I Person Direct Work Good B Status Send

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If you are a manager, then you will more likely have someone reporting to you. The most common terminology I am used to is a direct. Throughout this lesson, I will use the word direct.

There are many things you have to say to a direct. You have to give them work, explain things, encourage them to do better, and even reprimand them when they are not performing well. We will cover these types of sentences in this lesson.

Status

A common question a manager asks is to find out what the status of a project is.

What is the status of the marketing documents?"
How far along are you in your analysis?"
Are you almost done with the technical report?"
When are you going to finish the design plans?"

Can you give me a status on your progress so far?"
How is the reporting assignment going?"

When can you give me a working draft by?"

Requesting a weekly status mail from your direct is very common among large companies with many employees. Basically, the status mail will include what has been accomplished the current week, and what will be done next week. If your company has this process, or if you just want to implement it yourself, you can tell your direct something like the following.

At the end of every week, can you send me a weekly status mail? I'll email you a template you should follow. You should email it to me every Friday."

I want you to send me a status report at the end of every week. You should include what you did for that week and what you plan on doing for the next week."

Can you send me a weekly status report? If you haven't done it before, let me know and I will send you a template to use."

Project Change

There are times when a project changes and you have to tell your direct to change something. Let's work on some sentences where you do this.

I know you have been working on the database using excel, but we need to use SQL. Can you make the necessary changes?"

Although you don't have to be polite to your direct, it is good practice to show directs some common courtesy. In the sentence above, it recognizes the work that has been done so far, instructs what needs to be changed, and politely asks if they can do it. You should follow a similar way of asking your direct to change something.

In another scenario, your direct might give you a report to review. If something is incorrect, or not complete, you should tell them professionally what needs to be redone.

Hey Jackie, I reviewed your report and there are a couple areas you have to change. Can you double check the figures you provided in page 7, and provide a recommendation for step 3? I would appreciate it."

This example is a little more firm, but still polite. It states that changes are required, it then asks if two things can be changed, and finally, adds a good comment about appreciating the work.

Finally, your direct could be doing something on a regular basis that you don't like. As a manager, you should tolerate things that do not affect the work, but if there is something that is work related, it is your responsibility to tell that person. Let's use an example where a person has a habit of talking before someone finishes.

John, when we are discussing something in meetings or small groups, I noticed that you don't allow the other person to complete their sentences. I do appreciate your contributions, but I think you should always hear the other person out. Can you try to do that?"

Adding a simple phrase like appreciating the contribution can make a huge difference when giving criticism. There is a great chance the direct will be offended or upset. But if you add a small compliment in there, the chances of the direct accepting your criticism will be that much greater.

Deadline

Deadlines and due dates are common among projects and assignments. Sometimes the deadline changes or your direct needs a reminder. In any case, you should know some sentences how to convey the deadline.

Here is your new project. You have two weeks to complete it. After you review the project, let me know if there will be any problems."

You have until the end of this month to complete your assignment. It is critical that everyone completes on time."

We have two more days to complete the test pass. If anyone cannot complete their portion on time, let me know as soon as possible."

We are not required to send in our analysis until Wednesday, so you have a couple more days to complete it."

Do you think you can finish the marketing report by Friday?"

Our deadline is fast approaching. I try to minimize weekend work, but we might have to work this Saturday if we do not finish on Friday."

Subordinate asking you Questions

All directs at one time or another asks you questions on how to do something, or asks what something is. The average employee will usually ask you something that is obvious and you simply tell them. Sometimes however, a smart employee asks difficult questions that you are not sure about.

If an employee asks you a factual question that you are not sure about, you can always refer them to other sources.

I'm not sure about that one. I think the information you are looking for is in a manual I saw in the file cabinet. Why don't you check there?"

Do a search on Google and see if you can find the information there."

I think Stacy will know the answer. She is very familiar with that topic."

If the question is more process related where it involves an opinion, you can answer telling them what you would do.

I'm not sure on the exact procedure, but if I were you, I would do the forth step before the third one."

I don't think we ever decided on a specific way. I think it might be better to do this before that."

These are vague sentences, so you should fill in the details depending on your situation.

Encouraging

As a good manager, you should encourage great workers and bad workers. Good directs need encouraging to keep them working hard. Bad employees need encouragement to work harder. Here are some sentences for both types.

Hey James, I think you're doing a great job and it is not going unnoticed."
You're doing great. Keep up the good work."
I told my manager about your performance. He was quite impressed. Keep up the good work."

Directs having difficulty

I had a hard time on my first project too. Don't let it get you down. I'm sure you will do better next time."

It wasn't as bad as you think. I also saw definite improvements so you shouldn't give up."

Your work has been pretty good, but I really think you can do better. You have potential and I hope you start trying a little harder."

Reprimanding

Finally, when you have an employee that is doing something wrong such as being late, turning in a project late, or not performing well, it is your responsibility to let them know.

If someone is always late, then you don't have to ask for an excuse. If it was one time, then it is ok, but if they are constantly late, there is no excuse for it.

You have been late for work on a regular basis. You better start coming to work on time."

This is your third warning. If you are late for work again, we will have to take more serious action on you. Is that understood?"

Being late for work once in a while is understandable. But there is no excuse to be coming in to work late every day. You better start coming in on time."

When a direct doesn't turn in a project, it's a pretty serious no-no. I would definitely be upset, but as a good manager, I wouldn't accuse the employee without giving them a chance to explain. Here is an example.

The report was due last Friday. What's going on?"

This is more like a trap question. Unless it is a life or death situation, the excuse shouldn't be good enough. Here is a generic excuse.

I was working on three other assignments. I just couldn't finish them all."

This is not a good excuse, so you can start reprimanding the employee. You gave them a chance to explain, and since the excuse wasn't good enough, you can basically, 'let them have it.'

If you were not going to finish on time, at least you could have let me know. Regardless, you knew how important this project was and you knew about the due date. What am I going to do with you?"

You should have at least told me that you wouldn't be able to finish. Then I could have asked Mary to finish it. This is very irresponsible of you. Is this going to be a continual problem in future projects?"

Talking to Directs - Interactive Practice

Click on Listen All and follow along. After becoming comfortable with the entire conversation, become Person A by clicking on the Person A button. You will hear only Person B through the audio file. There will be a silence for you to repeat the sentences of Person A. Do the same for Person B. The speed of the conversation is native speed. Use the pause button if the pause between each sentence is too fast for you. After practicing several times, you will be able to speak as fast as a native.