Communicating Strategy: How to Get Stakeholder Buy-In

Getting buy-in isn’t just about presenting a great idea.

It’s about connection. It’s about making people feel the value.

I learned this the hard way.

We were rolling out a new feature, something my team believed in wholeheartedly. We knew it could make a huge difference. But the first time I pitched it to stakeholders, it went nowhere.

Blank stares.

Questions that clearly missed the point.

Why?

I was telling them what we were building.

What I wasn’t telling them was: why it mattered.

I talked features.

They saw complexity, risk, and more work.

What I needed to do was paint the bigger picture, how this was going to drive outcomes that mattered to them.

So, I changed my approach. I stopped diving into the “what” and started with the “why.”

I simplified my message. I used visuals, simple sketches to connect the dots.

I showed how these features linked to our long-term vision and made users’ lives better. Suddenly, things clicked.

Stakeholders leaned in.

They saw it.

They believed in it.

And that was the turning point.

Once they understood the “why,” the momentum shifted. We weren’t just pushing a product; we were pushing a vision that everyone could get behind.

Here’s what I learned about getting buy-in:

• Lead with the Why: People don’t connect with features—they connect with outcomes. Make it relatable.
• Show, Don’t Tell: A visual, a story, even a simple chart—anything that makes the vision tangible.
• Be Real: Highlight the risks. Talk about timelines. People trust you more when you’re transparent.

Getting buy-in isn’t just about communicating strategy.

It’s about getting everyone to feel the impact.

Make them part of the story.

#StrategyCommunication #StakeholderBuyIn #LeadershipInProduct #ProductManagement