Business Analyst Skills for Communication and Stakeholder Management

Business analytics are of ever-increasing importance in the corporate world, but data-driven decision-making can only succeed if technical teams and business leaders communicate effectively. If analysts and strategic leadership don’t understand each other, the “translation gap”—the rift that separates each function from understanding the other’s goals, challenges and conclusions—can be a costly source of friction and confusion within companies.

This puts “translation” high on the list of essential business analyst skills. A recent report from McKinsey Global Institute argued that translating business needs into actionable goals for business analysts to pursue with data science techniques and explaining those findings back to leadership are such critical skills that the business world might need up to 40% of STEM graduates to act as data science translators.¹

This is not news to the business analytics community. Communicating with stakeholders has long been understood as one of the most important business analyst skills required for the function to perform effectively in any organization.

This guide focuses on the essential soft skills required for business analytics, as well as the communications techniques and strategies needed by business analysts who intend to provide insight and leadership through their work.

Why Are Communication Skills Required for Business Analytics Success?

Technical proficiency is the foundation of business analytics success. A business analyst (BA) has to be well-versed in elements of programming, database management and machine learning. For example, the Online Master of Science in Business Analytics program at William & Mary’s Raymond A. Mason School of Business includes prerequisite and core courses that cover the use of R for statistical analysis, Python for modeling business problems and SQL for database management.

These are essential tools for harnessing complex data. But business analysts are expected to bridge the gap between technical output and business goals and outcomes.² This bridge function comes from the ability to translate data findings into actionable business strategy, to drive organizational change with clear, persuasive, data-driven insight.

This is why technical ability accounts for only about half of the business analyst skills needed to be effective in the profession. Communication accounts for the other half.

Essential Business Analyst Skills Needed for Stakeholder Management

There are three basic categories of communication skills that every BA should expect to have in their toolbox:

Active Listening and Empathy

As a business analyst, a stakeholder might reasonably approach you with a request framed as a list of technical requirements: pull this data or run that analysis. That works if the stakeholder understands both the requirements of their own job and the capacity of the tools and techniques you can use as a BA. But there’s a strong chance that the BA will better understand how business analytics can help with a problem—they just need to understand it. This is where active listening and empathy are essential skills.

Sometimes referred to as “uncovering the why,” listening closely to the issues your colleagues are trying to understand through business analytics helps the BA design better solutions and deliver more useful findings.

Storytelling with Data

“I always tell my students we are storytellers. It doesn’t matter that you’re the best model maker and you create all these models that will give you very good insights in terms of what the data is telling you,” said Dr. Guillermo Rodríguez-Abitia, program director for the Online MSBA program. “If you cannot communicate that in plain English, in business language to the business leaders, then your work is useless.”

For business analytics to be effective, the data presented must influence non-technical decision-makers in a language they understand, delivered in terms relevant to their objectives. Business analysts must be proficient in data storytelling, crafting compelling narratives from crowded spreadsheets to help their colleagues clearly see what the data reveals.

Negotiation and Conflict Resolution

As a business analyst, you can reasonably expect there will be occasions when you receive multiple requests at the same time, confusing briefs or find that the scope of your project has quietly and unexpectedly morphed over time. In any of these scenarios, you must be able to handle yourself diplomatically but effectively.

A business analyst doesn’t need the conflict resolution skills of a high-level diplomat or hostage negotiator. Still, you will need to manage conflicting priorities among stakeholders or patiently explain why a project can no longer function as designed if the scope keeps changing.

What Skills Are Required for Business Analytics Leadership?

Ultimately, the goal for successful business analysts is to move from being simple order-takers—receiving instructions on which analytics to run from other business functions—to being true strategic partners within the organization, consulted by colleagues when problems arise and considered fundamental to finding solutions.

To achieve this goal, business analytics leaders need to demonstrate advanced competency in skills like facilitation, change management and strategic thinking. In practice, this means being able to inspire and encourage effective collaboration,³ guide individuals and organizations towards new methods and outcomes⁴ and apply effective problem-solving strategies to the problems your company faces.

How to Develop and Refine Your Business Analyst Skills

Acquiring essential business analytics and data science skills can be done in a variety of ways. You can, for example, seek out mentors who have specific skills or experience you want to emulate. Or find ways to participate in cross-functional projects at work, which might allow you to exercise your existing skills while developing new proficiencies.

For some, however, the quickest and most direct route is to pursue an advanced degree that provides applied training in the skills you need for your chosen career. A comprehensive master’s degree program in business analytics will offer a curriculum that combines technical training with soft skills to produce well-rounded, career-focused graduates.

Master the Art of Data Communication With William & Mary

The most effective business analysts balance rigorous technical ability with high-level interpersonal and communication skills. They have the confidence to communicate with leadership in terms they know speak clearly to the needs of the organization. These are fundamental business analytics skills, every bit as essential to the role as knowledge of programming languages and database management techniques.

The Online MSBA from William & Mary’s Raymond A. Mason School of Business prepares you for a career in business analytics with a curriculum designed to provide that critical combination of technical proficiency and the soft skills you’ll need to succeed. The 100% online format can be completed in 16–18 months, with students completing the Foundations in Business Analytics Certificate in the first five months, at no additional time or cost.

Find out more about the course curriculum, admissions requirements and tuition and financial aid information by visiting the William & Mary website. To discuss what the W&M advantage can do to propel your career in business analytics, schedule a call with an admissions outreach advisor today.