm you
understood correctly. It allows the other person to correct you if you got something
wrong. This will also help you to memorise the task or information.
Rephrase the following
statements:
“Your mandatory training deadline
is Friday at close of business.”
“Jobs 1, 2 and 3 must be completed today. You will be working with John.”
“This work isn’t quite up to scratch. I need you to redo this, using the technique we
spoke about on Monday.”
Write your own statement that you think you might hear in the workplace, then
rephrase it: