“I moved from being reactive to intentional, using pauses, structure, and relatability to lead conversations better.”

With two decades of experience in technology, I have grown from being a developer at Oracle to working as a Director and Architect in a strategy and leadership role. My journey has always been rooted in technology, but as my responsibilities grew, I found myself communicating with more people, from technical teams and peers to senior leaders and stakeholders.
I have always considered myself a people-friendly person. I enjoy interacting with people and have generally been comfortable communicating with them. But over time, I started noticing a gap between what I was thinking and how I was expressing it. I also realised that I needed to communicate differently depending on whether I was speaking to a technical or non-technical audience. I had received feedback that I spoke too quickly, and although my meetings were successful, I knew I could make my communication more effective.
That became the trigger for me to invest in improving how I communicated. My leader also made me realise that technical strength alone would not be enough. If I could not communicate well, I would eventually struggle as a leader. When I explored different programmes, Kapable stood out to me because of the personal 1:1 element. Communication is personal to every individual, and I felt that individual attention would help me work on the areas specific to me.
When I started, I mainly wanted to improve my speech speed, articulation and voice modulation but as I went through the programme, I realised that effective communication was about much more than choosing the right words. I needed to structure my thoughts, create a clear storyline and make my communication relatable to the person in front of me.
I started seeing the difference in real situations. In one technical presentation, I structured my content more deliberately, and my colleagues told me that my portion was crystal clear. People later reached out to me to understand what I had presented and how they could navigate it themselves. That gave me confidence that the way I was communicating was actually helping people understand and act on the information.
I also started applying these learnings outside work. When my 10-year-old son and I disagreed about which academic stream he should pursue, our conversations would usually end in arguments. This time, I approached the conversation differently. We spoke for around 30 minutes, and instead of fighting over our individual opinions, we reached a consensus. I realised that my ability to structure my thoughts and communicate more effectively had also strengthened how I approached negotiation.
Another important shift has been in how I handle high-pressure situations. During a recent production issue, I deliberately held myself back instead of immediately jumping into the conversation. I let my colleagues explain their perspectives, listened to both sides and then stepped in to summarise the situation and help move the discussion towards a solution. I felt genuinely content with how I had handled it because I had consciously channelled my energy towards what mattered.
I have also become more aware of how I build relationships with senior stakeholders. Earlier, I would often get straight to the point. Now, I understand the value of creating a connection before moving into the agenda. In a recent skip-level meeting, I spent the first few minutes finding common ground before moving into the discussion. The conversation became much more constructive and natural.
Today, I feel more confident and structured in the way I communicate. I know the areas I still need to practise, and I also know that these skills become stronger through consistency. I am leaving this journey feeling powerful and joyful, with a clearer understanding of how I want people to experience me as a leader: confident, structured, relatable and genuinely connected to the people around me.