Knowing Your Audience

Understanding your audience is fundamental to effective communication. This skill involves recognizing the audience's characteristics, such as their roles, cultures, backgrounds, goals, motivations, and communication styles.

Example

When collaborating with a Product Designer (PD) on reviewing a new design for an existing feature at a music streaming service, such as Apple Music, the PD usually leads the meeting. The Product Manager (PM) carefully examines the new design and actively listens to the PD's rationale. Throughout the design review, the PM raises any concerns and provides detailed explanations to support their thinking.

For example, suppose the search bar is not easily accessible despite previous user analysis indicating its importance. In that case, the PM waits for the discussion on the search area and then articulates the issue, explains the underlying reasoning, and potentially suggests a solution. The process often involves allowing space for collaborative or individual exploration to find the best solution. This communication style is well-suited for cross-functional collaboration with teams like development and marketing.

On the other hand, when engaging with a Data Scientist (DS) or any other research collaborator, the PM employs a precise and detailed communication approach. Suppose the DS is analyzing the PM. In that case, the PM ensures clear communication of the business use case, hypotheses being tested, suggested approaches, and any specific requirements for deliverables such as file format, data points, or graphs. This level of communication also applies when working with Data Analysts, UX Research, or other team members involved in research.

In contrast, the PM adopts a more concise approach when discussing a problem with C-Level executives (e.g., CEO or CFO). They provide a high-level overview of the problem, potential solutions, and their recommendations. The PM typically delves into specifics only when prompted or requested for further information but can bring up areas deemed important by the PM.

Pain Points

Challenges include understanding diverse audience needs and avoiding assumptions about audience knowledge or perspectives. Miscommunication can occur if the message isn't tailored to the audience's understanding.

Practical Exercise

Think of three different audiences you communicate within your role. How would you adapt a product update message for each of them?

Related Research Topics

• Audience analysis techniques [ Google | Perplexity ]

• Cross-cultural communication [ Google | Perplexity ]

• Communication styles [ Google | Perplexity ]

• developer-speak [ Google | Perplexity ]