Communicating Clearly – how we/I can improve
Posted on December 1st, 2009 by Paul McArdle – 1 Comment.
Stephen Hurn read this book last week and suggested all of us should read it.
It really is a 1-hour read, and I have made this post in an effort to ensure we all gain some value from the wisdom contained in the book.
1) Binary Review
|
The Book |
What we thought |
 “Communicating Clearly” by Harvard Business Press |
Uncommon “common sense” |
| Full Disclosure – yes, that’s a tracked link to Amazon shown above. We buy quite a large number of books on a wide range of topics, all relevant to our business in some way. If you did happen to purchase the book from Amazon, they’d throw a few shekels our way, which would help us to buy (and hence publish reviews of) even more books. Hence, Karma would return the benefits to you… |
2) Background
Back in July we performed our own Autopsy 1 – which was done in a day, and delivered some benefits. More recently we have commenced a more involved process, with some external assistance, we’ve taken to labelling Autopsy 2.
Underlying some of the issues we’re confronting have been some shortcomings with our own communications, in various forms – between employees internally, with some suspects/prospects/clients, with potential new employees, with potential investors, etc…
As we’re learning, these shortcomings have encompassed both:
1) content (i.e. the message we have communicated, and how it has been communicated); and
2) context (i.e. why we have chosen to communicate this, in the first place).
As with every facet of our business, I am keen to encourage a policy of life-long learning tightly coupled with continuous improvement (i.e. applying the learning is critical).
Hence we are using a number of resources (books, coaches and others) to assist us in improvement.
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3) Some Key Points
Rather than just recommend you read it, I thought it would be useful to highlight the points that resonated most with me:
(a) Clarity/Simplicity
It should be a truism that, if we can’t be clear on the message we are trying to deliver, then the recipient has no hope of receiving a clear message. However in our case, we have certainly been guilty of falling down in this way.
The is particularly telling for us – as we are a company that incorporates the tagline “Clarity, Convenience and Cost-Effectiveness” with respect to the software we develop for the electricity market.
i. Where I have done it well
One product, NEM-Watch, is a good example of where we have been able to deliver clarity to our clients.
This software package really does deliver on our promise of “making the NEM understandable”, for which we are rewarded with a large and growing client base.
Some of our other products don’t quite reach the same heights – yet (this will be one of our areas of significant focus in the months ahead).
ii. Where I have fallen down
As I am finding through the process of Autopsy 2, some of our malaise has stemmed from ineffective communication of “where the bus is going” (as per Jim Collins) to internal and external stakeholders.
This is not for want, or trying – moreso because it’s a skill-gap that I need to work on improve on, personally.
I particularly liked the notion in the book “User Stories Applied” that, if we run out of room on User Story Card for an explanation of the feature, then we should use a smaller card.
As a company, how can we improve? I totally agree with the statement on p2 which notes:
So, you can help teach clarity. But it’s partly a skill and partly an attitude of mind.
What this means is that we need to focus on both:
1) We need to foster a culture of applying life-long learning – both with respect to:
(a) Communications skills, themselves; and
(b) Delivering a real understanding of the subject matter at hand (whether it be the electricity market, or software development processes, or marketing, etc…) - this relates to comments made previously about a shallow level of understanding we need to move way beyond.2) We also need to create an environment that encourages clarity over waffle.
(b) Two ears and one mouth
It was from Stephen Covey that I first read the principle that we have two ears and one mouth, and that we should use them in this proportion. In this book (p7) this quote is attributed to Mark Twain (it may have also been so ascribed in Covey’s book – I can’t recall).
One of the biggest lessons I have learnt in terms of the marketing of our products (and in terms of requirements elicitation) has been to use the practice of active listening to clients when I meet with them.
This practice is worlds away from where I was when I began:
10 years ago I started any client meeting by opening the laptop, powering up PowerPoint, and leaving questions till last – yawn!
The fact that I have learnt this much is one of the reasons that our marketing is a whole lot more effective than it was years ago.
Our challenge now is to ensure that our Aspiring Product Managers also make their way up the same learning curve (much, much quicker than I did!). Our new Chief Software Engineer (who we will be looking for, in earnest, from early 2010) will help us in this process.
(c) Stay on message, and repeat often
Several of the people quoted in the book stressed the point that we need to communicate the our key message consistently and repeatedly (sometimes way past the time when we get sick of repeating the same message ourselves). Only then will some people hear it.
I have learnt this, in particular, with respect to our marketing.
(d) Find your own style
The book quotes Laura Tyson (who worked in the Clinton Administration) as noting three key facets of communications (p62):
1) Understanding the content
For us this means that (for instance) to have credibility in speaking with our clients, we need to understand the electricity market.
2) Understand the audience
It’s a narrow vertical market, which means that the concerns of large industrial energy users are different from those of generators (for instance) – though these are just some of our clients.
3) Know yourself, and your style of presentation.
As you will see from this blog, each of us has our own personal style, and part of what I am encouraging is for each person to find their own way of conveying their ideas.
This is a bit like the principle promoted in the book “Why would anyone be led by you?” which I am also reading at the moment – one of many!
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