Bar-Raising Product Management: Mastering communication strategies with Kabir Bedi

At Amazon Ads, effective communication is not just a skill; it's a cornerstone of success for technical product managers (PMTs). This article, part of our "Bar-Raising Product Management" series, examines the importance of communication in the PMT role. It offers insights from Kabir Bedi, a Senior Manager of PMT with 11 years of experience across various roles at Amazon, including three years at Amazon Ads.

"As product managers, we communicate all the time with many different stakeholders. I would hypothesize that we communicate more often than we sleep across our entire lifetimes," Kabir jokes. He argues that for PMTs in tech companies, communication is even more crucial due to the wide sphere of influence they need to navigate.

"PMTs communicate across a very broad surface area—upward with leadership, with peer stakeholders, with their own engineering and design teams, with other PMTs across teams or on their own teams, and also externally with customers, clients, agencies, etc."

This vast network of interactions often comes without direct authority, so communication is a PMT's best tool for achieving desired outcomes. Kabir stresses that these skills, as well as being useful for work situations, are also foundational life skills that yield compounded returns over time.

At Amazon, written communication takes center stage due to the company's unique writing culture. Kabir acknowledges that "Jeff Bezos says writing forces product leaders to develop greater clarity of thought."

Kabir offers several key tips for effective written communication:

• Articulate a clear objective: Specify the purpose of your document to guide the reader's interpretation.
• Set the context: Provide necessary background information, especially for leadership who may lack full context.
• Be specific: Avoid vague statements and "weasel words" like "very" or "significantly."
• Use active voice: This helps keep sentences shorter and more impactful.
• Be concise: "Verbosity is not a virtue," Kabir emphasizes. Aim for shorter sentences and fewer words.
• Back up assertions with data: Use quantitative or qualitative data to support your points.

Amazon’s writing culture is central to the way we work, and written documents are the basis of every business decision. Kabir describes a detailed seven-step process for writing effective documents that has helped him through his career:

• Set expectations: Recognize that writing a high-quality document takes time.
• Draft an outline: Create a basic structure or mini PRFAQ (two to three paragraphs) to socialize ideas early.
• Gather data: Concurrently collect insights, user research, and other relevant information.
• Write the first draft: Get your thoughts on paper without worrying about length.
• Edit and cut: Trim down the draft to an appropriate length.
• Socialize and review: Share with your team and trusted stakeholders for feedback.
• Incorporate feedback: Reflect on the input received and make necessary revisions.

Kabir emphasizes the importance of starting early to allow time for this thorough process, and he highlights the value of seeking feedback from peers and stakeholders throughout the writing journey.

Verbal communication is equally important and is a powerful tool for building rapport and relationships—which is critical for PMTs in a matrix environment like Amazon Ads. Kabir recommends the book “Cues: Master the Secret Language of Charismatic Communication” by Vanessa Van Edwards, which breaks down charismatic communication into two key components:

• Warmth: Coming across as collaborative, patient, and empathetic.
• Competence: Appearing impressive, powerful, and dependable.

Van Edwards says the goal is to strike a balance between these two elements, being "trustworthy, friendly, and likable" while also appearing "capable, smart, and powerful." Excellent verbal communication is critical to influence without authority, allowing PMTs to articulate their points of view and bring people along with their thinking.

Kabir also emphasizes the responsibility of the communicator, stating, "The onus lies on the person communicating and not on the recipient. It is my job to understand, to read the room and see which style of communication is most appropriate. Am I talking to a group of product managers or am I presenting to senior leadership? What would each group be most interested in? It is my responsibility to make sure that my verbal communication reflects the audience that I'm talking to and that they understand what I'm saying."

By mastering these aspects of verbal communication, PMTs can significantly enhance their effectiveness in navigating the complex landscape of their roles.

Kabir further emphasizes the importance of effective communication with leadership and emphasizes that VPs, SVPs, and Directors are reading numerous documents and emails daily, so it's crucial to communicate clearly and effectively with them. “Of all your stakeholders, leaders appreciate concise, direct, and to-the-point communication. Clear communication allows you to showcase your expertise and knowledge about your product; it can help influence decisions and gain support for your initiatives.”

Kabir offers the following tips for communicating with leadership:

• Be confident: Maintain eye contact and remember that you're the subject matter expert on your product.
• Speak thoughtfully: Emphasize key points and tailor your communication to drive home your message.
• Respond, don't react: Take time to process questions before answering.
• Be concise and direct: Be aware that your leaders’ time is short.
• Follow this four-step process: Listen, understand, respond, and then optionally explain.

He also highlights common pitfalls to avoid:

• Not answering the question asked
• Burying the lead in your written communication
• Reacting instead of pausing to think before responding

“As a PMT, your communication with leadership often represents your entire team's work and efforts,” Kabir explains, “so how you communicate can have a potentially large impact on the success of your product.”

Effective communication is a learned skill, and Amazon offers multiple resources that PMTs can use to hone these skills. "Amazon is investing considerably in helping us become better communicators," Kabir notes. "Writing is not a skill that folks come with; it's a learned skill, but you have to practice it and leverage all of these available tools."

By honing both written and verbal communication skills, PMTs can effectively influence without authority, align diverse teams, and drive impactful products that delight customers.

As Kabir concludes, "Keep in mind, none of us were born to be effective communicators. It's a skill that everyone from a fresh college grad to Jeff Bezos has learned along the way."