4.3: The “How” Discussion

Which of the elements above are most important to discuss when reviewing the details of how something gets done?

What happens when presentations are finished and meetings are adjourned without agreeing to how implementation progress will be tracked?

Shown in the diagram below are the key points of the “Why, What, How” framework. Keep these in mind when communicating with the intent to influence. By the way, they are equally applicable to delegation. When delegating, start with the “why”. Defining the “why” is your responsibility as the delegator. Then change your role to facilitator when defining the “what” so that others contribute and feel ownership for the “what”. Lastly, coach the how rather than define it in detail on your own. Don’t be the micromanager who dictates every detail about how something is to be done. You will still influence the how, but by coaching rather than telling.

Scenario: You are a sales manager. You are coaching your team in preparation for a presentation they are giving to a decision-maker prospect with whom they are meeting for the first time. As a rough guideline, what percent of their presentation do you suggest they allocate to the why? The what? The how?

What is your coaching to your team on how they will know they have successfully communicated the why, what, and how to the prospect? In other words, what will trigger them to know they’ve communicated sufficiently on each?