13 confusing things your boss says - and what they really mean

Strelka Institute for Media, Architecture and Design/flickr

Learn to speak manager-ese.

• It can be hard to get used to a new boss' communication style.
• To figure out the meaning of their vague comments, you have to consider the context of the conversation and your relationship with them.
• We asked two workplace experts to decode some common confusing remarks from bosses - from "Not bad" to "Do you have the bandwidth?"

It can take a while to get used to your boss' communication style. When they call your idea "interesting," are they saying it's the stupidest thing they've ever heard? Or simply mulling it over for a moment? You can drive yourself crazy trying to figure it out.

According to Michael Kerr, an international business speaker and author of "The Humor Advantage," understanding your boss' cryptic comments depends a lot on the context of the conversation and the relationship you have with them. Maybe you should take everything at face value, or maybe you really should read between the lines.

We asked Kerr and Lynn Taylor, a national workplace expert and the author of "Tame Your Terrible Office Tyrant: How to Manage Childish Boss Behavior and Thrive in Your Job," to parse some common confusing statements from bosses. Read on to learn how to speak manager-ese.