Last year, when I was about to start my new job I talked with mentors at the Web Expo 2024 conference about how to succeed in a new job.
This time, my focus is on improving communication skills and I chatted about it with Jana, Milan, Jakub and Martin. Each one has their unique perspective and approached the topic of communication from a different angle.
Jana
Take a moment before answering a question, use this pause to think about what you want to say – are there any points you want to mention, or is there a structure you’d like to follow? You can even do it visually, imagining an emoji or a picture in mind.
This rough outline serves as a guide to keep your words concise and prevent you from departing from the meat of the matter or going into too much detail. Once you finish, you can ask if they want you to go into more detail.
Milan
Start with an “executive summary” version of what you want to say, then ask follow-up questions to learn what they else want to hear (ex. what interests them, how much time you have, if they want to see previous iterations you made, whether you should explain your process, what is the current state of your project, and so on).
Set a goal for your meeting that will help to steer the conversation and prevent getting sidetracked (“When this meeting is over, we’ll…”).
Design your meetings for your users – stakeholders. Each one may want to see or hear a different thing.
Set expectations about the level of detail this meeting requires, you don’t need to tell them every single little thing about the project.
You can ask your colleague(s) to give you an immediate feedback when you dive too much into detail or repeat yourself unnecessarily. It’s way more useful than delayed feedback during the retrospective because you can react and adjust in the moment.
Knowledge of the design terminology helps designers to articulate themselves about different aspects of design and be understood by others.
Milan found rhetoric courses helpful and enjoyable.
Jakub
When introducing a design, explain the problem first and provide enough context. Specify whether you’re seeking feedback, and clarify what you do and don’t want me to address. Describe the solution. All of this can be practiced.
Choose an appropriate level of detail and focus on different aspects based on the audience. Spend different amounts of time on each topic, as each audience will require a different mix.
Reflect after the presentation or meeting: What didn’t go well? Learn from your mistakes. This is reflection on action. Realize it during the meeting and make adjustments immediately (ie. reflection in action).
Improv classes such as those from Skola improvizace can help you practice communication skills.
Take a moment to think what is it that you want to say before speaking, and then say it.
Practice telling the same thing in 5min, 1min, and 30 seconds. You’re going to learn how to keep the most important bits.
Play word chain game to improve the reaction time (improv classes practice it in a rhythm).
Martin
Cultural differences have an impact on our ability to communicate well with colleagues and stakeholders. Putting a positive spin on things and using “we” language will take you further than explaining yourself in detail, let alone finger-pointing.
Person who presents the work usually gets the credit.
Ask what they want to know about the design – is it…
- When is it going to be finished?
- What will it bring them?
- How is it going to help them achieve their goals? Ex. getting a promotion?
- What are their concerns?
- What can you do for them to make their life or working relationships with their manager easier?
Understand their goals and needs. What you do should support them, just like your designs support your users. Show the same level of empathy to your stakeholders. Address the needs of people who approve your designs, similar to users of the product.
Understand their relationships. You might be talking to them only but they are talking to their own stakeholders (ex. your manager’s manager).
Show appreciation for their feedback, they want to improve the product just like you. Demonstrate how their feedback helped you to move things forward.