Engaging Clients During Project Update Meetings

Project managers, only report what matters Project updates shouldn't be a data dump. They should be a signal boost. Most stakeholders don't care about every single task, ticket, and speed bump. They want clarity. They want outcomes. They want action and impact. Report smarter by: ☝ Highlighting the key points early Don't make them dig. Say the important stuff: what's on track, at risk, and a need to know now. Think TL;DR first. ✌ Separate detail by audience The dev team might want specific Jira info. Leadership probably wants 3 high-level bullets. Tailor your updates to show you respect time and what your audience wants. 🤟 Focus on movement, not just activity You should never say "we had 4 meetings and I sent out 8 emails." You should say "we cleared X blocker which pulled delivery back on-track and saved us 3 hours on testing." Specific movement will trump outlined (but not actioned) motion. If your update doesn't drive clarity or action, it's just noise. Keep them sharp, short, AND strategic. 🤙

𝗠𝗲𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗧𝗶𝗽 𝗠𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘆: 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗔𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗮 𝗯𝘆 𝗔𝘀𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗤𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 Tired of flat meetings where attendees just listen passively? Ask questions on your agenda as opposed to using phrases. Questions spark curiosity, encourage participation, and push for deeper discussion. They shift the focus from "being told" to "actively thinking and contributing," leading to richer outcomes. Example: Phrase-Based Agenda: Project Update Risk Management Next Steps Question-Based Agenda: Project Updates: What are some key milestones we've achieved since our last meeting? Risk Management: What are the potential roadblocks or risks we need to keep an eye on? Next Steps: Based on our project update and identified risks, what are the key action items we need to focus on in the coming weeks? Who can take ownership of these? What support do you need? A question-based agenda prompts active participation at each stage. It gets everyone involved in problem-solving and decision-making, leading to a more productive and engaging meeting. Bonus Tip: Frame your questions to be open-ended and thought-provoking. Avoid yes/no questions that shut down discussion. #MeetingTips #Engagement #ProjectManagement

Customer success meetings are conversations, not slideshow marathons. Skip the fancy deck with 10+ slides, narrow it down a few, and stop hiding behind it. You have one job - Show the client the value you bring. You accomplish that not by reading information, or running through a long list of data points, but engaging them in the discussion. Show them a key metric, provide some context, and get their opinion. “We've increased your website traffic by X% and conversion rate by Y% since implementing our solution. What specific goals do you have for further optimization, and how can we tailor our approach to help you achieve them?" Let them marinate on it for a second, and offer more details. Don't be afraid if they counter your point. “But our sales are still down!” A good challenge can lead to a deeper understanding of their needs. They may have the wrong expectations or not understand what terms like “impressions” or “average order value” mean. Work with them to find a middle ground that delivers the results they actually care about.

Perfect client communication is not a one-time thing. Nope. That's just not how it works 📣 After many years of frustration, I stopped looking at communication as a destination and embraced it as a journey. No matter how many times I'd try to explain a project plan super clearly, make all the docs, and run an amazing kickoff... we somehow still end up with the clients on their own wavelength. Getting a full alignment is not even wishful thinking. That's fantasy land. And it used to drive me crazy. Not because the clients are difficult. They're not. It's just that we're all human. People hear things through their own filters. They get distracted. They check email during your calls. They remember what matters to them, not what matters to the project. And over time, that perfect clarity evaporates. Over the years, I came up with a strategy that works quite well for our team: ➡️ 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗽 𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗶𝘁'𝘀 𝗱𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘀𝗮𝘆 𝗶𝘁. The second you think "we already covered that" - that's when things fall apart. ➡️ 𝗗𝗼𝗻'𝘁 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗱𝗼 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘁𝘂𝘀 𝘂𝗽𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀. Create meetings specifically to check if you're still on the same page. And don't ask "got questions?" Ask "are we all aligned on the priorities?", “did I understand you correctly?” ➡️ Some people need pictures. Some need bullet points. Some need stories. 𝗚𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗻𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝘄𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗵 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗸. ➡️ 𝗬𝗼𝘂'𝗹𝗹 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗹 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗮 𝗯𝗿𝗼𝗸𝗲𝗻 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗱. Good. If you're tired of saying it, they're probably just starting to hear it. You'll still have those moments when someone says something so completely off-base that you want to bang your head on the desk. At least, I still do. But if you keep on pushing and treat communication as something you DO on a consistent basis, rather than something you DID in the past - projects start running much smoother. 𝗔𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲. Not the code, marketing campaigns, or whatever your deliverable happens to be. Welcome to the agency life. 🤝 #AgencyLife #B2B #B2BCommerce #DigitalTransformation #Ecommerce #ClientCommunication #ProjectManagement #ClientAlignment #EffectiveCommunication #Teamwork #ClientServices #CommunicationStrategy #AgencyTips #PeopleFirst #ClientRelationships #Collaboration #CommunicationSkills #ProjectSuccess #ConsistentCommunication #ClientEngagement