Talk like a consultant: essential consulting communication skills

Now you know the essential consulting lingo, it’s time to put those into practice. Communication is one of the core consulting skills but it takes time to master. In this blog we’re going to teach you the essential communication skills that you need to know as a new consultant.

Be concise

Consultants work closely with senior executives in the client company. They are often time poor and therefore need you to be clear and concise with your communication.

What qualifies as concise? Ask them! Find out what information is most important to your stakeholder and then focus your updates on that. This works with both clients and internal stakeholders within your consulting firm. 

Before you communicate anything, ask yourself “why should they care?” If you come up with a legitimate reason then go ahead. If you can’t, leave it out. 

Get into the habit of summarising lots of information into as few words as possible. It takes a while to get used to but it quickly gets easier. 

Storytelling

How do you give information in a way that’s engaging? Tell a story.

Storytelling is one of the most powerful ways to communicate with people. Take them on the journey whilst being concise. 

This turns pure data points into something the client can visualise and follow along with. This makes them much more likely to give you a clear decision quickly or give you the information you need efficiently. 

Written communication

Consultants spend a lot of time talking to people. However, written communication is just as important as oral communication.

Consultants often have to write up reports or PowerPoint decks for clients. It’s important that both communication mediums are top notch when you’re a consultant.

Both previous tips about being concise and telling a story apply here. With written communication though you need to go the extra mile to make sure your spelling and grammar are on point. Make sure you’ve carefully reviewed everything to ensure that you catch anything that even spell check missed. 

It’s harder to be concise with written communication. We don’t always notice our sentences sprawling over many lines. A top tip to beat this is to read your written communication aloud. If you find you’re struggling to get a breath in, this means you’re sentence is too long. Don’t just split it in two, try to remove words. 

Because your brain is having to work twice as hard, it’s easier to spot spelling and grammar mistakes when you’re reading aloud too. Don’t believe us? Try it!

Summary

Communication is one of the most important skills a new consultant can refine. Excellent communication skills are needed at all levels in your consulting career so the earlier you start the better. Implement our three top tips today to take your consulting skills to the next level.