Communication.
What we mean by communication.
Story structure, clarity, stakeholder fit. Not just smooth talk: the ability to frame a problem before pitching a solution, and to flex tone for the room.
Signals we look for.
Frames problems before solutions, lands the C-suite.
Falls into product-feature mode under pressure.
Cannot read the room, defaults to monologue.
Strong rep vs weak rep.
"Before I show you how this works, let me sketch the problem the way I heard it. If I have that wrong, the demo won't land. Here's what I think you're solving for…"
"Great, so let me jump into the demo. We have eight modules. The first one is our analytics suite, which has 14 dashboards…"
An excerpt from a real shortlist.
What this behaviour looks like inside the meritt fit report we send on every Hire with Assessment shortlist.
Frames problems before solutions. Concise on first pass, returns to specifics under pressure. Tone holds across IC and C-suite scenarios.
- Opened the C-suite role-play with a problem statement, not a product pitch
- Used "before I answer that, can I check I understand the question?" twice when pressed
- Adjusted vocabulary noticeably between the AE and CRO simulated calls
Communication is what closes the deal in the room. It is the only behaviour that compounds visibly in the first 30 seconds, and the one a CV will never show you.
Hire on communication.
Every shortlist scored against this behaviour, with the evidence behind each call.
Hire with AssessmentBuild your communication.
Free coaching to sharpen the behaviour and show it on camera.
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