How Internal Communications Taught Me That Clarity Builds Trust.
In radio, clarity kept people listening.
Inside organizations, I learned that clarity keeps people trusting.
When I moved from broadcasting into internal communications, I thought I was just changing audiences. In reality, I was stepping into a completely different kind of conversation — one where the goal wasn’t attention, it was alignment.
There’s a particular kind of silence that happens in meetings when people don’t quite understand the message but don’t want to admit it. I saw it again and again: a new initiative, a change in direction, a carefully worded memo that technically said everything right but somehow didn’t land. The words looked fine on paper, yet you could feel the room pulling away.
So I started doing what had become instinctive — listening between the lines. I’d ask questions until the intention behind the message revealed itself, and then help shape language that people could actually connect to. Sometimes that meant rewriting an email; other times, it meant coaching leaders to explain why a change mattered before diving into what it was.
What I learned in those years is that clarity isn’t just about getting the facts straight. It’s about creating safety. When people understand what’s happening and why, they don’t have to brace for impact. They can lean in.
Trust grows when people recognize themselves in the message — when the words sound like something they would say.
That idea still lives at the centre of my work through Acorn Creative Consulting. Whether it’s a clinic launch, a rebrand, or a team trying to communicate more effectively, the goal is the same: help people see themselves clearly enough to trust the message.
In radio, I learned to keep people listening.
In internal communications, I learned to help people belong.