Communicating outside your team.
WHAT MAKES IT HARDER
Different vocabulary Different priorities No shared context Different measures of success
WHAT TO ESTABLISH FIRST
What they care about.
WHY
Your priority is not automatically theirs.
WHAT TO LEAD WITH
Why it matters to them.
WHAT EXAMPLE SHOWS IT
Framing a technical change to finance in terms of cost, and to sales in terms of what customers experience.
WHAT TO REMOVE
Internal terminology Team and system names Assumptions about how your work happens
WHAT TO ADD
What you need from them, specifically By when What happens if it does not happen
WHY THE CONSEQUENCE
It lets them prioritise honestly.
WHAT TO AVOID
Assuming your deadline is theirs Requests with no named person Escalating before asking
WHAT TO DO ABOUT COMPETING PRIORITIES
Acknowledge them, and ask what is possible.
WHY
It is more productive than insisting.
WHAT TO DO IF IT IS GENUINELY URGENT
Say why, in their terms.
WHAT TO BUILD OVER TIME
Relationships before you need them.
WHY
Requests from known people are answered first.
WHAT TO DO AFTERWARDS
Acknowledge the help, visibly.
