Strategies for Effective Communication During Product Innovation

One of my product development mantras (coined by the legendary Dennis Boyle) is “always bring a prototype to the meeting”. Showing your ideas — rather than talking about them in the abstract — is the best way to communicate them in full. By giving people the ability to understand your thinking by embodied in an object they can see, touch, and feel, you set everyone up to fully contribute their own insights and imagination, and to provide much more actionable feedback. All of this combines to give you and your team a sense of progress: did we move things forward today? Did we learn anything? Why did the prototype crash and burn?  What could I do better? Where do we need to go? As Teresa Amabile has shown us, a sense of daily progress is key to feeling good about your work, your organization, and your career. And people who feel all of those things build better stuff. Period. Could Dennis Boyle’s aphorism translate to startups as well? I think so, at least for new ventures building consumer products. This variant would go along the lines of “always build your new product in public”. As in, endeavor to be radically open and show the world everything you’re discovering as you build and learn. Tell stories about prototypes you’ve made and tested. Admit to failures. As for help. Talk about improvements you’re making and the risks you are taking to get to somewhere truly remarkable. Along the way, you’ll build an audience who are fascinated by the mountain you’re climbing and really want you to reach the summit. Aversion of Kevin Kelly’s notion of 1000 True Fans. The trust and confidence you build across this core group of believers is priceless; they will form the heart of your brand. My favorite example of “always build your new product in public”? My friends at Dust Moto, who are enthusiastically building an absolutely gnarly electric motorcycle in public. They publish a newsletter of their product development journey, and it is fascinating reading. Here is issue No. 28 — I hope you read it and take something away which you can apply to your own approach to building great stuff. #innovation #creativity #leadership

Your Product Managers are talking to customers. So why isn’t your product getting better? A few years ago, I was on a team where our boss had a rule: 🗣️ “Everyone must talk to at least one customer each week.” So we did. Calls were scheduled. Conversations happened. Boxes were checked. But nothing changed. No real insights. No real impact. Because talking to customers isn’t the goal. Learning the right things is. When discovery lacks purpose, it leads to wasted effort, misaligned strategy, and poor business decisions: ❌ Features get built that no one actually needs. ❌ Roadmaps get shaped by the loudest voices, not the right customers. ❌ Teams collect insights… but fail to act on them. How Do You Fix It? ✅ Talk to the Right People Not every customer insight is useful. Prioritize: -> Decision-makers AND end-users – You need both perspectives. -> Customers who represent your core market – Not just the loudest complainers. -> Direct conversations – Avoid proxy insights that create blind spots. 👉 Actionable Step: Before each interview, ask: “Is this customer representative of the next 100 we want to win?” If not, rethink who you’re talking to. ✅ Ask the Right Questions A great question challenges assumptions. A bad one reinforces them. -> Stop asking: “Would you use this?” -> Start asking: “How do you solve this today?” -> Show AI prototypes and iterate in real-time – Faster than long discovery cycles. -> If shipping something is faster than researching it—just build it. 👉 Actionable Step: Replace one of your upcoming interview questions with: “What workarounds have you created to solve this problem?” This reveals real pain points. ✅ Don’t Let Insights Die in a Doc Discovery isn’t about collecting insights. It’s about acting on them. -> Validate across multiple customers before making decisions. -> Share findings with your team—don’t keep them locked in Notion. -> Close the loop—show customers how their feedback shaped the product. 👉 Actionable Step: Every two weeks, review customer insights with your team to decipher key patterns and identify what changes should be applied. If there’s no clear action, you’re just collecting data—not driving change. Final Thought Great discovery doesn’t just inform product decisions—it shapes business strategy. Done right, it helps teams build what matters, align with real customer needs, and drive meaningful outcomes. 👉 Be honest—are your customer conversations actually making a difference? If not, what’s missing? -- 👋 I'm Ron Yang, a product leader and advisor. Follow me for insights on product leadership + strategy.

Clear strategy. Solid plan. Adequate resources. Yet your transformation is still struggling. The missing ingredient? Effective communication. I've learned that communication can make or break your change efforts. Here are the critical dos and don'ts that separate success from failure: 1. DO start with why before what DON'T jump straight to implementation details 2. DO tailor messages to different stakeholder groups DON'T use one-size-fits-all communication 3. DO address the "What's in it for me?" question DON'T assume people automatically see personal relevance 4. DO communicate regularly and consistently DON'T go silent during difficult phases 5. DO create two-way dialogue channels DON'T rely solely on top-down messaging 6. DO acknowledge concerns and resistance openly DON'T dismiss or minimize people's fears 7. DO use visual communication tools DON'T depend only on verbal or written messages 8. DO prepare leaders at all levels to communicate effectively DON'T expect executives alone to carry the message 9. DO celebrate early wins and progress DON'T wait until the end to recognize achievements 10. DO communicate honestly about challenges DON'T sugarcoat difficulties or overpromise results Communication isn't just part of change strategy — It IS your change strategy. Which do you find most challenging to implement in your organization?