“I am detailed to advise…” is one of the many ways of communicating information, especially by administrators like company secretaries.

One day, I was asked, “What do you mean when you say you are detailed…?”
My response was simply that it meant that I was conveying the information on behalf of someone else. I was also tempted to add that I shouldn’t be shot for it!

I thought it would be worth discussing from a perspective of communication techniques. I call it “corporate conveyor belting” ( don’t bother checking it out as a concept because I just made it up!).

The initial conveyance of information may be a walk in the park. However, it gets a little more interesting and even challenging when you are approached separately to convey individual sentiments to the owner of the conveyance. Then you realise that you are the communication bridge between parties that for some reason, do not want to engage with each other directly. What emerges is the responsibility on the conveyor to not only package the information accurately, but also to ensure that they are not fueling animosity between their multiple “principals”. Going back to the example I gave of company Secretaries who serve Management, Board and shareholders, it is clear that there must be a healthy working balance in execution of respective duties in that regard.

“Could you tell them to back off on this one? Tell them it doesn’t make sense . So many things are missing in this…” How do you convey such a message on the belt which you are operating? How do you turn the communication into something palatable to the other party you serve? Tough one?

I always think that a deep breath, though hard to take sometimes, is a great first step. Remember your role as an administrator, dispute resolver, conflict manager and so on. This is where the packaging starts. Understanding the assignment and being emotionally intelligent to sense some tension in the statement and asking for confirmation of a repackaged conveyance are interventions worth considering. Have a discussion with the principal and respectfully seek consensus on the conveyance so that you can be of effective service. Here is an example of something that may work as a repackaged conveyance;

“ Please note that Mr. X has made the following observations and has requested for supporting documentation and clarification before he proceeds to consider the submission.” Sounds better? Getting somewhere?

Conveyor belting in my view, is a skill. Peculiar about it is that it presumes a certain level of courage, relationship management and commitment to results in the best interest of the organisation.

As a conveyor, do not add gasoline and light a match to what you put on the conveyor belt. The goal will certainly be missed and cordial relations violated. Let it not be about half baked conveyancing.

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