Best-Practice Communication for Emerging Tech Leaders

The precision and technical depth that make you a great engineer or scientist can often become obstacles in leadership. As Dr. Gwen Acton (author of Leadership for Scientists and Engineers) explained during a recent PowerSpeaking Live!, moving into a leadership position turns your voice into a megaphone. Your words, once just data points among peers, are now amplified and scrutinized. And their impact often has much more to do with human behavior than data. In this new role, your presence and communication carry a gravity you might not have expected.

Here are some key insights and advice Gwen shared during our discussion for helping new and emerging technical leaders embrace new ways of communicating, starting with this clip in which she shares two great stories:

The Evolution of Your Communication

To counterbalance the "megaphone effect," technical leaders must refine their approach in three key areas:

1. Cultivate Executive Presence Executive presence—what we at PowerSpeaking, Inc. prefer to call “powerful presence” because anyone can develop it—is about projecting calm authority. Rushing your speech or overwhelming stakeholders with data dumps can signal a lack of confidence. Instead:

• Manage your nonverbals: Be aware of nonverbal communication like "resting scowl face" on video calls. Your silent reactions can rattle a team member more than your words.
• When with decision makers, lead with the bottom line: Start with the "big picture" impact before backing it up with data.
• Own your expertise: Replace qualifiers like "I think" or "I believe" with direct statements like "The reason is..." or "I know that."

2. Cure the Micromanagement Instinct Micromanagement often comes from a place of wanting high-quality results, but it often comes off as intrusive and intimidating. To stop hovering, use a question-based framework. Ask: "How do you plan to approach this? What issues do you foresee?" This gives you insight into where coaching is needed without dictating every step.

3. Master the 1-on-1 Rather than viewing them as transactional status updates, use 1 on 1 sessions to:

• Align priorities: Ask, "If you get nothing else done this week, what is the top priority?"
• Build the relationship: Know enough about your team member to create a real human connection.

4. Bridge the distance Remember that in virtual environments, your presence and communication style are essential for maintaining alignment and trust.

Navigating Difficult Conversations

Whether you’re delivering bad news or giving feedback, Gwen insists it doesn't have to be hard if you use the right tools.

• Delivering Bad News: Don't sugarcoat it. Be straightforward, but then immediately pivot the energy toward the future. Focus on: "Given this situation, what is our best move forward?"
• Use the AID Framework for Feedback: To deliver feedback without eroding trust, stick to facts over conclusions:

 A - Action: State the specific behavior observed (e.g., "The calculation was incorrect"
rather than "You were sloppy").
I - Impact: Explain the consequence (e.g., "This meant we missed our deadline").
D - Do: Define the specific change needed for the future.

Managing up: The Art of the Question

When giving feedback to your own manager, the power dynamic changes. To stay on firm ground:

• Focus on the work: Frame feedback around how a specific action (like daily check-in requests) impacts productivity.
• Use the "soften" technique: Instead of making hard statements, ask questions like, "Have you considered...?" or "Would it be possible to...?"

The Future: AI as Your Communication Partner

In an AI-driven world, the bar for clear communication is rising. Gwen suggests using AI (like ChatGPT) as a "private coach" to script difficult emails or roleplay conversations. You can even prompt it to read your draft and predict how the recipient might react, allowing you to tone down a message before you hit send. "The leaders who know how to use AI are going to have a huge advantage,” she said. “It won't replace human connection, but it can help us be more diplomatic and concise."

Final Thoughts

I think that now, more than ever, tech leaders must be the standard-bearers of keeping the workplace human, of never forgetting that authentic, supportive relationships drive success. And that how we communicate with each other is at the heart of human-centric work.