Articulate Strategy Well
If the thinking matters, it needs to stand up when someone asks why.
Strategy is not complete simply because it has been written down.
Leaders need to be able to explain:
- What are we doing?
- Why are we doing it?
- What evidence supports it?
- What assumptions are we making?
- What has changed?
- What does it mean for the business?
- What will we do differently?
- What happens if our assumptions prove wrong?
That is where articulation becomes important.
Articulation is a test of the thinking
The purpose isn’t to make a weak strategy sound convincing.
Good articulation can reveal:
- gaps in the reasoning;
- assumptions that have never been tested;
- unresolved disagreement;
- competing interpretations;
- missing evidence;
- unclear priorities;
- or strategic choices that haven’t actually been made.
In that sense, articulation isn’t simply communication.
It is a way of thinking.
Verbal articulation
Can you explain the strategy without hiding behind slides?
Can you answer difficult questions?
Can you explain why the decision was made?
Can you distinguish evidence from assumption?
Can you respond when somebody challenges the reasoning?
Our verbal exercises use structured questioning to help leaders develop clear, confident and defensible explanations of important commercial thinking.
Visual articulation
Some strategic relationships are easier to understand when they can be seen.
A well-constructed chart, diagram, illustration or model can make visible:
- relationships;
- priorities;
- dependencies;
- changes;
- comparisons;
- cause and effect;
- strategic choices.
The objective isn’t decorative presentation design.
It is making the logic visible.
Written articulation
Writing creates a more permanent test.
Can the strategic position be expressed clearly enough that somebody who wasn’t in the room can understand:
- what has been decided;
- why;
- on what evidence;
- with what assumptions;
- and with what implications?
Written articulation can also create a useful record as strategic thinking develops.
Three ways to work
VE — Verbal Exercise
Structured questioning and verbal articulation.
VVE — Verbal + Visual Exercise
Verbal articulation supported by a small number of purposeful charts, graphs, illustrations or images.
VVWE — Verbal + Visual + Written Exercise
The verbal and visual work developed into a concise written document.
The format follows the need.
The important point
You don’t need to have a perfectly formed strategy before starting.
The act of explaining it may expose what needs further thought.
And sometimes the process of articulation helps the strategy itself emerge.
Clearer articulation can produce clearer thinking.