Communication is a skill that can be learned and improved with practice. Experienced professionals still make mistakes that weaken how their organization is seen, especially under time pressure or when several people are speaking for the same project. These seven come up in public, corporate and project work alike, and each can be fixed.
01Unclear Messages
When an update does not say what changed or what people need to do, readers fill the gaps themselves.
- Put the most important point in the first sentence.
- Tell people what the change means for them and what, if anything, they need to do.
- Keep each update to one main message, with links to more detail.
02Inconsistent Messages
When the website, the field crew and the spokesperson each say something slightly different, people start to wonder which version is true. Inconsistency can come from good intentions, with each person trying to answer questions as best they can.
- Keep one approved set of key messages and update it as the project changes.
- Name a single point of contact for media and public questions.
- Brief partners and front-line staff before information goes public.
During the 2022 Rogers outage, police services gave the public direct guidance on how to reach 911, a reminder of the role partners play when information is moving quickly.
03Overpromising
People plan around what they are told. When a commitment slips, they carry the cost of the change, and that includes casual promises made in conversation.
- Commit only to what has been approved and funded.
- Record commitments in a shared log with an owner and a date.
- If a commitment changes, tell the person it was made to before the date passes.
Our post on the cost of miscommunication follows one verbal promise on a road project from conversation to dispute. The Canada Line shows the same problem at the scale of a major transit project.
04Not Listening
Asking for feedback and then showing no sign it was heard can leave people frustrated. Reporting back shows that their input reached someone who could act on it.
- Report back on what you heard and what the project did with it.
- Be clear about which decisions are still open to input and which are not.
- Respond to concerns directly, including the ones you cannot resolve.
A communications audit reviews how your organization actually communicates and where messages are getting lost, so you can fix gaps before they affect your reputation.
Explore Communications Audits05Slow Crisis Communication
When something goes wrong, silence leaves room for speculation. People need to hear early that the organization knows about the problem, even before all the facts are available.
- Prepare a crisis communication plan and approved holding statements in advance.
- Acknowledge the situation quickly and say when the next update will come.
- Give regular factual updates, even when the update is that work is ongoing.
Our reputation and crisis communications page covers how we help organizations prepare.
06Jargon and Acronyms
Technical and corporate language can lose the people a message is meant for. Project teams use acronyms every day that the public may not know. The Canada.ca Content Style Guide states that plain language is required under the Directive on the Management of Communications.
- Write for the least specialized person in your audience.
- Spell out acronyms and explain technical terms the first time they appear.
- Ask someone outside the project to read important updates before they go out.
07Failing to Own Mistakes
When an organization makes a mistake, its response becomes part of the story. Deflecting or staying quiet can keep that story going longer.
- Acknowledge the mistake promptly and plainly.
- Explain what is being done to fix it and when people can expect results.
- Brief staff and partners before the information goes public.
- Follow up to show what changed as a result.
- Does the first sentence say what changed?
- Will someone outside the project understand every word?
- Does it match what our website and field staff are saying?
- Does it promise anything we have not confirmed we can deliver?
- Does it tell people when they will hear from us next?
Want a second set of eyes on how your organization communicates?
We help public and private organizations in Alberta review their communication and build practices that hold up under pressure.
