When Things Feel Too Quiet

One of the risks for even the most capable organisations is silence.

The strategy is sound. The capability is strong. Delivery is happening. And yet - the outside world isn’t noticing. Stakeholders aren’t leaning in. The organisation begins to feel like its sector’s best-kept secret.

This is more than frustrating; it’s a governance risk. Harvard research highlights the connection between visibility and trust, demonstrating that organisations with consistent communication strategies outperform their peers in terms of resilience, stakeholder engagement, and long-term growth. Similarly, the AICD has highlighted that reputation and stakeholder confidence are not intangibles - they are core to board accountability.

The challenge is that communications is too often treated as discretionary: cut back in lean times, revived when budgets allow. But when strategy is absent, what remains is noise. Posts without purpose may keep a brand present, but they don’t generate leads, influence, or impact.

Communications strategy is not window dressing. It’s the discipline that separates:

• Busyness from influence

• Disruption from motivation

• Activity from purpose

The lesson from best practice, whether drawn from large global brands or high-performing local organisations, is clear: ignore communications strategy at the peril of your hard labour.

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