leadership development Archives

Everyone has a natural communication style. Some are Bullet-Point Thinkers, who lead with the conclusion and summarize key points succinctly. Others are Storyline Thinkers, who prefer to offer background, narrative, and build-up before arriving at the conclusion. Neither is inherently better, but the ability to understand the dynamics in the room, your own style, and flex your style is crucial, especially when communicating with senior leadership.

Storyline Thinkers like to share the story of a situation. They set the stage, explain the origin, and help the listener understand the broader picture before arriving at a recommendation or decision.

Storyline Thinkers:

“Last year at our annual conference we had five speakers. We really tried to offer a diverse set of topics to appeal to a broad audience. We had everything from emotional intelligence to time management to strategic planning. After the event, we received a lot of feedback. Some of it was quite detailed. Attendees appreciated the speaker on emotional intelligence the most, mentioning that her insights were practical and directly applicable to team development. However, some said five speakers made the day feel too packed, and they had trouble absorbing so much information. A few also commented that some content felt redundant across sessions. Based on this input, and after discussing it with the planning committee, we believe it would be best to limit the number of speakers this year. That way, we can go deeper with fewer topics and give people more time to reflect and engage with the content.”

Bullet-Point Thinkers get to the point quickly and back it up with minimal detail as needed.

Bullet-Point Thinkers:

“We’ve decided to limit the number of speakers at the conference this year based on last year’s feedback.”

As you might expect, we tend to appreciate the communication style that mirrors our own. But here’s the rub:

If you’re a Storyline Thinker, Bullet-Point Thinkers may seem abrupt or overly direct.
If you’re a Bullet-Point Thinker, Storyline Thinkers may seem long-winded or unclear.

Communicating Up the Chain

While Storyline Thinkers are often encouraged to tighten their messaging for executive audiences and quickly get to the point, it’s equally important for Bullet-Point Thinkers to develop greater awareness of how their style lands. Bullet-Point Thinkers can sometimes come across as abrupt or overly transactional, especially in email or high-stakes interpersonal settings. This can unintentionally create distance or seem dismissive. As leaders grow into more senior executive roles, adapting to a broader range of communication preferences becomes essential. Building empathy and adaptability for Storyline Thinkers, as well as intentionally including more context when needed helps build trust and engagement across teams.

The higher up you go in most organizations, the more you’ll find leaders Bullet-Point Thinkers who prefer direct, concise communication, whether it’s verbal or written. It isn’t necessarily about being abrupt; it’s about efficiency and clarity in their environments with limited time and big decisions to make. You might feel you are a blend of both.

The Adapted Pyramid Principle in Action

The definitive resource on the Pyramid Principle is Barbara Minto’s book, The Pyramid Principle: Logic in Writing and Thinking. This book introduces the concept of structuring communication by starting with the main conclusion, followed by supporting arguments, and then detailed evidence and is a structured communication technique especially effective when addressing executives.

Try this in your next presentation or 1:1:

Start with the answer or recommendation – the bottom line ( this is the top of the pyramid).
List three key points.
Close with a quick summary.
Have data or evidence as a backup to support each point if needed (but do not present it). Your goal is to allow space for questions and invite curiosity.

Pyramid Format in Practice:

Step One: Recommendation/Bottom line:Recommendation/Bottom line:

“We should limit the number of speakers at this year’s conference.”

Step Two: Three Key Points:

1. “Feedback from last year showed audiences preferred fewer, deeper sessions.”
2. “Two out of five sessions were poorly rated due to content overlap.”
3. “The highest-rated session was interactive and focused on application.”

Step Three: Close/Conclusion Summary:

“Streamlining the speaker lineup will allow us to deliver higher-value content and create a more engaging experience, aligned with what our audience values most. “

Step Four: Invite Engagement/Curiosity:

“How can we design sessions that go beyond surface-level sharing and create lasting impact?”

“What criteria should we use to ensure each session adds unique value?”

“How might we build more opportunities for interaction and real-world application into every session?”

“What’s the best way to prioritize speakers and topics so we maximize audience engagement?”

This method appeals to Bullet-Point Thinkers but is accessible to Storyline Thinkers when combined with a brief narrative if asked.

Tips

Avoid building up to your point—lead with it.
Adapt detail based on audience interest and time.
Use clear transitions between points (e.g., “First…”, “Next…”, “Finally…”).
Rehearse to keep delivery crisp and confident.
Make sure to reflect after your conversation/presentation. It’s always a great idea to ask for your feedback too! Did your message land clearly? Did you feel heard? Adjust your approach based on what worked.

If bullet-point communication is challenging for you, you can practice this in your every day, personal communcaiton. Here is an easy way to remember it:

1. Headline
2. Three things
3. Close

“I went to Mexico for four days with my girlfriends last week. We had an incredible time. We ate at fabulous restaurants, and laid by the pool every day. It was a much needed break from my busy work schedule.”

This activity helps build agility in your communication. One of the key leadership skills for influencing across levels in today’s complex organizations.

Melanie is Founder & CEO of Radical Ignition, Inc. and draws from 30 years of C-level experience in human resources/organizational development, executive coaching, and consulting experience working across a broad range of industries. She is a self-proclaimed “hyper-achiever in recovery” who thrives in complexity, reinvention, and real talk. Her career has been shaped by startups, shakeups, and a deep personal understanding of adversity. She leans into that lived experience as her lens, and to help leaders confront the hard questions, embrace ambiguity, and find the boldest version of themselves.

She works with ambitious executives, founders, and their teams ready to challenge the status quo, not just in their roles and organizations, but in their own thinking, beliefs, habits, assumptions, and leadership style. Whether she’s on a keynote stage or in a coaching session, she brings provocation with purpose. She isn’t engaged with her clients to make them feel comfortable. She is there to make transformation unavoidable.

Melanie is working with leaders from brands such as Fresenius Medical Care, CVS Health, Microsoft, Johnson & Johnson, Accenture, ServiceNow, Cedar, and Airtable. She is a certified executive coach through the Hudson Institute in Santa Barbara, a certified team coach through Clutterbuck International, and a Professional Certified Coach (PCC) through the International Coach Federation (ICF). She is also the President of the Seattle Hudson Coach Community and the Director of Outreach the ICF Chapter for Washington State.

As 2022 is coming to an end, I’ve been reflecting on the many shifts I’ve had the last few years – both professionally and personally. As a leader, one of your greatest challenges will be to successfully manage transitions. Simply said, transitions are the human side of change – the psychological reorientation of change. Transitions are how we effectively learn to let go of the past, accept the present, and focus on the future. Leaders most often focus primarily on the change itself, without giving enough thought to the the psychological side of the change (the human condition). In our experience working inside organizations managing change and transition, it’s the transition, and not the change itself, that most people resist.

In general, we have difficulty letting go of the past and the way things used to be. It’s saying goodbye to the way things used to be and what has been lost. We all show up differently this way. Also, our brains dislike uncertainty. We saw this during the Pandemic. Often, employees will complain about the way things used to be or the changes in place for months or even years to come. This can prevent people from moving forward. We see this when we work with organizations on acquisition integrations. We want our leaders to learn how to ensure psychological safety in their teams which ultimately reduces anxiety, chaos, and frustration. This way employees can best move through the transition which leads to credibility and trust.

In 2020, we adapted this model based on William Bridges Model “Managing Transitions”:

Bridges says that transitions begin with an ending.

The first phase is when “people identify what they are losing and learn how to manage these losses.” according to Bridges. Recently, after I experienced my own loss, I revisited this model. I realized it isn’t a linear process. At times I felt I was in the Neutral Zone nearing my New Beginning, yet suddenly I would feel anger and denial again – cycling back to the Endings Zone. I started to see this model in more of a cycle so we created this new model:

There are different levels of productivity in each zone. When I realized I was in transition again, I was sad and almost depressed for weeks. At first, I was shocked at what had happened in my life. Then I wanted to reject it – but couldn’t. Next, I got angry. When the anger phase hit, it was sort of a relief, because I felt extremely productive. When things are ending, this is often what is happening. We have a hard time letting go, we are in denial, and we might feel angry. We might have a new sense of energy.

Bridges says, “The Neutral Zone is the very core of the transition process. This is the time between the old reality and sense of identity and the new one. People are creating new processes and learning what their new roles will be. They are in flux and may feel confusion and distress.”

The neutral zone is the seedbed for new beginnings.

We see the Neutral Zone as the “messy middle”. It’s also where creativity and innovation can happen. If you look back to 2020, when companies were pivoting and creating new business models – they were in the “messy middle”. Productivity was low and many were not producing a lot of revenue. However, it was an amazing time of innovation, and many organizations were able to create new products and shift their strategies.

One of the first things you can do as a leader is to plot yourself on the model and ask yourself what you might be feeling. Secondly, make sure to practice self-care. Next, check in with everyone on your team. Remember that everyone shows up differently, and more than likely, everyone will be in a different place. We all handle change in different ways. Lastly, show people you care by validating how they feel. The more curious you can be, the better. After we’ve checked in with everyone on the team, the next challenge is to help pull them along the cycle ultimately getting them to a New Beginning state and to learn to trust again. It comes with a tremendous about of relief and maybe a little anxiety for most people.

Whether it’s a change at work or at home, transitions can be impactful and come with many emotions. The more you are aware about your own feelings during transition along with your teams, the more you can show you care ultimately leading them around the cycle to trust.

Melanie is the Chief People Officer of HaptX, Inc and Founder & CEO of Radical Ignition, Inc. In her 25-year career, Melanie has developed a passion for unleashing human potential and creating pathways for people to be their best. Melanie’s successful track record having worked across hundreds of technology organizations in her consulting career gives her a great perspective as a speaker, facilitator, leadership coach and HR leader.

Tag: leadership development

Flex to Influence: The Right Style for the Right Audience

Communicating Up the Chain

The Adapted Pyramid Principle in Action

Pyramid Format in Practice:

High Impact Leadership During Change and Transition

Bridges says that transitions begin with an ending.

The neutral zone is the seedbed for new beginnings.