- Clients
- CMI Qualification Learners
Communication is not just a soft skill – it’s the foundation for building trust, understanding problems, and implementing solutions. Whether engaging with senior executives or front-line teams, consultants must be able to communicate clearly, credibly, and with the client’s context in mind. Yet, despite its necessity for consulting success, communication is often underestimated and underdeveloped.
At its core, consulting is about influence without authority. Unlike internal stakeholders, consultants rarely have formal decision-making power. Instead, they must rely on their ability to engage others, uncover insights, convey recommendations, and facilitate change – all through effective communication.
Communication touches every stage of the consulting lifecycle – initial engagement, diagnosis, solution development, implementation, and evaluation. Each phase demands a different emphasis, from active listening and inquiry to structured analysis, clear presentation, and skilful facilitation. Consultants who can flex their communication style and tailor their message to different audiences are far more likely to make a meaningful impact.
Yet communication in consulting isn’t just about transmitting information. It involves navigating two simultaneous challenges – achieving clarity and building connection. Clarity means simplifying complex issues, structuring ideas logically, and avoiding jargon. Connection requires empathy, rapport, and a genuine understanding of the client’s world.
For example, when presenting findings to a senior leadership team, it’s tempting to focus on the depth of analysis – the data, models, and methods used. But what the audience often needs is a concise summary, relevant insights, and actionable recommendations. It’s not just about what you want to say – it’s about what the client needs to hear, how it resonates, and what they feel about it.
The same is true in interviews or workshops. The ability to listen actively and reflect back what’s being said, without judgment, can unlock insights that no spreadsheet ever could. Clients must feel heard before they are ready to hear advice.
Consultants must also master communication across digital platforms. With hybrid and remote working now the norm in many organisations, consultants regularly engage clients through virtual meetings, shared documents, and asynchronous channels. This adds complexity, for example, tone can be easily misinterpreted in an email and engagement can drop in long virtual calls.
Effective digital communication requires being clear, concise, and visually engaging. It means structuring written updates to ensure key points stand out. It also means designing online meetings to be interactive, not just informative, by using polls, breakout rooms, or collaborative tools like Miro or Mural. Responsiveness and clarity in these settings are key signals of professionalism and partnership.
The best consultants are not always those with the most knowledge – they are those who can translate knowledge into meaningful conversations, tailored advice, and compelling recommendations. Communication is how value is delivered and perceived.
Organisations that invest in developing their consultants’ communication skills, through coaching, feedback, and practice, see measurable returns:
Communication is not a “nice to have” in consulting – it is the vehicle for value creation. Consultants must continuously hone their ability to engage, explain, challenge, and connect. By investing in communication skills, consultants not only improve their effectiveness but also elevate the client experience and deepen their impact.
In a world full of noise, the most successful consultants are those who communicate with purpose, presence, and precision.
