CUSTOMER CASE STUDY: Trail of Bits

How Discernible Helps Leaders Communicate with Impact

Effective communication is the currency that enables leaders to build trust, credibility, and productive teams. Ineffective communication in the workplace can be costly. A business with 100 employees spends an average downtime of 17 hours per week clarifying communication. That amounts to a loss of $528,443 annually, according to Siemens. Often, miscommunication comes from the top – executives, senior leaders, and managers.

It’s not like they aren’t trying, however. Studies show that leaders spend a whopping 80% of their time communicating.  At the same time, 96% of executives say that ineffective communication leads to workplace failures. Recognizing the need to improve their communications is essential for any leader who wants to foster productivity, transparency, and a healthy culture.

The Five Biggest Costs of Miscommunication

Inefficiency 

Employee turnover 

Impaired judgment 

Lower work quality

Frustrated customers

The Challenge:  Getting to the Point - Quickly

As the Vice-President of Software Assurance Practice at Trail of Bits, which secures some of the world's most targeted organizations and products, Nick Selby leads a large, geographically distributed team of software engineers and security researchers who audit and strengthen the security of various products and networks  for large private enterprise and government customers.  And that requires a lot of communicating – in all directions:  to the senior leaders of the company, to his peers across the organization and to his direct reports, and their teams.  And, to audiences at industry events, to customers, and even to the press.

That’s many different audiences, each with different needs in terms of what they need to hear from him.  However, he really had only one communication style: “Basically, I talk too much,” Selby said. “Being exuberant and passionate when I speak helps keep people engaged, but it’s easy to get so caught up in that energy and all the details that I think are interesting that sometimes the most important takeaways get buried or diluted.”

Having previously worked with Melanie Ensign, Founder of Discernible, Selby knew she could help him improve his communications skills. “I noticed that Melanie has a rare ability to speak in headlines and get right to the point in a compelling way. Our CEO Dan Guido has that, too - these are people who can be brief without sounding abrupt. I wanted to learn how to do that,” Selby said.

The Solution: Succinctness Training with Discernible

To help Selby better focus on only what was necessary to make his point, Discernible held a focused 1-1, three hour “Succinctness Training” session.  This practical, interactive approach focused on using real world communications from Selby’s daily responsibilities and then learning how to improve them.  

The session trained Nick on specific skills such as how to be strategic, yet brief, and how to “plan a path” for messages to land well.

“Every conversation has a desired outcome,” notes Melanie Ensign. “Whether it’s demonstrating concern for a friend or collaborating with our teams at work in pursuit of specific business results. Learning how to be succinct and effective in our communications means understanding our communication goals upfront and enables us to achieve them.”

The Results:  Greater Control Over Communications

“My training made an immediate impact,” Selby said. “I noticed when I gave an on-stage presentation that I was able to answer a complex question succinctly, using the skills I learned from Discernibile’s training.”

This foundational training gave Selby essential techniques to build on as he continues to work on his messaging.  “Today, I’m more effective in my communications because I know how to prioritize what I want to say and plan an effective strategy for helping others understand the points I’m making.”  Selby’s team has noticed - and even turned to him to learn how they can communicate better.  “Open, trusted, and clear communications is really embedded in our team’s culture,” Selby adds.  

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