Welcome back to the Look and Sound of Leadership.

An ongoing series of executive coaching tips designed to help you be perceived in the workplace the way you want to be perceived.

I'm Tom Henschel, your executive coach and

today we're talking about inviting dialogue. Arlen worried he wasn't making his points clearly with his direct reports.

When I asked him to tell me more about that, he said, I'm always asking them, is that clear?

And they say yes.

But later it becomes obvious it wasn't clear at all.

I don't know how much is me and how much is them.

I asked.

And is that what you asked them?

Is it clear? Yeah, he said, do you asked them? Is it clear?

Yeah, he said, do you want me to explain it again or was that clear or something like that?

I asked, and what does clear mean?

Do they understand? Do they know what they're supposed to do so they can go off and do it?

Really? If they answered you, yes, sir, Arlen, sir, clear as a bell, sir, would that put your mind at rest?

Sure would, he said.

Oh, that's interesting.

It wouldn't for me, I said.

Well, it would for me.

They're grown-ups.

If they say yes, they should mean yes yes. Well maybe they mean it at the time.

Look if you're my boss and you ask me do I understand you it's reasonable I might think

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