Communicating with the Top Dogs

Communication just comes naturally to some people. Or was their polished performance actually meticulously planned?
Have you ever realized how much work is needed to communicate a concise message? It's much easier to ramble informally with peers than to assemble a clear proposal within a few minutes to an intimidating crowd.

 

Know Your Audience

When communicating with Senior Leaders, a different style must be used for Effective Communication. Consider these 'Principles of Effective Upward Communication¹':

1. Consider their perspective - Empathize, Speak their language and (I think most importantly) Anticipate their questions
2. Be respectful - Recognize the value of time, Prepare a tailored presentation and consider cultural perspectives of a Company Hierarchy
3. Be focused and concise - Use direct communication, Know your objective and Stay focused (make inquiries in advance to find out what audience really wants and preferred presentation style)
4. Be honest - If you don't know an answer; don't try to guess! Answer honestly ("I don't know" is ok, but commit to answer within a specific timeframe)

Keep It Simple

Presentations should follow these best practises:

1. 10 slides, 20 minute max, 30-point font min (Kawasaki's 10/20/30 rule)
2. 30 second rule: be prepared to summarize in literally 30 seconds
3. Start with the reason for the presentation
4. Present all options concisely
5. Give clear recommendations
6. Summarize and give next steps

I'm going to add one more presentation tip from a colleague:

• Use statements and keywords, not sentences. Use a max. of 8 words per line and 8 lines per slide (this is actually REALLY HARD to do - give it a try!).

For every communication opportunity, carefully consider your audience and choose the most appropriate style for Effective Communication. After much planning and prep work - you too could come off as that person who is "just good at communicating".

1Source: Techniques for Communicating Effectively with Senior Executives, Skillsoft

A Diamond in the Rough... strategic planning

Strategic Analysis... sounds like a huge task - where to even start?! So many factors, so many variables to consider.

I was recently exposed to the Diamond-E Framework which breaks down Strategic Planning into approachable buckets. The Framework is a tool that will help to identify potential gaps within an entire ecosystem before deciding to pursue an opportunity or address a threat.

The assumption is that you have a Strategy in place, but you are now assessing specific proposals to determine if they are worth pursuing. The Framework guides you to find deficiencies or gaps within specific components (see below); how those gaps relate to each other, and how they relate overall to the Strategy in place. Corrections can be made to fix the specific issues (i.e. missing capability) or it may be more appropriate to adjust the Strategy (i.e. against corporate culture).

ENVIRONMENT (external variable)

Consider factors outside the organization that will impact chances of success: Supply (technology, suppliers, resources), Demand )customer needs & preferences), Competition (market rivalry & attractiveness), Government (regulatory compliance, policies).

RESOURCES (internal variable)

What requirements are needed in these organizational areas? Marketing, Operations, Development, Human Resources, Finance

MANAGEMENT (internal variable)

What are the 'Observed Preferences' in Individual goals, values and attitudes and how do these differ from the 'Required Preferences'? "What's best for me and my team?" vs. "What's best for my company?"

ORGANIZATION (internal variable)

What are the required capabilities for success with relation to: Innovation, Productivity, Speed, Collaboration

There are many opportunities to apply the Diamond-E Framework. Strategic planning of complex/huge opportunities are an obvious match to apply the Framework (i.e. should we get into THIS type of business?) - but it can also be applied at a tactical level (i.e. project selection or deciding on feature enhancements to pursue). From what I've read, it will feel more 'natural' once it's been used a few times. Overall, the Diamond-E Framework is a tool that will help to identify potential gaps within an entire ecosystem before deciding to pursue an opportunity or address a threat.

Reference Material

Joseph N. Fry, J. Peter Killing - Strategic Analysis & Action