Good Communication Practices
Tami Reiss is the founder of The Product Leader Coach where she works with product leaders and teams to realize their potential by focusing on their strengths.
If the core skills needed to be a good product manager are prioritization and communication, then you better be a great communicator to get your priorities done right.
Communication is bidirectional, you must listen more than you speak. The inbound feedback is often more important than what comes out.
How do you gather good information?
Start by checking your ego at the door. Be open to hearing what people have to say, even if it disagrees with your perspectives. Genuinely listen to people, and let them finish their whole thoughts before asking follow up questions. When asking questions, make them open ended so that you get maximum amount of information.
Additionally, be sure to request information from a diverse group of people. Not only in the diverse ways defined by equal opportunity policies, but think about different roles and personas and how they can add to your understanding of how your product might get used.
Talk to your sales team about what they are saying to win customers, and have discussions with lost prospects about what you were missing. Listen to different sized companies in varied industries if you’re working on enterprise tools. By hearing various points of view you will learn more.
How do you provide good information?
Telling others what to do is an art more than a science, and you’ll have to find your own style. Keep these things in mind as a guide.
As a manager, you have to manage the team and bring the along with your vision. Strategies for doing that often involve meeting with key stakeholders one-on-one prior to larger presentations to get advance buy-in. Play to what your team values and emphasize how your plan fits in with their goals.
Also, be sure to provide the correct level of detail for your audience. When you supply highly specific information like a screenshot, it communicates to the team that you want it done that very particular way. If you talk more in broad strokes such as in quarterly goals, team members will feel more ownership in the decisions but it may not result in your precise vision.
Finally, whenever sharing information, remember to allow for feedback and questions from others in response. It will both help you know that your point was understood and allow you to clarify or adjust your message as needed.
Hi! I’m Tami, the founder of The Product Leader Coach where I work with product leaders and teams to realize their potential by focusing on their strengths.
If you enjoyed this post, I am available for product leadership coaching or team training. Learn more about my services and upcoming children’s book.
