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Communicating is key to the role of a Business Analyst, so understanding the different approaches (consciously or unconsciously) helps you perform better in your job.

Every conversation has a purpose

Conversations are made up of questions and statements, but it’s important to understand purpose and structure of interactions before they occur.

Every professional conversation fits within one of six buckets: Inform (building knowledge with others), Build consensus (seeking agreement), Get approval (authority to act), Get advice (determining how to act), Build rapport (socialising), or Selling (getting someone onboard).

Before any communication, ask: (1) What type of conversation is this? (2) What do I need the audience to think, feel, or do? (3) What does success look like for them and for me?

Spending time building trust

Spending the time building deliberate relationships is the foundation for professional influence.

Trust is built up from your Credibility (ability to perform quality work and provide insights), Reliability (timely delivery/action), and Intimacy (friendliness of your relationship and genuine care for the individual). I’m hoping to write more on these topics over time!

But all of this is undermined by their perspective of the benefit they get in trusting you; If they believe you’re focusing on yourself rather than them, it can erode all the total trust built by the other three aspects.

As you build up that trust, you’ll earn the right to question and challenge their ideas whilst showing you care about the individual. Showing that you care is key to trust!

Adapting to the audience

Everyone has different styles and communication preferences:

• Drivers: Want speed and results (“Give me the answer”).
• Analyticals: Want evidence and rigour (“Show me the evidence”).
• Expressives: Want vision and the big picture (“Give me the vision”).
• Amiables: Want consensus and rapport (“Bring me along, help me trust”).

Presenting

This could be a whole topic on it’s own, but there are some quick take-aways worth keeping in mind;

Silence is a tool that signals confidence and gives people the space to process what you’ve laid out. The “three-second rule” of pausing after making a point lets the room respond, particularly if you’re making a big suggestion.

In this window, you’ll get a gauge of attitudes and expressions. Hopefully, the audience may also engage in the presentation! If an audience member responds, focus on reflecting their needs rather than resuming any pre-planned explanation. You can repeat back what they’ve asked to confirm, and seek clarity in what information they might be seeking so you’ve got a tailored answer rather than a scripted answer that ignores the core of their question.

Ultimately, clarity involves absorbing complexity for the audience so they only receive what is necessary for their decision-making. If you’ve worked out your recommendation, you don’t always need to take everyone through the same journey. Some people just need the answer, and the journey can be in the appendix, no matter how much effort you’ve put into it. If they need it, you’ve got the evidence on hand, and if they make the decision without it then it’s proof of confidence in your work and process!

Beth Kairys for originally writing these thoughts, edited by Stefan Carton