Communication
This domain tests structuring messages for different audiences, selecting channels deliberately, and maintaining formal communication discipline in projects and incidents.
Audience shapes structure
Executives get the conclusion first, one page, with options and cost. Occupants get what is changing, when, and what they must do. Contractors get scope, standard, deadline, and consequence. A communication plan names who, what, when, channel, owner, and the feedback loop.
Channel choice
Rich channels (face-to-face, video) suit complex or sensitive messages; lean channels (email, signage) suit routine broadcast. Anything carrying a commitment, a cost, or a safety implication needs a written record. Meetings produce an agenda, a decision log, and actions with named owners and dates.
Worked example
A chiller failure will leave two floors at 26°C for three days. The occupant message states what happened, what is being done, what they should do (relocate, use flexible hours), where updates will be posted, and whom to contact. The executive message states cost, risk (the server room on backup cooling), and the decision required (authorise rental cooling). Identical facts, different structure and emphasis; matching structure to decision need is the skill being tested.
Difficult communication
Escalation follows a defined path with time triggers. Bad news travels early and arrives with a proposed remedy. In multilingual or cross-cultural settings, use plain language, avoid idiom, and confirm understanding by asking for a read-back rather than asking whether anything is unclear.
Traps
- One message for every audience.
- Announcing a decision before the decision-makers have heard it.
- Assuming broadcast equals understanding; without a feedback loop you have no evidence of receipt.
- Leaving commitments in conversation rather than in writing.