The Logistics Professional as Translator: Why Communication Is the Work of the Organization's Bloodstream

In this episode of Rozmowy Logistyków, Piotr Skobało talks with Artur Olejniczak about communication in logistics. They discuss why "speaking eloquently" has nothing to do with actually getting decisions delivered, and how a lack of shared language between departments can block even the best-run operations.

A MESSAGE THAT PRODUCES NO ACTION DIDN'T WORK

Good communication isn't the kind that sounds eloquent, it's the kind followed by a specific action from the recipient. The basketball analogy: the passer is responsible for the pass, not the catcher — if someone didn't understand a message, the sender chose the wrong form or level of complexity, not the listener listening badly. The average person today filters around 100,000 messages a day across all channels — so jargon mismatched to the audience (abbreviations like "KPI" that some listeners don't understand) gets lost in the noise.

THE ATTENTION CURVE IS DROPPING, AND THE WINDOW TO CATCH IT IS SHRINKING

Post-pandemic research found that public speaking is judged 70% on appearance, 20% on tone of voice and body language, and only 10% on substance — a blunt illustration of where the attention of audiences used to 30-second TikTok formats actually goes. A monotone delivery and reading off a card (or off a slide packed with text) kills attention — the brain can't listen and read at the same time, so a slide full of content forces either silence for people to read it, or dropping the text in favor of an image and narration.

LANGUAGE MATCHED TO THE ROOM, NOT A UNIVERSAL SCRIPT

A conversation on the warehouse floor with operational staff runs on different language than a board meeting — and that's fine, as long as the speaker deliberately adapts the form to the audience, instead of always speaking in the same style. A practical way to verify understanding: ask the audience directly what they understood — because a nod can mean either understanding or thinking about something else entirely.

HOW TO MASTER STAGE FRIGHT BEFORE A TALK

Stage fright doesn't go away even after thousands of talks — the goal is to turn it into drive, not eliminate it. It helps to remember that the people on the other side are just as human and make mistakes too; to use "shields" like clothing, notes, or a pen that give a sense of comfort; to arrive at the venue early to get familiar with the stage, equipment, and acoustics; and to research the audience, so you know who you're actually talking to. Above all, practice matters — as in the comparison between Ronaldo (90% training, 10% talent) and Messi (the reverse): some people have a natural gift for communication, everyone else has to build it through repeated practice.

THE LOGISTICS PROFESSIONAL AS A TRANSLATOR BETWEEN THE ORGANIZATION'S LANGUAGES

The head of transport speaks in ton-kilometers and pallets, the accountant in złoty, HR in labor hours — a logistics professional, as the organization's bloodstream, has to be able to translate data into each of their languages and show the consequences of decisions (e.g. what happens if we don't react to a transport breakdown — in cost, in trailer availability, in raw materials for production). The key skill is simplifying: 50 slides with no executive summary loses to one clear picture of the consequences, because the most important resource in logistics is time — a resource you can't warehouse or buy more of.