2 key communication areas for business analysts are audience recognition and conflict resolution. When working with stakeholders and subject matter experts to elicit requirements, you must understand your audience and their level of understanding around the topic and also be able to resolve conflicts that come up during your requirements sessions.

1. Audience
Recogni,on
and
Conflict
Resolu,on
The
Analyst
Coach,
LLC
©
2014
The
Analyst
Coach,
LLC

2. Ge>ng
to
Know
Your
Audience
• You
will
never
speak
or
write
in
a
vacuum.
• When
you
create
a
document,
lead
a
requirements
session,
give
a
presenta,on,
communicate
with
subject
maLer
experts
(SMEs),
you
need
to
consider
the
following
ques,ons.
©
2014
The
Analyst
Coach,
LLC

3. 1. Who
is
your
audience?
2. What
do
they
know
(expect
there
to
be
different
levels
of
knowledge
in
the
audience)?
3. What
do
they
not
know?
4. What
do
you
need
to
say
or
write
for
your
audience
to
understand
your
point?
5. How
do
you
communicate
to
a
mul,-­‐level
audience?
6. What
is
each
person’s
posi,on
in
rela,on
to
your
job
,tle?
Are
you
speaking
to
peers,
your
manager,
the
execu,ve
team,
etc.?
7. What
is
the
audience’s
a>tude
toward
the
topic?
8. Do
you
have
SMEs
that
aren’t
interested
in
the
project?
9. Do
you
have
SMEs
that
already
understand
the
vision
and
are
dying
to
jump
in
and
get
started?
10. What
diversity
issues
do
you
need
to
consider?
Cultural?
Gender?
11. Loca,on
(in
person
or
on
the
phone).
©
2014
The
Analyst
Coach,
LLC

4. • Make
sure
your
message
does
not
include
jargon
or
acronyms
that
some
of
the
audience
may
not
understand.
• To
communicate
successfully,
you
have
to
be
able
to
recognize
your
audience’s
level
of
understanding.
• You
also
need
to
consider
your
audience’s
unique
personality
and
traits,
which
could
impact
how
successful
your
communica,ons
are.
©
2014
The
Analyst
Coach,
LLC

5. Knowledge
of
Subject
MaLer
Experts
(SMEs)
• What
does
your
audience
know
of
the
subject
maLer?
• In
a
requirements
session,
do
you
have
SMEs
that
know
different
areas
of
the
business
instead
of
one
SME
that
knows
the
en,re
business
process
from
end
to
end?
• Does
the
audience
work
closely
with
the
subject
at
hand?
Are
they
an
expert
on
the
subject
(SME)?
• Does
the
audience
have
general
knowledge
of
the
subject
maLer
but
a
different
area
of
exper,se?
Is
the
audience
totally
uninvolved
with
the
subject
maLer?
©
2014
The
Analyst
Coach,
LLC

6. Audience
Personality
Traits
• By
considering
personality
traits,
you
can
speak
using
the
appropriate
tone,
visual
aids,
and
wri,ng
style
for
your
documenta,on.
By
recognizing
the
audience’s
personality
traits,
you
can
more
effec,vely
get
the
desired
response
from
the
audience.
©
2014
The
Analyst
Coach,
LLC

7. Do
you
know
any
of
these
things
about
some
of
your
audience?
• Are
they
slow
to
act?
• Eager?
• Ques,oning?
• Organized?
• Disorganized?
• Opposi,onal?
• Are
they
nega,ve
or
posi,ve?
• Are
they
noncommiLal?
• Do
they
prefer
you
to
be
short
and
to
the
point?
• What
are
you
expec,ng
from
your
audience?
• Are
you
expec,ng
them
to
provide
business
requirements?
• Do
you
want
them
to
consider
an
idea
and
make
sugges,ons?
• Do
you
want
them
to
reject
some
op,ons?
In
other
words,
make
a
choice
between
two
or
more
sugges,ons?
• Are
you
just
expec,ng
them
to
listen
and/or
read
and
“file”
the
informa,on
for
future
use?
©
2014
The
Analyst
Coach,
LLC

8. To
get
what
you
want
from
your
audience,
taking
personality
traits
into
considera,on
will
help
you
get
it.
©
2014
The
Analyst
Coach,
LLC

9. Biased
Language
–
Issues
of
Diversity
Your
audience
is
never
composed
of
people
just
like
you.
To
be
clear,
diversity
includes
gender,
race/ethnicity,
religion,
age,
sexual
orienta,on,
class,
physical
and
mental
characteris,cs,
language,
family
issues,
and
department
diversity.
©
2014
The
Analyst
Coach,
LLC

10. Things
to
keep
in
mind
when
you
are
working
on
a
project
with
a
mul,cultural
team
that
spans
different
countries:
– Verbal
and
nonverbal
communica,on
norms
for
those
countries
and
cultures
– Management
styles
– Decision-­‐making
procedures
– Sense
of
,me
and
place
– Local
values,
beliefs,
and
a>tudes
Due
to
the
mul,cultural
makeup
of
your
audience,
you
must
ensure
that
your
wri,ng,
speaking,
and
nonverbal
communica,on
skills
accommodate
language
barriers
and
cultural
customs.
©
2014
The
Analyst
Coach,
LLC

11. Conflict
Resolu,on
In
many
cases,
conflict
in
the
workplace
just
seems
to
be
a
fact
of
life.
We've
all
seen
situa,ons
where
different
people
with
different
goals
and
needs
have
come
into
conflict.
And
we've
all
seen
the
onen-­‐intense
personal
animosity
that
can
result.
©
2014
The
Analyst
Coach,
LLC

12. Unexpected
Benefits
of
Conflict
– Increased
understanding:
The
discussion
needed
to
resolve
conflict
expands
people's
awareness
of
the
situa,on,
giving
them
an
insight
into
how
they
can
achieve
their
own
goals
without
undermining
those
of
other
people.
– Increased
group
cohesion:
When
conflict
is
resolved
effec,vely,
team
members
can
develop
stronger
mutual
respect
and
a
renewed
faith
in
their
ability
to
work
together.
©
2014
The
Analyst
Coach,
LLC

13. Unexpected
Benefits
of
Conflict,
Cont.
– Improved
self-­‐knowledge:
Conflict
pushes
individuals
to
examine
their
goals
in
close
detail,
helping
them
understand
the
things
that
are
most
important
to
them,
sharpening
their
focus,
and
enhancing
their
effec,veness.
©
2014
The
Analyst
Coach,
LLC

14. What
happens
when
conflict
takes
hold?
If
conflict
is
not
handled
effec,vely,
the
results
can
be
damaging.
Conflic,ng
goals
can
quickly
turn
into
personal
dislike.
Teamwork
breaks
down.
Talent
is
wasted
as
people
disengage
from
their
work.
It
is
easy
to
end
up
in
a
vicious
downward
spiral
of
nega,vity
and
recrimina,on.
©
2014
The
Analyst
Coach,
LLC

15. Conflict
Resolu,on
Styles
There
are
five
main
styles
of
dealing
with
conflict.
1. Compe((ve
2. Collabora(ve
3. Compromising
4. Accommoda(ng
5. Avoiding
©
2014
The
Analyst
Coach,
LLC

16. Compe((ve
People
who
tend
towards
a
compe,,ve
style
take
a
firm
stand,
and
know
what
they
want.
They
usually
operate
from
a
posi,on
of
power,
drawn
from
things
like
posi,on,
rank,
exper,se,
or
persuasive
ability.
This
style
can
be
useful
when
there
is
an
emergency
and
a
decision
needs
to
be
make
fast;
when
the
decision
is
unpopular;
or
when
defending
against
someone
who
is
trying
to
exploit
the
situa,on
selfishly.
However,
it
can
leave
people
feeling
bruised,
unsa,sfied
and
resenqul
when
used
in
less
urgent
situa,ons.
©
2014
The
Analyst
Coach,
LLC

17. Collabora(ve
People
tending
towards
a
collabora,ve
style
try
to
meet
the
needs
of
all
people
involved.
These
people
can
be
highly
asser,ve
but
unlike
the
compe,tor,
they
cooperate
effec,vely
and
acknowledge
that
everyone
is
important.
This
style
is
useful
when
you
need
to
bring
together
a
variety
of
viewpoints
to
get
the
best
solu,on;
when
there
have
been
previous
conflicts
in
the
group;
or
when
the
situa,on
is
too
important
for
a
simple
trade-­‐off
©
2014
The
Analyst
Coach,
LLC

18. Compromising
People
who
prefer
a
compromising
style
try
to
find
a
solu,on
that
will
at
least
par,ally
sa,sfy
everyone.
Everyone
is
expected
to
give
up
something
and
the
compromiser,
him-­‐
or
herself,
also
expects
to
relinquish
something.
Compromise
is
useful
when
the
cost
of
conflict
is
higher
than
the
cost
of
losing
ground,
when
equal
strength
opponents
are
at
a
stands,ll,
and
when
there
is
a
deadline
looming.
©
2014
The
Analyst
Coach,
LLC

19. Accommoda(ng
This
style
indicates
a
willingness
to
meet
the
needs
of
others
at
the
expense
of
the
person's
own
needs.
The
accommodator
onen
knows
when
to
give
in
to
others,
but
can
be
persuaded
to
surrender
a
posi,on
even
when
it
is
not
warranted.
This
person
is
not
asser,ve
but
is
highly
coopera,ve.
Accommoda,on
is
appropriate
when
the
issues
maLer
more
to
the
other
party,
when
peace
is
more
valuable
than
winning,
or
when
you
want
to
be
in
a
posi,on
to
collect
on
this
"favor"
you
gave.
However,
people
may
not
return
favors,
and
overall
this
approach
is
unlikely
to
give
the
best
outcomes.
©
2014
The
Analyst
Coach,
LLC

20. Avoiding
People
tending
towards
this
style
seek
to
evade
the
conflict
en,rely.
This
style
is
typified
by
delega,ng
controversial
decisions,
accep,ng
default
decisions,
and
not
wan,ng
to
hurt
anyone's
feelings.
It
can
be
appropriate
when
victory
is
impossible,
when
the
controversy
is
trivial,
or
when
someone
else
is
in
a
beLer
posi,on
to
solve
the
problem.
However
in
many
situa,ons
this
is
a
weak
and
ineffec,ve
approach
to
take.
©
2014
The
Analyst
Coach,
LLC

21. What’s
Your
Style?
• Once
you
understand
the
different
styles,
you
can
use
them
to
think
about
the
most
appropriate
approach
(or
mixture
of
approaches)
for
the
situa,on
you're
in.
• Think
about
your
own
ins,nc,ve
approach.
Which
conflict
style
are
you?
©
2014
The
Analyst
Coach,
LLC

22. Interest-­‐Based
Rela,onal
Approach
• This
type
of
conflict
resolu,on
respects
individual
differences
while
helping
people
avoid
becoming
too
entrenched
in
a
fixed
posi,on.
• When
you’re
using
this
approach
to
resolve
conflict,
you
follow
these
rules:
©
2014
The
Analyst
Coach,
LLC

23. • Make
sure
that
good
rela,onships
are
the
first
priority:
As
far
as
possible,
make
sure
that
you
treat
the
other
calmly
and
that
you
try
to
build
mutual
respect.
Do
your
best
to
be
courteous
to
one-­‐another
and
remain
construc,ve
under
pressure.
• Keep
people
and
problems
separate:
Recognize
that
in
many
cases
the
other
person
is
not
just
"being
difficult"
–
real
and
valid
differences
can
lie
behind
conflic,ve
posi,ons.
By
separa,ng
the
problem
from
the
person,
real
issues
can
be
debated
without
damaging
working
rela,onships.
• Pay
aLen,on
to
the
interests
that
are
being
presented:
By
listening
carefully
you
will
most
likely
understand
why
the
person
is
adop,ng
his
or
her
posi,on.
©
2014
The
Analyst
Coach,
LLC

24. • Listen
first;
talk
second:
To
solve
a
problem
effec,vely
you
have
to
understand
where
the
other
person
is
coming
from
before
defending
your
own
posi,on.
• Set
out
the
"Facts":
Agree
and
establish
the
objec,ve,
observable
elements
that
will
have
an
impact
on
the
decision.
• Explore
op,ons
together:
Be
open
to
the
idea
that
a
third
posi,on
may
exist,
and
that
you
can
get
to
this
idea
jointly.
©
2014
The
Analyst
Coach,
LLC

25. Conflict
Resolu(on
Process
A
star,ng
point
for
dealing
with
conflict
is
to
iden,fy
the
overriding
conflict
style
employed
by
yourself,
your
team
or
your
organiza,on.
Over
,me,
people's
conflict
management
styles
tend
to
mesh,
and
a
"right"
way
to
solve
conflict
emerges.
©
2014
The
Analyst
Coach,
LLC

26. ü Look
at
the
circumstances,
and
think
about
the
style
that
may
be
appropriate.
ü If
you
are
involved
in
the
conflict,
emphasize
the
fact
that
you’re
presen,ng
your
percep,on
of
the
problem.
ü
Use
ac,ve
listening
skills
to
ensure
you
hear
and
understand
other's
posi,ons
and
percep,ons.
– Restate.
– Paraphrase.
– Summarize.
©
2014
The
Analyst
Coach,
LLC

27. Be
sure
to
focus
on
work
issues
and
leave
personali,es
out
of
the
discussion.
– Listen
with
empathy
and
see
the
conflict
from
the
other
person's
point
of
view.
– Iden,fy
issues
clearly
and
concisely.
– Use
"I"
statements,
don’t
use
“you”
statements.
– Remain
flexible.
©
2014
The
Analyst
Coach,
LLC

28. Making
it
Fair
Onen
different
underlying
needs,
interests
and
goals
can
cause
people
to
perceive
problems
very
differently.
You
will
need
to
agree
on
the
problem
that
you’re
trying
to
solve
before
you
will
find
a
mutually
acceptable
solu,on.
If
everyone
is
going
to
feel
sa,sfied
with
the
resolu,on,
it
will
help
if
everyone
has
fair
input
in
genera,ng
solu,ons.
Brainstorm
possible
solu,ons,
and
be
open
to
all
ideas,
including
ones
you
never
considered
before.
©
2014
The
Analyst
Coach,
LLC

29. Nego,a,ng
Solu,ons
• By
this
stage,
the
conflict
may
be
resolved:
Both
sides
may
beLer
understand
the
posi,on
of
the
other,
and
a
mutually
sa,sfactory
solu,on
may
be
clear
to
all.
• There
are
three
guiding
principles
here:
– Be
Calm
– Be
Pa,ent
– Have
Respect
² Remember
that
conflict
in
the
workplace
can
be
incredibly
destruc,ve
to
good
teamwork.
©
2014
The
Analyst
Coach,
LLC

30. Handling
Nega,ve
Stakeholders
If
you’re
shy
or
take
longer
to
bond
with
people,
it
does
not
mean
you
cannot
be
a
good
BA,
it
just
means
you
need
to
recognize
these
things
about
yourself
and
ask
the
stakeholder
ques,ons
and
keep
asking
ques,ons
un,l
the
source
of
their
nega,vity
surfaces.
Ask
with
genuine
interest
and
don’t
come
across
as
defensive;
that
will
make
them
shutdown
and
stop
contribu,ng
to
the
discussion.
©
2014
The
Analyst
Coach,
LLC

31. To
succeed
in
turning
nega,ve
stakeholders
around,
try
using
the
following
,ps.
• Try
turning
the
nega,ve
into
a
posi,ve.
• You've
got
to
be
a
people
person.
• Use
empathy,
and
offer
assistance
aner
tapping
into
their
fear.
• Be
able
to
step
outside
of
your
comfort
zone
when
you’re
in
requirements
sessions.
• Use
open-­‐ended
ques,ons
to
dig
deeper.
• Do
not
make
promises
to
stakeholders
that
"we
will
be
able
to
solve
their
problem"
just
to
appease
them.
©
2014
The
Analyst
Coach,
LLC

32. • When
have
you
handled
nega,ve
stakeholders?
• What
will
you
do
differently
now
that
you
have
these
,ps?
©
2014
The
Analyst
Coach,
LLC

33. The
Analyst
Coach,
LLC
www.theanalystcoach.net
1-­‐866-­‐968-­‐6657
teresa@theanalystcoach.net
©
2014
The
Analyst
Coach,
LLC