Communication for the new design leader
I was recently asked to give a presentation to emerging IBM Design leaders on how to communicate as a leader. Good communication and leadership do not form a syllogism, in fact many women and men who achieve positions of power still do not communicate effectively. So why is it so important that emerging design leaders learn how to communicate effectively? For one, leaders who master the art of effective communication achieve higher goals just by shear power of scale when they convince others to mobilize to achieve common goals. Second, the designer’s job consists mainly of persuading others to support their own ideas, which makes excellent communication skills a must have in the designer’s toolkit.
Communicating like Aristotle
To Aristotle, communication was a science formed by three major elements: Ethos, Pathos and Logos. These 3 elements formed the science of rhetoric or effective persuasion. And they are still used today, after thousands of years, by effective leaders at different stages of their career.
Ethos
Ethos is essentially the designer’s credibility: It is their ability to convince others that she or he is the best possible person to propose such idea. Research has shown that decision makers will often place their faith, less in what is being said and more in who is saying it. Following a trusted authority often reduces feelings of uncertainty. Designers can use a variety of best practices to help them build credibility:
Work to become an authority. Easier said that done, but good designers hone their skills and knowledge on specific methods and topics while maintaining a broad spectrum of secondary skills. For example, I became interested in strategy as it relates to Design a couple of years ago. Since then, I sought opportunities where I could participate in the product definition process and thus position myself to lead new IBM innovations into the market. I specifically looked for this type of work to practice strategy and I even went back to graduate school to get a degree in Technology Commercialization. While I am far from being the ultimate authority in the subject, I constantly strive to achieve the goal which makes me a good candidate to propose strategic ideas within IBM.
Show your chops. For most of us talking about our strengths is not the most natural thing to do. In fact, bragging is the last thing you want to do because it reduces your credibility and authenticity. However, if you don’t publicize your strengths your Ethos becomes weak and your ability to communicate suffers. To build a reputation make sure your work is consistent, your name is always attached to projects with similar themes, and genuinely help others with your expertise. When starting a new project, make sure your manager or coworker introduces you before the audience and always attach your signature to intellectual property such as design documents, presentations, papers and blogs.
Be sharp. Designers don’t need to wear suits or build a boring homogenous persona to fit in a corporate environment. But that is no excuse for sloppy demeanor at work or on social media. The image you portray through the quality of presentations, tone of voice, choice of words and even speech cadence can move the needle from rejection to support. To be sharp is to practice before presentations, to adjust your tone depending on the audience and to be unflappable against criticism — never get defensive or retaliate when somebody says something you don’t agree with.
Pathos
Pathos is the emotional connection: The designer’s ability to convince others that the idea should matter to them, personally. To convince others of the importance of an idea or to communicate a message effectively, designers need to give the audience, or the conversational counterpart, what they want to receive back. After all, people like others who like them and are more willing to support those who they like.
Tell a story. It is well known amongst designers that storytelling is a powerful skill. Most messages are best delivered through a story and learning the basics of Aristotle’s plot is a good way of spending a couple of hours. But not all stories need to have a plot structure with complex characters. In some situations, a shallow story or anecdote will suffice. The key is to deliver messages in ways that people can understand and help them create a connection by empathizing with the problem and those who experience the problem.
Help your audience commit. Marketers know that scarcity is an effective way of convincing people that they need something. When used with honesty and in the right circumstances, designers can emphasize the magnitude of pain points in relation to existing solutions or the time sensitive nature of a problem. There are many other ways to bring your audience to a point of commitment. The bottom line is. Once the message is communicated and decision makers have committed to your idea, make sure the decision is in writing and, in the best circumstances, made in public. People like to live up to their commitments so use Github, Slack or any public forum where your team works to record important decisions made during meetings.
Logos
Logos is the effective transmission of the message: the designer’s ability to deliver a story that others can understand. I have had smart educators and good educators. The latter are those who are able to explain a complex, sometimes obscure concept in ways that others can easily understand. The ability to make this transformation and appeal to others’ sense of reason is what makes a good design leader.
Tailor your message. Many smart designers spend too much time on the content of a presentation or speech and not on they way in which is delivered. Designers can vastly improve the acceptance of their message by tailoring arguments to the style of those who will make the ultimate decision. Not everyone reacts or makes decisions the same way: some decision makers seek risk and bold ideas as long as they are backed by competition or user data. Others like to come to their own conclusions and would rather do the heavy lifting instead of sitting through an obvious presentation. There are some decision makers that follow the lead of other companies, colleagues, or even themselves by sticking to ideas that worked in the past. Designers should tailor their speeches or presentations by learning who they are communicating with and modifying their way of speaking and delivering content accordingly.
Be authentic. Some designers confuse authenticity with being “different” or “esoteric” but to be authentic means we must access the most vulnerable side of our personality to be able to connect with the messages we are delivering. Many presentations fail because the speaker is not able to connect and create rapport with the audience. The message becomes obscured and the reasoning behind it loses any important meaning. People understand messages and stories that are authentically told. That feel real. Designers need to deliver authentic presentations and create rapport with the audience so that the message can come forward truthfully and be easily understood.
Tips for the pros
- Have broad interests but hone your skills. Strive to become an authority.
- Let others know what you are good at and what you have done.
- Practice public presentations and even small meetings.
- Adapt the way you speak and tell stories according to the audience.
- Be unflappable, never get defensive or retaliate.
- Storytelling is a must have skill for any design lead. No excuses.
- Enable public documentation of important decisions.
- Tailor your message to the ultimate decision maker. Not everyone makes decisions or understands content the same way.
- Be Authentic. People understand stories and concepts that are authentically told. That feel real.
- Be aware of your emotional intent. People are good at reading other people.
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