Pay full attention to the person you are talking to
As TED.com states, if you want your conversation with another person to have the maximum possible impact and make you appear likeable to that person (which should in any case be something you are trying to achieve as a manager), you must give them your attention 100%. Put your phone aside, do not think about anything else, be present in the given moment and thus show the other person the importance of your mutual conversation.
Actively react to what the other person says
The best way to show you really are paying attention is to react actively to what the other person is saying. This means occasionally summing up in your own words the ideas just expressed by the other person; you should think about what was said and ask additional questions.
Speak to the point and no small talk
Superficial conversations about nothing will lead you nowhere. Ditch the small talk and instead surprise the employee with your frankness. Speak to the point, and do not be afraid even of fundamentally unpleasant topics. Try to have genuinely honest and transparent conversations with other people that do not sugarcoat anything.
Pay attention to your body language
If your gestures do not match your words, you will cause the other person subconsciously to doubt whether you really mean what you are saying. Do not forget about body language, add appropriate gestures to your words and thus emphasise the most important points you want to convey.
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