Most people take the process of giving and receiving instructions for granted.

It happens all day long, and it's part and parcel of simply being at work and doing your job.

But it still requires concentration from everyone involved to avoid misunderstandings and mistakes.

Here are some hints for giving and receiving verbal instructions.

When you're giving instructions

• Think before you speak - work out what you want to say before you say it, and make sure you cover all of the points that are relevant.
  
  
• Avoid jargon - don't use words that the listener won't understand.
  
  
• Watch for body language signals - see if the listener looks like they understand what you're saying.
  
  
• Ask for feedback - check that the listener has understood the message the way you intended it.

When you're receiving instructions

• Listen to the whole message - don't assume you know what the speaker is going to say before they say it.
  
  
• Use positive body language - show that you're taking in what they're saying.
  
  
• Ask questions - clarify any points you don't understand.
  
  
• Give feedback - restate in your own words what you think the speaker is saying, and check that they agree with you.

Effective listening

Effective listening is an active process. This is because listening isn't the same thing as hearing.

For example, when you're working in a busy or noisy area, you may hear lots of different sounds around you - but that doesn't mean you're listening to every one of them. In fact, it's impossible for you to focus on all of them at once.

This is why you need to select the sounds you want to listen to. Remember, when you're the listener, you have to concentrate on what the speaker is saying.

Asking questions

One way to check that you've correctly understood a message is to ask questions.

Asking questions while you're being given instructions allows you to clarify any queries you may have.

It also shows that you have understood what you've been told.

Here are some examples of questions you might ask when you're being given instructions:

• I need you to sweep up the floor and clear this area for the stock to come in.
  
       Do you want me to do it now, or after I finish packing up the tools?
  
  
• This customer order has to go out today.
  
       What time does it need to be ready by?
  
  
• I want you to get all these components ready for installation.
  
       Which ones do you want me to do first?
  
  

These questions might sound simple, but in each case they help you both to clarify the instruction, and allow you to work together to expand on the information being communicated.

Open and closed questions

Some questions only require a simple one-word answer, such as 'yes' or 'no'.

These are called closed questions, because the person doing the asking controls the conversation.

Examples of closed questions are:

Is this the wall that needs to be re-measured?

What time is it?

Other questions are designed to let the other person give advice, or say what they think about a topic.

These are called open questions, because the answer is open-ended. Examples are:

What's the best way to spread the adhesive?

How are we going to get the cabinet down these stairs?

Open and closed questions are both very useful in a conversation.

If you only want a quick yes or no, closed questions are best.

But if you're looking for help, or need more information on an issue, open questions will encourage the other person to give you a much fuller answer, and allow the conversation to flow on.

Repeating details

Repeating the details in your own words often helps you to understand an instruction better, particularly if the task you've been asked to carry out is complicated, or you haven't done it before on your own.

OK, I'll take these fittings over to Bill and tell him the three-hole brackets go on the underside and the four-hole brackets fit flush against the wall.

This helps you to reinforce the steps in your own mind while you're still both together, so that you've each got one last opportunity to pick up on any misunderstandings before you set off to do the task.