Here's how you can adapt your communication style for diverse stakeholders in a creative project.

Deriving an effective communication style for diverse stakeholders in a creative project involves understanding the unique needs, preferences, and expectations of each audience segment. By thoroughly understanding your audience and strategically tailoring your communication style, you can ensure that all stakeholders are informed, engaged, and aligned with the project's goals and progress

Yes, And... It's the #1 rule of improv. And often times, the improv you see is directly dictated by you, the audience. As a professional Improviser, I learned to read the room (some call it EQ) and realize that even the best laid plans (or presentations) may need a quick pivot on the fly. If you're sitting across from a client that seems distracted, impatient, or just disinterested, turning on the extra charm probably isn't going to cut it. Instead, use that as an opportunity to not just present, but to empathize. Break the tension, throw in a joke, or even just point-blank ask them what they're feeling/thinking instead of forcing everyone through 20 more slides. You may not earn their business, but you will earn their respect.

Let people tell you what they need... We spend too much time talking at/to people rather than talking with people. Take time to really listen as stakeholder discuss their priorities, values, and needs. Even if they aren't fully sure of what those things are, that tells you a lot about who the need YOU to be and how they need YOU to show up in the conversation/project.

Don't over explain. You come across as less confident or condescending (neither is a good look). Describe you pitch and leave space for people to ask questions and feel a part of the process. The organic back and forth helps ensure your creating within the realm of value-need for your customer/audience.

When you're working on a major project, whether it's within the creative spectrum or not, you're going to need to adjust your communication approach based on who you're talking to. For example, not everyone is going to understand technical design lingo, so you'll need to simplify it. Alternatively, some of your key stakeholders may benefit from a very structured, industry-based approach and you'll need to provide them with all of the technical specs and background rationales. At the end of the day, remember that each stakeholder has their own background and as the creative project manager, it is your job to communicate each respective point effectively to the stakeholders while maintaining project integrity.

There are plenty of tools nowadays to help generate an automated rough draft of your meeting highlights and next steps. AI tools will do the hard work of combing through a meeting transcript to grab the necessary information. Just be sure to review those notes for accuracy. When it comes to follow-up, more reminders are needed than you may initially think. Everyone has a number of demands for their time, and it's easy for your team's needs to get buried amongst other responsibilities. Follow-up regularly, and show gratitude when people follow through with their commitments.

For instance, when working on a regional campaign for Unilever, they used formal presentations with detailed analytics for corporate clients to highlight ROI and strategic alignment, while employing more visual and narrative-driven pitches for local market teams to emphasize creative concepts and consumer engagement. Similarly, TBWA\Shanghai adapts its communication by providing bilingual materials and leveraging both digital and face-to-face meetings to cater to international clients and local teams respectively. By customizing communication styles to meet the needs of different stakeholders, creative teams can ensure better understanding, alignment, and collaboration across diverse groups.