Do you want more out of your employees? Do your employees want more out of you? Do either of you know what the other’s thinking or what they want? Do you hear words that seem to suggest agreement but nothing happens? Would you like to learn how to talk with each other in terms you both understand, and I don’t mean, “Produce or else!” or “Give me more money or I’ll quit?”

What with the job market jumping up and down almost daily, job power switching back and forth seemingly at random, employees leaving for greener pastures, and upturns and downturns in the market happening so fast it makes our head spin, we need to discover how to turn our wants and needs into the other persons wants and needs if we’re going to get anywhere! You need employees, they need jobs. Let’s get together!

RESEARCH RESULTS
Research is proving that communication between you and your employees and communication between employees can be enhanced by a factor of two or three just by communicating using the learning style the other person uses best. Some people learn by reading lists, some by listening, some only through dialogue, some by trial and error, and some—well, maybe it’s just ESP!

You already know that if your communications are to be effective, you need to clearly state what you want, then get agreement from the other person that your wants were heard; but to be truly effective, you might consider changing your method of communication to include the specific learning styles of others! Does this mean when you have something to communicate you have to do it four or five times in four or five different ways in order to reach all of the employees? No, but it does mean you have to incorporate all the learning styles in your one communication or you will not make sense to a significant section of the population.

COMMUNICATION PROGRAMS
Learning the learning styles is easy. There are a number of survey instruments (tests, workbooks, programs, etc.) out there in training-land that can determine learning styles; and they are all available from most any training firm. The cost is low compared to the benefit. When you use the techniques of learning style communication, the bottom line increases, and that’s your goal, right? The theory is that if you can assign tasks, exchange ideas, or communicate, knowing that the other person really understands you, you have some assurance your words or actions will translate into you having a better chance of getting the task done right the first time.

Even though programs to understand learning styles are all over the place these days, you have a job to do in selecting the best for your business. Your task is to determine the true cost/benefit of these programs before you spend the bucks. I’d suggest a simple chart where you post the line items, assign values to the each, and total the results. Value assignment should be structured so that a high rating on any factor will not automatically decide in favor of the program, but a low rating on any factor can eliminate the program. Here are a few questions that need to be on your chart.

Will the program meet your objectives? What are your objectives? Who is included in the target population? Is there a realistic implementation schedule? Will you have to hire outside help to put the program on or is it a do-it-yourself project? Can the vendor prove the communication benefits to both you and your employees? What proof is there that the program will be cost effective? Has the program been tested elsewhere? What are the requirements and skills required to implement the proposed training program? Is the trainer a member of one of the major training societies? Will you need specialized equipment? What will happen if you don't implement the program?

SPECIALIZED PROGRAMS
Communication can also be tied to productivity increase by combining it with implementation of new equipment or software. If you’re buying something new, will there have to be extensive training? Will the equipment/software vendor provide this training? What learning style will their trainer use? Remember, the main interest of the vendor is in selling you the equipment or software, not in teaching you and your employees how to achieve productivity increases or increase communication. It may not be cost effective to set up the initial training program yourself, but you could continue the program once a system had been set up by an expert. Often the vendor can recommend a third party training consultant who will work with the manufacturer, with you and with your employees to set up the most cost effective training program.

GENERAL PROGRAMS
If you are looking for a general increase in productivity, it may be wise to call in a consultant who is an expert in organization efficiency. These consultants can determine where the barriers to productivity occur in your organization and can suggest programs that will eliminate or reduce these barriers. The caution here is to make sure the bases of goal focus, communication, power sharing, autonomy, innovativeness, resource utilization, morale, adaptiveness, problem solving adequacy, cohesiveness and morale are addressed at a minimum, as these are the major areas where problems occur. Be sure they address the differences in learning in their programs. So … What’s keeping you from success?