Leadership Development: The Hidden Message and the Crucial Question

Have you ever received an e-mail or voice mail that seemed slightly odd from someone you thought you knew well? For example, you might wonder,
"Why did he ask me that? I just answered it!" Besides the possibility that the other person might not have received your e-mail, there could be a potential problem that the other person was tactfully trying to relate to you - if only you had asked, "Is there something else I should know about this?"

Sometimes a question is phrased in a certain way to request clarification of instructions, to get them in writing in case of a problem later, or to delicately alert the recipient that this question is of significant importance to at least one (and maybe several) people, for a reason you should know. However, the sender may want to assess your willingness to listen first, and thus is phrasing the question that way.

When in doubt, consider there might be an underlying message and ask the other person the crucial question: "Is there anything else I should know about this?"

Business Speech Improvement provides intensive training in executive communication skills for leadership development. For those who cannot attend, an e-book, Executive Communication Strategies, offers strategies in 18 vital aspects of communication.