Help Decision Makers by Communicating Effectively

I recently started facilitating a Communication Skills Workshop for subject matter experts (SMEs) at a global energy major. In these workshops with diverse sets of people, one of the goals that participants come up with is “communicate upwards more effectively”. This theme also features regularly in the role-plays that participants create to practice new ideas.

In a guest post on the Leadership Thoughts blog, Alan Garvey suggests 5 tips for making upward communication more effective. While they are all very useful, one of the suggestions ( Tip 3: Mediate) stood out for me. Garvey says:

On many projects, programmes and portfolios there are a number of senior managers playing a part. Competing priorities amongst the highest ranks can lead to conflicts. Part of your role as a project leader is to identify where there are conflicts of expectations and to highlight potential problems...If you can, work with them to come up with an acceptable way forward and to manage their expectations collectively. 

While the article is geared to project leaders, I think this is advice that most specialists would benefit from. I have often seen specialists raise an issue and sit mutely as the decision makers grapple with competing priorities, often without knowing the whole picture. In these situations, a proactive specialist with a deeper understanding of the specific issue and its implications, can play a significant part in ensuring the right decision is made.

PS: I'm delivering a public webinar on Communicating Upward on 24th October. If this is of interest to you, please register here : https://narayankamath.in/webinar

What are some other ideas you have about communicating upward effectively?

​Please leave a comment below or send me an email, and I’ll do my best to answer your questions.