I received an interesting comment to yesterday's post on adjusting your communication style. What do you do when your boss seems to be dis-engaged and not listening?  This is particularly troubling when you are having a phone conversation and don't have the advantage of seeing the other person's body language. This dis-engagement may also manifest itself as impatience. A boss who previously used a "content" listening style focused on hearing all the facts may switch to a "time" listening style focused on limiting the amount of interaction. Here are a few things you can do to uncover the source of the disconnect and get back in sync:

• Ensure that you communicate the purpose and importance of the meeting. Identify the business issue that needs to be solved or the action that needs to be taken.
• Establish up front how much time you have to cover the topic. If it's an impromptu call, you can say something like "This will take 15 minutes. Do you have time now or should we schedule a meeting?". If you must cover the topic in a short period  of time, start with the most important issue or accomplishment: " I need your decision on…." or "I want to update you on a fantastic team effort".
• If the boss is going at a rapid fire pace and you are struggling to keep up, pause the conversation periodically so that you can catch up: " Let me repeat that to ensure I understand your point" or " Can we pause for a moment so that I can write that down?" or "I'd like to recap the key points - let me know if I missed anything".