3 Tips to get employees to talk

Numerous diverse tasks fall on HR professionals and lawyers. Getting people to say what’s really on their minds is an art. So, to that end, here are three techniques to consider using. 

Technique #1: Toss asking, ‘How goes it?’ 

Asking something like, “What’s up?” or, “How are you?” gets one word, nondescript responses. Instead, try this: “Anything on your mind?” or, “What have you been thinking about lately?” You get the idea here as well. 

These are invitations to open up about what is going on internally, not to give a rote answer to a rote question. Thought: You might need to ask several times, in different ways, before the invitation is finally accepted, but eventually you’ll have an RSVP. 

Technique #2: Judo the answer 

I read this in a medical textbook used in training med students. The doctor asks, “How is it going?” The patient replies, “Fine.” The doctor retorts, “As fine as it could be?” 

Again, this is an invitation to give a broader and more expansive answer. When more information is given, more questions can be asked, and dialogue is initiated. It’s a beachhead question. 

Technique #3: Leverage the everyday 

Here is a homebrew tactic I used when I was interviewing to make interviewees feel more at ease. I always said, “By the way, you might be thinking to yourself, ‘Should I tell him this or not?’ Maybe it’s not important. Well, as my mother used to say, ‘The more something goes without saying, the more it needs to be said.’” This gives people permission to open up. (And who is going to argue with mom?) 

People are always worried they’re going to look dumb. When you’re being interviewed, it’s easy to feel as if you’re back in grade school, waiting to see the principal. There’s a desire to please, which again blocks getting to the truth. No one wants to sound dumb. Help them just as you would like to be helped. 

Bottom line 

Your jobs are as much about human nature as they are about the law, regulations, and bottom lines. And, candidly, this makes it all the more interesting, don’t you think? 

Michael P. Maslanka is a professor at the UNT-Dallas College of Law. You can reach him at michael.maslanka@unt-dallas.edu.