Here is another valuable Management Tip of the Day from Harvard Business Review. To sign up for a free subscription to any/all HBR newsletters, please click here.

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Many worthwhile initiatives fail because of communication breakdowns: management thinks they’ve shared the relevant information and yet, somehow, employees never heard it.

Here are three ways to get employees to listen even when they don’t want to hear:

Test your message. Informally try out the message with individuals or groups, especially those you suspect will resist. Improve your communication based on their input.

Incentivize. It may seem silly to bribe people to listen, but it’s better than letting your initiative fail. Serve breakfast or lunch to get more people to show up at communication meetings. Offer rewards to people who can answer a survey about the messages.

Follow up. Make sure people heard and understood what was said. See if they have questions or feedback.

Today’s Management Tip was adapted from “Help Employees Listen When They Don’t Want to Hear” by John Baldoni.

To read that article and join the discussion, please click here: