Spending excessive time explaining tech issues to non-tech stakeholders? CEO Nicole Bell shares proven strategies to bridge communication gaps.
Three jobs. That's what Nicole Bell found herself managing simultaneously – her existing career, her husband's responsibilities after his illness, and the full-time work of coordinating complex medical care. For most of us, handling just the technical or emotional aspects of such a situation would be overwhelming. But as a biomedical engineer turned caregiver, Bell discovered that her project management skills held the key to making the impossible manageable.
When Bell faced technical communication challenges as a caregiver, the stakes couldn't have been higher. Now, as CEO of a diagnostics company, she applies these same principles to bridge communication gaps across her organization.
The first challenge in translating technical information? Making subjective experiences measurable. "You have to take something that's touchy-feely and figure out how to make it more data-oriented," Bell explains. "Take something that's qualitative and make it more quantitative."
Her solution was surprisingly straightforward: create a simple rating system. "I would take the top symptoms and rate them on a scale of one to five every day," she shares. "When you do it in the moment and make the best judgment you can, then you can look for trends over time."
Create a simple 1-5 scale for tracking subjective project elements like team morale or stakeholder satisfaction. Rate consistently to spot patterns.
Managing multiple stakeholders means adapting your message without losing its essence. "It's just trying to understand who your audience is and then tailoring your message to that audience," Bell notes. "The diversity in that endeavor is huge."
This might mean explaining the same situation differently to various groups – from technical teams to executives to other stakeholders. The key? "Understanding what they care about and what viewpoint they're coming from so [you] can see their frame of reference."
Quick Win: Before your next stakeholder meeting, write down what each participant cares about most. Use this to frame your message.
While adapting your message is crucial, maintaining trust is paramount. "It's all about honesty and trust," Bell emphasizes. "I was always honest... When they asked a question, I gave them the most accurate answer that I thought they would understand."
Sometimes this means being clear about what you can't share: "I've always just tried to maintain that openness of 'here's what I can tell you and here's what I can't tell you, but it's okay and I've got this covered.'"
In your next status update, explicitly acknowledge what information you're still waiting on or can't share, rather than avoiding those topics.
When communication gaps arise, Bell has one clear piece of advice: "Emails don't solve problems. Direct interactions with people solve problems." She's seen countless situations where endless email threads only increased confusion.
"I can't even tell you how many times I've seen emails with 10 different back and forth," she shares. "The first thing I will do is say stop – get out of your chair, walk over to the other cubicle, talk to the person and figure it out. If there's a mismatch, it's not going to get better on the 17th iteration of an email."
Next time you see an email thread reaching four replies without resolution, schedule a quick live conversation instead.
Success in bridging communication gaps comes down to three key elements: quantifying the qualitative when possible, adapting your message while maintaining honesty, and knowing when to step away from email for direct conversation.
The goal isn't perfect communication – it's creating understanding that enables action. As Bell's experience shows, whether you're managing complex medical care or leading a technical team, the principles of effective communication remain constant: make it measurable, make it relevant, and make it human.
---
To stay up to date on all of our blog posts and get great resources, insights, and more, sign up for QTalo's newsletter right here.
