In a single day, a lab manager may need to explain a workflow issue to frontline staff, justify a resource request to executives, coordinate with quality or finance, and respond to concerns from clinicians, researchers, clients, or vendors. Each audience needs different information, and each may define success in different terms.
“Do you currently adapt how you communicate based on your audience today?” Melissa Duong, MS, PA(ASCP), asked attendees during her 2026 Lab Manager Leadership Summit presentation. She framed this type of adaptation through the lens of code switching—the practice of adjusting language, tone, or communication style to suit different audiences—emphasizing that for lab managers, the goal is not to change the substance of the message but to present it in a way that is most useful and relevant to the listener.
This matters because, as Duong explained, “the lab cannot operate in silos.” The lab is one part of a broader organizational system, with upstream and downstream relationships that affect service, quality, safety, finances, and staff experience. If lab leaders communicate without considering those connections, decisions can create confusion, resistance, or rework for other teams.
Start with the audience
Effective communication starts with understanding who needs the message and what they need from it. Executives often need a concise explanation of impact: What is the risk? What is the cost? How does this connect to strategic priorities? What decision or resource is needed? A detailed technical explanation may be necessary later, but it should not obscure the business case.
Frontline employees usually need a different level of detail. They need to understand how a decision affects daily work, what will change, when it will happen, and what support they will receive. Duong noted that frontline employees “want clear, concise communication.” If a new process affects staffing, turnaround time, workload, or training, vague updates can increase anxiety. Clear, specific communication helps staff prepare and gives them a better chance to succeed.
Other stakeholders may require their own framing. Finance teams likely focus on budget variance, return on investment, and cost avoidance. Quality teams focus on compliance, documentation, risk, and corrective action. Clinicians or internal customers may focus on turnaround time, reliability, and service impact. The lab manager’s job is to translate the same issue into terms that connect with each group’s responsibilities.
Match the level of detail to the direction of communication
Duong described how information changes as it moves through an organization. “As information gets driven down through the layers, it needs to be more specific, and detailed, but clear and concise,” she said. A broad strategic goal must become clear expectations, procedures, timelines, and responsibilities.
When information moves up to senior leadership, the opposite is often true. Lab managers need to synthesize details into a clear story supported by data. Instead of describing every workflow step, they may need to explain the operational trend, the risk of inaction, and the decision required.
This adjustment can help lab managers avoid a common communication problem: providing either too much detail to people who need the big picture or too little detail to people who need to carry out the work.
Use shared language without losing clarity
Adapting communication also means paying attention to terminology. In her presentation, Duong gave the example of adjusting budget language when working with finance stakeholders. She began using the same budget phrasing that the finance department used because she “wanted to show them that I knew what I was talking about, that I was knowledgeable, and that they could trust me with the budget.”
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Lab managers can apply the same principle to other groups. Speaking in terms of KPIs, compliance risk, service levels, safety concerns, or workflow impact can help stakeholders understand why an issue matters. However, as Duong explained, shared language should not become jargon for its own sake. The goal is clarity, not performance.
Listen for how the message lands
Adapting communication is not a one-time adjustment. Lab leaders need to watch for signs that the message is not being received as intended. Questions, confusion, hesitation, or repeated errors may signal that the message needs to be reframed.
Duong emphasized perspective as a central communication skill. “You really need to think about what the other person’s interests or their goals are so that you can start tailoring your communication,” she said during the audience Q&A. Lab managers should consider not only what they intended to say, but how the other person is likely to understand it. That requires listening, asking follow-up questions, and adjusting the message when needed.
Stakeholder-specific communication is not a soft skill separate from operations. It affects project buy-in, change adoption, staff trust, and cross-functional alignment. By tailoring communication to the audience while keeping the message accurate and consistent, lab leaders can reduce friction and help the lab work more effectively within the larger organization.
