LEADERSHIP & INFLUENCE
Communication & Executive Presence
Whether you can explain a complex tradeoff clearly and concisely to an audience that was not in the room for the details, including at the executive or board level.
← All 16 dimensions in the competency frameworkWhat strong evidence looks like
- A specific instance of simplifying a complex decision for a senior audience
- What that audience did differently because of how it was communicated
What weak evidence looks like
- Describes being "a strong communicator" with no specific audience or message
- No resulting decision or action tied to the communication described
A real follow-up question
“Walk me through exactly what you said to the executive who disagreed, and what they said back.”
Questions like this follow directly from what you just said, not from a fixed script -- they exist to find out whether an answer holds up, not to check a box.
Browse by career level
The evidence standard for Communication & Executive Presence shifts with scope. Select a level to see what strong evidence looks like, what changes from the level below, and a real interview probe.
Communication & Executive Presence at the PM levelA single feature, component, or defined product area within one team.Communication & Executive Presence at the Senior PM levelA defined product area with real ownership of roadmap and metric accountability.Communication & Executive Presence at the Principal PM levelCross-team or full product line scope. Often defining the boundaries rather than operating inside them.Communication & Executive Presence at the Director levelA product area spanning multiple teams, often with PMs reporting directly.Communication & Executive Presence at the Senior Director levelA large product portfolio or multiple product areas, often with directors reporting.Communication & Executive Presence at the VP levelA full product line, major business unit, or portfolio with P&L accountability.Communication & Executive Presence at the CPO levelCompany-wide product vision and strategy, as a member of the executive team.
Related dimensions in Leadership & Influence
See where you actually stand on this
A self-assessment only goes so far. The adaptive interview tests exactly this kind of evidence, in your own words, with follow-up questions built to find out whether it holds up.