Organizations communicate constantly.
They send emails, host town halls, share strategy decks, announce new initiatives, and update employees on what is changing.
But sharing information is not the same as creating understanding.
And understanding is not always enough to create action.
In this episode of Communicast: A Communication Skills Podcast, Scott D’Amico speaks with Scott McInnes, founder of Inspiring Change and an expert in organizational culture, internal communications, and leadership.
Their conversation explores why strong communication must connect people to purpose, strategy, and action, and why frontline leaders play such an important role in helping messages become meaningful at the team level.
Information Alone Does Not Drive Action
Many organizations assume communication is complete once a message has been delivered.
The email was sent.
The presentation was given.
The strategy was announced.
The town hall happened.
But the real measure of communication is what happens next.
Do people understand what the message means?
Do they know why it matters?
Can they see how it connects to their work?
Do they know what action they are expected to take?
Scott emphasized that great communicators do more than share information. They create a clear connection between the organization’s purpose, its strategy, and the work people are doing every day.
Without that connection, communication becomes noise.
Communicate to the Head and the Heart
Scott described effective communication as speaking to both the head and the heart.
The head needs clarity.
People need to understand the facts, the rationale, the expectations, and the action required.
The heart needs meaning.
People also need to understand why the message matters, how it affects them, and why they should care.
Data and spreadsheets may explain what is happening, but they do not always motivate people to act.
Stories, examples, and human experiences help people connect emotionally with the message.
This is why business storytelling is such a valuable communication skill. Stories can help leaders make strategy more relatable, memorable, and meaningful without losing the clarity people need.
The strongest messages combine both elements.
They explain what is happening and help people feel why it matters.
Every Message Needs a Clear Ask
A communicator can be engaging, articulate, and memorable while still leaving the audience confused.
Scott pointed out that some people tell excellent stories but fail to bring those stories to a clear conclusion.
The audience may enjoy the presentation and still leave wondering:
“What exactly do you need me to do?”
Every important communication should lead toward a clear ask.
That might include:
- A decision that needs to be made
- A behavior that needs to change
- A task that needs to be completed
- A conversation that needs to happen
- A priority that needs greater attention
Strong executive presentation skills help leaders structure messages so the audience understands both the story and the action that should follow it.
Communication without a clear ask may be interesting.
But it rarely creates results.
Frontline Leaders Translate Strategy into Meaning
Senior leaders can explain the organization’s vision and strategy.
But they cannot personally translate that message for every employee.
That work often happens through frontline and middle managers.
These leaders know their teams.
They understand individual workloads, personal circumstances, team dynamics, and the pressures employees are facing.
That knowledge allows them to take an organization-wide message and explain what it means locally.
A CEO may communicate the broader direction.
A frontline leader helps an employee understand:
- How this affects the team
- What will change in the employee’s role
- What will remain the same
- What support will be available
- What the employee needs to do next
That ability to contextualize communication is one reason frontline leaders can either strengthen or weaken connection across an organization.
They are not simply passing messages along.
They are helping people make meaning from them.
Leaders Make or Break Connection
Scott shared research showing that leaders have an outsized impact on connection within teams.
One leader may intentionally create opportunities for people to contribute, collaborate, and stay informed.
Another may unintentionally weaken connection through poor communication, inconsistent expectations, or lack of attention.
This becomes even more important in hybrid work environments.
Some employees may be in the office regularly.
Others may work remotely most of the time.
Some may live in different regions or time zones.
Without intentional communication, proximity bias can emerge. Employees who are physically closer to the leader may receive more attention, information, and opportunity simply because they are easier to see.
Strong leaders recognize that connection needs to be designed.
They think carefully about who is receiving information, who may be missing from informal conversations, and how to create meaningful interaction across locations.
Hybrid Work Requires Clear Expectations
Hybrid work offers flexibility, but it also requires clarity.
Teams need to understand when they are expected to work together in person, when remote participation is appropriate, and why certain moments benefit from face-to-face interaction.
Scott shared an example of employees sitting on different floors of the same office while joining the same online meeting from separate rooms.
Technically, the meeting happened.
But the opportunity for real connection was lost.
Leaders need to be willing to set expectations and have difficult conversations when necessary.
If the team has agreed that a particular meeting or collaboration day will happen in person, leaders must communicate that expectation clearly and hold people accountable to it.
Hybrid communication is not about forcing every interaction into one format.
It is about choosing the right format for the purpose.
Communication Shapes Culture
Culture is often discussed as though it exists separately from communication.
In reality, culture is reinforced through communication every day.
It appears in:
- The language leaders use
- The tone of internal emails
- The questions people feel safe asking
- The feedback employees receive
- The expectations teams establish
- The behaviors leaders tolerate or challenge
Scott shared an example from his earlier career where an organization intentionally changed its tone of voice.
Formal, distant language was replaced with more natural communication that sounded like real people speaking to one another.
That may seem like a small change, but language sends signals about hierarchy, trust, and belonging.
When communication becomes overly formal or impersonal, employees may feel less comfortable raising concerns or contributing ideas.
When leaders communicate clearly and naturally, they help create a culture where people are more willing to engage.
Confidence Is Not the Same as Effectiveness
Confidence helps communicators get started.
But confidence alone does not make someone effective.
There are many comfortable, confident presenters who struggle to make their message clear or relevant.
Effective communication requires both confidence and skill.
That includes the ability to:
- Understand the audience
- Organize ideas clearly
- Adapt in real time
- Use stories with purpose
- Respond to audience reactions
- End with a clear next step
Leaders who want to strengthen these abilities may benefit from focused executive communication coaching that helps them examine how their messages are landing and adjust their approach.
Preparation Creates Flexibility
Scott and Scott also discussed the relationship between preparation and adaptability.
The strongest communicators do not memorize every word.
They know their content well enough to adjust when conditions change.
A presentation scheduled for 45 minutes may suddenly need to fit into 20.
A small meeting may grow into a larger audience.
An exercise that worked well with one group may not fit another.
Preparation gives communicators the confidence to make those decisions in real time.
They understand the core message, the shortened version, the expanded version, and the elements that can be removed without losing meaning.
That flexibility is what allows communication to feel natural rather than rehearsed.
Self-Awareness Is a Leadership Skill
Scott’s closing advice centered on awareness.
Communication skills do not improve simply through repetition.
They improve when repetition is paired with reflection.
After an important conversation or presentation, leaders can ask:
- How did that message land?
- Did people understand what I needed?
- Where did I lose their attention?
- Could I have answered that question more clearly?
- Should I have prepared differently?
- What should I change next time?
Self-awareness helps communicators notice the difference between what they intended and what the audience experienced.
It also helps them recognize signals in the moment.
A confused expression, crossed arms, silence, or a sudden drop in participation may indicate that the message is not landing as intended.
Leaders who notice those signals can adapt.
Those who ignore them may continue communicating without realizing the audience has already disengaged.
Final Thoughts
Great communication does more than move information from one person to another.
It connects people to purpose.
It helps employees understand how their work supports the organization’s strategy.
It speaks to both the head and the heart.
It gives people a clear next step.
And it helps create a culture where people feel informed, included, and able to contribute.
Communication without action is just noise.
Communication that creates clarity, meaning, and connection can move an entire organization forward.
