The Importance of Communication in Consulting

by Gregory Hamel

Creating and operating a small business is a complicated process that often involves making decisions and performing tasks that are outside of the owner's area of expertise. Consultants are professionals who are experts in certain fields and provide advice related to their areas of expertise. Excellent communication skills are vital to be a successful consultant.

Consultants Are Paid to Communicate

Consultants are advisers who are paid for their insights. Consultants must be able to communicate their ideas to clients effectively to make their services worthwhile. Communication skills can be just as important to consultants as technical expertise. According to O*NET Online, an information service created by the U.S. Department of Labor, oral expression, oral comprehension and written comprehension are the three most important job skills for management analysts, including management consultants.

Breaking Down Complex Concepts

Consulting and advising often involve describing complex topics to people who may not have a background in those topics. Consultants must have excellent communication skills in order to break down complex, technical ideas in a way that is useful to the layman. A consultant should understand the backgrounds and knowledge of his audience to provide the most meaningful advice possible. He can't let his message be incomprehensible, nor can he allow his delivery to seem patronizing.

Understanding Goals

Consultants make recommendations about how companies can achieve goals and overcome problems. A solid understanding of the objectives and problems clients face is essential for consultants to perform their jobs effectively. Forming such an understanding requires excellent writing and oral comprehension and the ability to ask questions to clarify points that are unclear. Consultants should also understand what resources clients have available to make recommendations that are financially feasible.

Avoiding Miscommunication

Communication skills also are important to consultants to avoid misunderstandings. If a client misinterprets the advice of his consultants, the client might make a poor decision that harms his business. As a result, the client could blame the consultant for providing bad advice. It is a consultant's responsibly to communicate precisely to avoid confusion.

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