by Karen Chamchuk

Created on: June 23, 2008   Last Updated: June 25, 2008

There are some situations in life where it is inappropriate or uncomfortable for someone to say what they really want and may need to say and in these situations it can be extremely advantageous to know how to read between the lines.

Reading between the lines can puts you miles ahead of your co-workers by helping you understand everything that your boss isn't telling you.

Reading between the lines is necessary if your co-worker or boss comes from a culture where it is considered rude to be direct with someone. Some traditional Chinese cultures are this way and this can create significant barriers to communication if you don't know how to read between the lines.

Maybe your company is thinking about eliminating or outsourcing your job and instead of coming right out and telling you, your boss invites you to series of "job discussion meetings" about your performance with a human resources person in attendance. You need to know how to read between the lines so that you can start searching for another job. Even though your company doesn't want to get rid of you right away, they are gathering ammunition with a witness(the h.r. person) for when the time comes to let you go.

Sometimes there isn't sufficient time for your boss to give you a highly specific description of the new project you have been assigned. In this case, a keenly developed ability to read between the lines will help you to piece together exactly what is expected of you. If your boss will be out of town for the length of the project, you may need to rely solely on this ability.

Many assignments are creative in nature and require you to rely almost entirely your own judgment. An ability to read between the lines will help you to gauge what is expected of you and will put you on the right track in your work.

In truth, some people are just a lot more gifted in their ability to read between the lines than others. Often these people will assume that other people are the same way and their ultra-vague requests will always keep you feeling like you've missed a giant piece of the puzzle. I recommend practising the "EAR" technique for listening and also enlisting the help of co-workers who know the "vague-talker" better than you.

The E-A-R technique is a simple way to sharpen anyone's basic listening skills and it can also improve your ability to read between the lines.

-The "E" in Ear stands for Empathize. This means honestly striving to understand (not necessary agree with) where the other person is coming from.

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