The Skill Every Consultant Needs

If there’s one thing I’ve learned as a consultant, it’s that what you say is important—but how you say it? That’s what really makes a difference.

Consulting is all about communication. It’s how we get people to listen, make decisions, and take action. Over time, I realized that not all clients respond the same way. Some need a soft approach, while others need direct answers. Some love brainstorming, while others want the facts.

Although there are different communication models depending on the author, I′m going to introduce four communication styles. Understanding these four can make a huge difference in consulting.

?1. Supportive Communication – Building Trust and Connection

It emphasizes relationships, empathy, and collaboration. It can help introduce change without resistance, but if you're too soft, it can make things unclear.

When I started consulting, this was my default style. I wanted to be friendly, listen to my clients’ concerns, and make sure they felt understood. I thought that keeping the atmosphere positive would help me build stronger relationships, and it felt like the easiest way to be. I just wanted everyone to like me. I learned this is not always possible.

One day, during a meeting, a CEO put me on the spot, in front of the team: “What is your experience for this project?” I froze; I couldn′t believe he was confronting me. But, what happened after isn′t important; what is important is why it happened. Because I was too soft and friendly, I wasn′t seen as an expert, and I wasn’t getting his trust. He needed another style of communication.

Lesson learned: Supportive communication is excellent for building relationships but must be combined with confidence and authority.

2. Direct Communication – Clear and Effective, But Use It Wisely

Direct communicators get straight to the point, which is crucial in high-risk situations when compliance, quality, or urgent decisions are at stake. This style is decisive and confident, fast-paced, structured and focused. It sounds like the perfect style for a consultant. However, some clients might not react well.

But I learned the hard way that not all clients appreciate it. I once worked with a client who had to make a difficult decision. I presented the facts quickly, expecting him to move forward. Instead, he became defensive and shut down, and I remember he found a way to just end our meeting. Back then, I couldn’t believe or understand what was happening.

I later realized that if I had taken a softer approach, a gentler approach he might have been more open to discussion and wouldn′t have delayed his decision. He just needed support.

Lesson learned: Direct communication works best when urgency is key, but some clients need reassurance before taking action.

3. Initiating Communication – Inspiring but Can Get Messy

Initiating communication brings energy, excitement, and creativity. They encourage brainstorming and new ideas. This sounds amazing; every consultant should have this mood at all the team meetings. But in fact, this doesn't always work in a group.

I once had a client with five business partners, all with different opinions and many personal interests besides the company interest. At a particular stage of our project, I had to request a meeting with all of them to present key information and take them, lead them, and make a couple of decisions together.

And so, the meeting started - I presented the situation and then asked, ‘What are we going to do?’ What happened? Chaos. Everyone talked at the same time, arguments, personal attacks., and conflicting opinions. This was going nowhere. I had made a mistake. They weren’t ready for brainstorming. They needed direct and analytical communication like: “Here’s the problem. Here’s the solution. Here′s what we’re going to do.”

Lesson learned: Initiating communication is excellent for inspiring new ideas but doesn’t work when structure and direction are needed.

4. Analytical Communication – The Power of Facts (But Keep It Clear)

In quality management, we follow a fundamental principle “Evidence-based decision making.” This is the basis of analytical communication. Giving evidence, data, and logic of the facts provides precision. It’s ideal for clients needing detailed information to make decisions and helps with data-heavy consulting projects.

But I learned that too much detail can be overwhelming. I wanted to impress a client on a high-risk project, so I presented every possible risk and scenario in extreme detail. Instead of feeling informed, he froze. The amount of information made him hesitate instead of act.

Lesson learned: Analytical communication is essential, but sometimes less is more. Keep it clear, concise, and actionable.

Conclusion – Adapting is the Key to Success

In consulting, the way we communicate is everything. It′s how we get people's attention, how we get people to trust us, how we get people to listen and actually do something with our advice.

And even though, like everyone, a consultant has a natural style, this isn’t always the best one to use. We must know how to adapt and when to be direct, when to be supportive, when to be energetic, and when to focus on data. Depends on the clients, depends on the team, depends on the situation, depends on the goal to achieve. All of this must be considered.

The best consultants know how to read the situation, adjust their communication, and meet their clients where they are.

And this is exactly why developing your communication skills is so important ??. The ability to adapt how you communicate - whether it’s being supportive, direct, initiating, or analytical - can make or break your success as a consultant.

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