How Do You Tailor Your Communication Style for Clients From Diverse Industries?
In the realm of law and consultancy, effective communication is paramount, especially when dealing with a spectrum of industries. We've gathered insights from Senior Attorneys to Managing Partners, who share their strategies for adapting their advisory language. From using plain language to actively listening and asking questions, explore five expert opinions on refining client interactions.
- Use Plain Language
- Meet Clients Where They're At
- Adapt to Industry Specifics
- Do Your Homework
- Actively Listen and Ask Questions
Use Plain Language
We start by listening. We pay close attention to what our clients have to say, to make sure that we fully understand their story and how we can provide value to them. We also avoid making assumptions and ask clarifying questions to ensure our understanding of the situation is correct.
Once we have a full understanding of the facts, including our clients' desired outcomes, we use straightforward language. We give our clients an honest assessment of their case, while also avoiding jargon or technical terms. This is true whether we're talking to judges or blue-collar workers. Using plain, straightforward, and honest language that anyone can grasp is key to effectively communicating our points.
Meet Clients Where They're At
At the risk of sounding cliché, this is all about 'meeting clients where they're at.' Some clients are very technical themselves (think engineering executives), and so they appreciate our 'Ph.D. speak' and citing psychometric evidence about the success of our executive assessments and other interventions. Other clients are extraordinarily practical and down-to-earth. They don't want to be bothered with details from our technical reports; they want to know in plain English how their lives and their businesses will be tangibly better by working with us. Still, other clients are financially driven based on the work that they do. Many of our clients are private equity firms. Deal partners in private equity care about how quickly we can help their companies be worth more money. They want to know how executive assessment, coaching, or team effectiveness can actually create value—in dollars and cents and in time saved. In each of these three examples, we're speaking the language of that client and their business.
Adapt to Industry Specifics
I change the way I talk to people based on each business's needs and the specifics of their industry. During my 30-year career, I've learned that it's important to know the ins and outs of each industry to give good legal advice.
For example, when I work with clients in the healthcare field, I make sure to use precise, technical wording and cite the proper rules. This ensures that they are understood and can trust the help given. I often discuss specific cases of medical wrongdoing and how they ended to show how similar problems have been solved in the past.
On the other hand, I take a more direct and helpful approach when advising people in the construction business. I help them understand complicated legal ideas using simple words and real-life examples. For example, when working on a case involving a building worker who got hurt, I used real-life examples to show what could happen and how to handle it. This made the legal process easier to understand and demonstrated the importance of following safety rules.
My goal with every client encounter is for them to feel heard, respected, and informed. By adapting how I talk to them to fit their business and personal needs, I give them clear, practical legal help that empowers them to make smart choices.
Do Your Homework
When it comes to working with clients across different sectors, one size certainly doesn't fit all when it comes to communication. You have to be able to speak different languages, so to speak, to connect with everyone on their terms and make sure your advice gets through loud and clear.
I've found it really helps to do my homework beforehand and understand how each industry operates at a fundamental level. For example, talking to a tech startup versus a traditional manufacturer is totally different—one values speed and disruption, the other reliability and established processes. Being knowledgeable about business models and cultural norms puts clients at ease that you comprehend their world.
I also adjust my language depending on a client's preferences. Some like formality, others casualness. I pay attention during initial meetings for cues on tones and styles they use themselves. If they're informal, I loosen up too to foster rapport. But if a client seems more serious, I'll calibrate my energy level and language accordingly. Flexibility is key to showing respect.
Most importantly, though, active listening is a must. I make a point to ask clarifying questions and restate what I'm hearing to confirm understanding. This builds trust that I'm focused on their perspective, not pushing my own agenda. And it surfaces any nuanced points I may have missed before offering guidance tailored exactly to their situation and priorities.
Overall, the bespoke approach has served me well across all sorts of clientele, from scrappy tech startups to household-name multinationals. By meeting people where they're at communication-wise and genuinely listening with empathy, tailoring advice becomes very natural. The response has been very positive, with clients feeling heard, understood, and equipped to make the best choice for their unique scenarios.
Actively Listen and Ask Questions
As a legal and consulting professional, tailoring my communication style to effectively advise clients from diverse industries involves understanding the unique needs, challenges, and terminologies of each industry. This approach ensures that my advice is relevant, easily understood, and actionable for the client.
One example of this is when I worked with a tech startup and a family-owned restaurant, both requiring legal advice on business contracts but needing very different communication approaches. For the tech startup, the founders were highly knowledgeable about technology but had limited experience with legal jargon. I used straightforward language, avoiding unnecessary legalese, and incorporated visual aids like flowcharts to explain the contract clauses. Additionally, I referenced industry-specific scenarios to illustrate potential risks and benefits, ensuring my advice was contextually relevant.
Conversely, the family-owned restaurant had owners who were more familiar with operational aspects of their business but less comfortable with formal documentation and legal terms. Here, I adopted a more conversational tone, using analogies related to their daily operations to explain legal concepts. For example, when discussing the importance of a non-compete clause, I likened it to a recipe that they wouldn't want a former chef to take to a competitor. This made the concept more relatable and easier to grasp.
In both cases, the key was to listen actively and ask clarifying questions to understand their specific concerns and knowledge levels. For the tech startup, I often asked questions about their product development cycles and future goals to ensure that the contracts supported their innovation and growth. With the restaurant, I inquired about their staffing practices and customer service priorities to tailor my advice to their operational realities.
By customizing my communication style to fit the client's industry and level of expertise, I was able to build trust and ensure that they felt confident in the legal decisions they were making. This not only helped in effectively conveying complex legal information but also empowered the clients to make informed decisions that aligned with their business goals.
