How to communicate with detail thinkers

Every individual has their own communication style - and great communicators adapt their communication to meet the needs of their audiences.

While some people are strategic thinkers, others love the detail - it’s how they process the information, but also where they find comfort (particularly if there’s a change coming). So how do you adapt communication to meet the needs of our detail thinkers in the audience? Here’s a few of our top tips!

Include the detail … separately.

When you know you have a mix of strategic and detail thinkers in your audience, you need to meet the needs of both. If you include all the detail in an email or intranet article, for example, then you’ll lose the strategic thinkers easily! Instead, provide links or attachments with FAQs, detailed project plans, or other granular information they might be interested in.

Prepare and allow time for questions

Our detail thinkers love to ask questions! Again, they want to know the ins-and-outs of everything. While they might have some interest in the ‘why’, they’re more interested in the who, when, how, where, and what. Knowing this, when holding a meeting or briefing session, make sure you come prepared with answers to those questions, and allow time for the detail thinkers to ask them … and then ask some more!

Provide informal opportunities to seek information

Not everyone will be ready and willing to ask questions in a meeting or briefing session. Some people, particularly those with introverted tendencies, need time to process the information and come up with questions. So having ‘open door time’ after an announcement, or popping a note into an email inviting questions, is a great way to reach people who are introverted, detail thinkers.

What’s your type?

Are you a detail thinker, or a strategic thinker? Find out with our Communication Personality Type (™) Quiz here!