How to Get Your Boss's Boss to Understand

Remember, if a simple model provides the insights needed for the decision, there is nothing wrong with calling it “good enough.”

Start by accepting the spelling and grammar recommendations. Microsoft is rarely wrong on these fundamentals.

I apply the 1200-word rule even when I have a 30-minute or 45-minute time slot. Keeping my formal remarks to 10 minutes allows more time for the slot to be more interactive and to focus on Q&A.

Ultimately, the question is how you will be remembered. Was your presentation clear, concise, and impactful? Or was it overwhelming and forgettable? The choice is yours.

You need more than one communication approach because there are different situational contexts.

Enhancing communication skills can help engineers improve collaboration, increase influence within organizations, and advance careers.

Before entering the room, take a moment to reset. Acknowledge your own feelings, then set them aside. As the conversation unfolds, resist the temptation to plan your response while others are speaking.

The truth is uncertainty is not the enemy. Poor communication of uncertainty is.

When I frame uncertainty well, I’m not just saying “we don’t know”—I show what we know, what’s likely, and what to watch.

Effective communication is about listening to the decision makers’ needs and meeting them in a way they understand.

The best communicators aren’t defined by how much they say, but by how well they listen.

Your goal isn’t to simplify the data—it’s to simplify the path to understanding.

So how do you do that? Start with empathy. Understand your audience’s concerns, hopes, and values.

I promised myself I would never step into a meeting again without being able to explain who I was and what I wanted in three sentences or less.

Sending your visuals early gives senior leadership more time to understand the material.

Making Microsoft PowerPoint headings more accessible makes your slides more effective for the entire audience.

Microsoft Word and PowerPoint’s built-in color and contrast checker doesn’t always perform well, especially when it comes to backgrounds involving images or gradients.

JD Solomon recommends reversing the traditional approach for developing reports and presentations by starting with accessibility.

Commit to being a person that executive leadership wants to hear from when the chips are down.

Executives do care about the details. However, initially, they simply don't have the time to wade through them all.