Does your manager understand a word you’re saying?

You know what you’re talking about.

You’ve analysed, calculated, documented and quality-assured your work.

And yet you may still be left with the feeling that your message isn’t quite getting through. That decisions are being made on a different basis. That your key points are getting lost in translation.

It’s not about your expertise. It’s about translation.

Professional precision vs strategic reality

As a specialist, you’re trained to think precisely. You see nuances, caveats and dependencies.

But your manager has a different perspective:

• Direction
• Priorities
• Risk
• Resources
• Timing

If you communicate in technical detail while your manager is listening for consequences and a basis for decision-making, you can end up talking past each other, even when you’re both right.

It can be tempting to think: ‘They just don’t understand.’ But you could also turn the question around and ask yourself: ‘Have I made it easy to understand what this actually means?’

Put your point to the test

If you want your manager to hear you and, more importantly, understand you, it’s not about sounding more persuasive. It’s about connecting your professional judgement to the decision-making logic it forms part of.

Before presenting a point, test it at three levels:

1 - Which aspect of the decision does this affect?

Management decisions typically involve balancing objectives, risk, finances, time and reputation.

Ask yourself:

• Is this primarily a quality issue, a question of risk or a matter of priorities?
• What are the consequences if we don’t act?
• How much uncertainty is there in my assessment?

By making the consequences and uncertainties clear, you help your manager assess proportionality, not just whether your assessment is correct.

2 - What is my professional position?

Many specialists stop at the analysis. But analysis without a clear position leaves the decision-maker to draw their own conclusions.

So be explicit about:

• What do I recommend, and why?
• Which alternatives have we ruled out?
• What is my recommendation based on: data, experience, standards or best practice?

A clear recommendation signals accountability. It turns your expertise into something that can be acted on.

3 - What does the decision-maker need to do?

Finally, your manager needs to know:

• What decision needs to be made?
• How urgent is it?
• What are the consequences of delaying?

If you don’t make the need for a decision clear, your point risks being treated as information rather than as a basis for decision-making.

Say less and be heard more

Many people assume they will be heard if they explain more. Often, the opposite is true.

The more complex your subject matter, the more important it is to:

• structure your message
• prioritise your key points
• make the consequences clear
• provide a recommendation

The key is to give your expertise the right framework.