How have you found success managing stakeholder relationships when there’s a wide gap in communication styles?
I’m not sure if this is in regards to a wide gap between how you communicate vs. the stakeholder, or a wide gap in how multiple stakeholders who you manage communicate.
On the first topic, seek out others in the business who communicate well with the particular stakeholder. Don’t be afraid to address it with them directly too. If you don't have someone else to learn from, trial and error works too. Sometimes I see people try the same type of communication over and over, even if it's not working. The important thing here is to be intentional - try one tactic, and if it's not resonating, try another. This applies to everything form format used (e.g. phone, Slack, email, meeting) to reasoning (quantitative vs. qualitative) to level of detail needed.
On the second topic, if you’re managing multiple leaders that prefer different communication styles, there are a few options. One is to use all the avenues and cater to the individuals. This can be a big lift, so I’d see if there are maybe ~2 that the group can align on (ex. maybe a meeting and a quick follow up email with action items listed). Another tactic is again leaning on others to help overcommunicate. For example, we rolled out our internal roadmap and shared it via email/doc and held office hours to discuss live with anyone who would prefer to chat (2 different formats). We are still constantly referring back to this - it’s linked in multiple docs, we continue to refer to it in stakeholder meetings, etc. Utilizing others to help communicate and spread the word is a scalable way to overcommunicate.
This is a common scenario especially when you are talking about global teams, with members from multiple countries and cultures.
I will share one example that hopefully brings to life my approach to this type of situation, when there is a gap in communication styles.
When I worked in Europe, I realized I often had difficult e-mail exchanges with one of the regional sales leaders. As much as I tried to be clear and precise with my words, they were always met with misunderstanding and resistance. To the point that friction became the norm, and the relationship was fractured. During one of those heated e-mail exchanges, I decided to stop the e-mail back and forth, and call the person directly. Although I was nervous about how the conversation would unfold, it ended up being surprisingly positive and constructive. We were able to listen to each other points of view and come to an agreement. More importantly, we realized that when talking over the phone, a lot of the tension that took place in our e-mail communications did not exist. We agreed that, when discussing controversial topics, we'd always favor a phone call over e-mail. That simple step was essential for me to build a trust-based relationship with this stakeholder.
Having an open and deliberate conversation with a stakeholder about communication style, channels and ways of working in general, is a helpful instrument to build trust-based relationships and effective collaboration.
I'm pretty flexible (loved ones may disagree) about how I work and communicate so it's never been a major problem but I think two principles can help guide everyone through this situation:
1) Be true to yourself. If you aren't upholding your own values, needs (personal and professional), and communication preferences at all, the relationship will ultimate crash and burn.
2) You have to expect them to do the same.
That means finding ways that can be made to work for everyone. It's often really helpful to talk to the person explicitly about the perceived gap, even if they're senior to you. Several organizations I have worked at made a big deal out of this with a lot of transparency. We've shared your MBTI and other "personality" test results, done a working styles preferences exercise, and talked about what we want to do. Then you both at least know more about each other and are more likely to empathize. I think this can go a long way.
From there, you can then develop some version of a "communication contract" about how you will handle different things:
When do you write vs. meet in person, when do you provide a pre-read vs. not, etc.?
Will you have time in meetings to read a document or is everything presented verbally or read beforehand?
Agree to have an agenda and set clear objectives for your interactions.
It won't ever be perfect if the styles are that far apart but I believe you can learn to work with just about anyone.
Managing stakeholder relationships across different communication styles is a learned skill—and one that applies to any function, not just RevOps. In an ideal world, every leader would communicate in the same style, with the same level of detail and clarity, but that is simply not reality.
Some leaders are highly visual thinkers, while others prefer detailed written documentation before a conversation. Some need the ability to double-click and ask secondary questions, while others want concise, high-level summaries with no extraneous detail. You will also encounter a mix of direct communicators, recalcitrant decision-makers, and individuals who are either highly collaborative or ego-driven.
Rather than expecting stakeholders to adapt to your preferred style, the most effective approach is to flex and adjust your communication method to match your audience. The easiest way to do this? Ask them directly.
When working with new stakeholders, take the time to ask:
Do they prefer Slack or email?
Do they like having written agendas before meetings?
What are their communication pet peeves?
What do they appreciate most in an effective collaboration?
Keep notes on these preferences and review them before each interaction. Over time, this practice will become second nature, allowing you to instinctively tailor your approach to maximize engagement.
Importantly, communication is a two-way street—it is not just about getting your ideas across, but also about understanding how others convey their own ideas. By investing in learning how someone processes and shares information, you will not only build stronger relationships but also prevent misalignment before it happens.
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