Davina Stanley on Communications Strategies for Better, Faster Decisions

When engaging busy stakeholders, clear communication is essential.

Davina Stanley, Director at Clarity First, advises executives and product managers on communicating high-quality insights that lead to better, faster decisions. Drawing on more than 25 years of experience—including time supporting consultants at McKinsey—she is an expert at bringing clarity to complexity and surfacing the big ideas people struggle to articulate.

In this episode, Davina joins Kristen to discuss the structured thinking techniques and stakeholder management strategies that enable leaders to communicate clearly and move decisions forward.

Watch or Listen to the Episode

Watch the full episode here or listen to it on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.

The Big Idea: Clarify the Outcome, Then Structure the Message

Davina explains that effective executive communication begins with a simple but often overlooked step: getting clear about the outcome the communication needs to achieve.

Before drafting a presentation or report, executives should carefully consider what they want their audience to do as a result. That includes identifying the specific decision-makers involved, the issues that matter most to them, and what might be controversial or challenging about the point of view being presented.

Only after that, when the thinking is clear, does she recommend structuring the message. Drawing on structured thinking techniques used in consulting, Davina encourages executives to map their ideas using a set of established patterns that organize messages around main ideas and clearly structured supporting points.

Mapping the message in this way allows stakeholders to review the direction quickly, provide feedback early, and ensure the communication focuses on the insights that matter most.

“It doesn't matter if you are a graduate communicating to your manager or you're in the C-suite communicating to the board, you've got to get very, very clear about the outcome you need from your communication and from your specific audience, too.”

Davina Stanley

Director at Clarity First

Key Takeaways

The first step in any communication is to clarify the outcome. Communicators should determine what they need their audience to do and who specifically needs to take that action.

When presenting to leadership teams or steering committees, communicators should consider who in the group will be most influential in the decision and what issues or concerns may influence their response.

Organizing ideas clearly makes communication easier to review. Structuring the message with a short introduction, one main idea, and well-grouped supporting points allows stakeholders to quickly understand the direction.

Because leadership teams are busy and often come from different disciplines, the main point must be clear and unambiguous so they can grasp the message within seconds.

Ways to Connect with Davina

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