Your Attitude Drives Your Communication Posture
- JD Solomon
- May 19
- 2 min read
Long before a single word is spoken, your attitude determines your communication posture. Your communication posture shapes how senior management receives, interprets, and acts on your information. It reflects the intentional communication approach you have chosen to strengthen your influence up the line.
Attitude Shapes How You Show Up
Attitude is the internal stance you bring into the room. It reflects what you believe about your role, your audience, and your purpose. If you understand that your job is to support decision makers with clear and actionable information, you will communicate to them in a direct, respectful, and effective way.
Posture Is the Outward Expression
Posture is the visible expression of your internal attitude. It shows up in your tone, structure, pacing, and your willingness to accept that the burden of meaning rests on you. Communicating to senior management is disciplined. It acknowledges hierarchy, respects time, and focuses on delivering decision ready content.
A simple way to visualize the three postures is:
Communicate to someone when you are providing clear, concise, decision ready information.
Communicate at someone when you push your viewpoint without regard for their role or needs.
Communicate with someone when you are collaborating as peers to co create meaning.
Choose the Posture That Builds Influence
When your attitude is grounded in service, clarity, and professionalism, your posture naturally aligns with the expectations of decision makers. You become easier to listen to. Your message becomes easier to act on. Your credibility grows.
The Tip
Your communication posture is not an accident. It is a choice shaped by the attitude you bring to every interaction. Choose the attitude that strengthens your influence up the line.
JD Solomon is the founder of JD Solomon, Inc., the creator of the FINESSE Fishbone Diagram®, and the co-creator of the SOAP criticality method©. He is the author of Communicating Reliability, Risk & Resiliency to Decision Makers: How to Get Your Boss’s Boss to Understand and Facilitating with FINESSE: A Guide to Successful Business Solutions.
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