Communicating related to big decisions is a long game. Many presentations involving uncertainties and changing information will be made over months if not years. The FINESSE fishbone diagram provides the seven essential elements for effective communication for big decisions. Playing on the theme of a fish, a fish’s bottom fin provides it with stability. Let's explore the bottom fin of the FINESSE fishbone diagram.
The Audience Comes Second
Unlike most communication training, which stresses the customer comes first, when it comes to big decisions, the data and information come first.
"Truth does not change according to our ability to stomach it." – Flannery O'Connor
Many presentations and reports are made throughout reaching a big decision. Those presentations and reports are made to a variety of the decision maker's inner circle. Placating or sugarcoating the information to one group will ruin your credibility with the next group. Stay true to what the data and information are telling you.
It’s Not Your Decision to Make
A decision is an irrevocable allocation of resources. One person is usually responsible for that allocation, but an inner circle of advisors will be involved in big decisions.
“A decision is the irrevocable allocation of resources, while an intended course of action remains a plan until the decision is made.” – Ron Howard.
A simple rule is that you are an analyst or subject matter expert if you are making a presentation. You may also be a trusted advisor but remember that trusted advisors usually provide verbal insights. In all cases, the decision maker is not making the presentation.
Deep Respect for the Decision Maker
Decision makers come is all shapes and sizes, with many levels of knowledge and experience. Regardless, the decision belongs to the decision maker, not you.
“Have endless respect for the decision maker. It may be a bit naive, but it is the right choice." -Edward Tufte
Many of us serve in decision making roles, whether it’s managing a department or a team. In those cases, we do not want our staff or our peers selectively providing data and information for decisions that are ours to make. The same can be said when we serve in a support role. Use the golden rule—treat others how you wish to be treated.
Bone 4: Empathy
Empathy is the ability to place someone in another person’s (or species’) mental or spiritual position. While the concept of “putting yourself in someone else’s shoes” is widely accepted, there are several challenges related to effectively communicating to decision makers on issues with high degrees of complexity and uncertainty.
"No one cares how much you know, until they know how much you care."- President Theodore Roosevelt
Is empathy a learned skill or a natural trait? It's probably some of both, which means some people are naturally more effective communicators. In contrast, others have to work much harder at being effective communicators.
Empathy starts with understanding that it is all about the decision maker, not you.
Bone 5: Structure
Structure applies to written reports as well as verbal presentations. For multiple-event communication, there is a structure to the series of events and within each event. Each report and presentation within an event also requires a structure.
“Start at the end & work backward. This applies to writing emails, creating speeches, managing projects, planning events, or reaching goals.” — Dianna Booher
Business professionals do not have the time to understand all the details of reports and presentations, so it is desirable to start with the conclusions.
Bone 6: Synergy
There is simply too much information for decision makers to process objectively on their own. Plus, social reinforcement is needed when dealing with what are frequently felt to be the most important decisions of the year (or career).
“There are compelling social reasons for group cooperation.” - Paul Shoemaker
Group effects matter most when conveying technical information with high complexity and uncertainty.
What’s All of This Fin Stuff?
FINESSE is grounded in systems thinking and cause-and-effect relationships. The FINESSE fishbone diagram's elements (or bones) are Frame, Illustrate, Noise, Empathy, Structure, Synergy, and Ethics.
While working on the visuals associated with the FINESSE fishbone diagram, we debated whether the skeleton should have fins or just bones. We chose the traditional depiction with just bones, but it created thought around the purpose of the fins.
The bottom fins of a fish, its pelvic fins, provide balance and stability, aid in precise movements like braking or hovering, and assist in minor directional control.
The second three bones of FINESSE are all about the audience. Like the bottom fin of a fish, the audience provides balance and stability for technically trained professionals communicating about big decisions.
FIN-ESSE
The seven bones of the FINESSE fishbone diagram are necessary and sufficient for effective communication for big decisions. Like any system, the performance of each bone does not have to be prefect as long as each is addressed and all work together.
The Fins of FINESSE provide some helpful associations. The bottom fin of FINESSE, the audience, provides us with our balance. Next, we’ll discuss the tail fin of FINESSE, ethics, which propel us forward.
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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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