Most communication training focuses on persuasion and audience engagement. However, this approach usually falls short when it comes to big decisions. In this insight, we will share three shocking communication strategies that will transform the way you communicate when the stakes are high.
Communication Approaches for High-Stakes Presentations
We need a specific approach for effectively communicating issues involving high levels of complexity and uncertainty. Without an approach, our focus is too high in the clouds or too low as we move through the forest from tree to tree. FINESSE provides a proven approach to big presentations and big decisions.
Three Shocking Communication Strategies
What three things are often debated in every training session I conduct? The same three make the FINESSE approach for big decisions different from more general communications strategies.
1. The Data Comes First, Not the Audience
Most communication training teaches us to be persuasive. That means the needs of the audience come first. Most communication training is also aimed at one (or a limited number) of contacts with the audience.
The issue with big decisions is that they are filled with complexity and uncertainties. Big decisions also take a long time to make. They pass through a number of gatekeepers and special committees. The decision maker's inner circle is also involved.
Big decisions do not happen fast. And the data and information change throughout deliberation.
Most technical professionals don't have a lot of communications training. We seem to be stuck on many of the buzzwords (or buzz concepts) when it comes to soft skills. Staying true to what you know about the data and information at all times and at all tides is a tough concept for many. Remember, the most important thing for a technical professional is their credibility – and we only get one shot at it.
2. You Should Not Care About the Decision
In response to this, I am often told, "But I am the technical expert. If I am supposed to have an opinion. They hire me to make the decision on my expertise!"
There's a lot to unpack here. However, it usually starts with the rebuttal that comes back as a statement, not a question. People who launch in with statements are dug in.
The salient point is that you should have an opinion, but our role as technical professionals is not to make the decision. It is to be a trusted advisor.
Hopefully, no one is providing their decision maker with potential solutions that are not viable. There are usually multiple viable solutions, and even when not, there are various approaches related to timing, sequencing, and phasing.
This suite of possibilities is called a Business Case Evaluation. As technical professionals, we provide the list of possibilities and probabilities.
The decision maker makes the choice (the decision). Whether it’s the best or most optimal choice is not our concern, as long as the solutions we present are all viable. Remember, big decisions are tricky because they contain a lot of complexity and uncertainty. No one – not even the technical professional – can perfectly forecast an uncertain future.
3. Start with the Conclusions
The source of this controversy is two-fold, at best. First, we are taught by cumulative learning from kindergarten through post-secondary education. Second, as technical professionals, we use a cumulative process called the Scientific Method. As technical professionals, we kind of have “building to a conclusion” baked into us.
The worst sources of starting with the conclusion are more concerning. The first is usually related to the need to be important at a team level. It manifests in statements like, "They need to understand how hard we worked" or "They need to understand all of the things we had to consider."
The second more concerning issue at the individual level. This issue manifests itself in statements like, "This is one of the few opportunities I have in front of the decision maker" or "If I tell them everything upfront, then they will not want to hear everything I have to say."
In business, time is money, and attention spans are short. Communicating in business starts downhill – with the end and then letting the decision maker ask their questions if needed.
JD Solomon’s FINESSE Fishbone Diagram
The FINESSE fishbone diagram® is a game-changer for tackling communication issues related to big decisions. The fishbone (or cause-and-effect) diagram identifies the critical factors and categorizes relevant tips under each bone.
By dissecting problems into manageable chunks, it’s easier to pinpoint where things go wrong and implement targeted solutions. The FINESSE fishbone diagram® is a roadmap for clearer communication, whether in a boardroom or when explaining complexities and uncertainties with a team of senior managers.
JD Solomon served in executive leadership roles at two Fortune 500 companies before starting JD Solomon, Inc., just before the pandemic. JD is the founder of Communicating with FINESSE®, the creator of the FINESSE fishbone diagram®, and the co-creator of the SOAP criticality method©. He is the author of Communicating Reliability, Risk & Resiliency to Decision Makers: How to Get Your Boss’s Boss to Understand and Facilitating with FINESSE: A Guide to Successful Business Solutions.
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