A CEO’s Take on the “Comms Hellscape”

Never has communicating internally and externally been more important to companies. Never has it been harder.

• This year, only 27% of executives believe their teams are entirely aligned with business goals. Worse — only 9% of employees agree. 

• Last year, those numbers were weak, but roughly double — leaders at 44% and employees at 14%. Clarity and communication are breaking down.

Across a series of recent speeches to CEOs and top execs desperate to understand how to communicate in this era, Axios CEO Jim VandeHei says he realized just how gigantic the gap is between how leaders see the world (familiarity with only a few, mostly old-line platforms) and how they communicate (like it's 1999). And it feels like it’s getting worse.

Two big things have changed in the last few years:

• Consumer attention has shattered into hundreds of shards of glass. More people are flocking to more information bubbles on YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, podcasts, newsletters, private chats, and gaming sites.

• Most businesses are changing at a faster velocity, juiced in part by AI and its future capabilities. That makes communication with team members all the more important.

To win in this environment, companies will need two new superpowers:

• Savvy communicators who understand the demographics and native languages of each shard of glass — plus fast-twitch instincts and deep understanding of the tactics for shifting opinions on each one.

• Short, smart, memorable and repeatable ways to communicate what matters most internally or externally. If people are distracted, you can't expect them to engage or remember long or confusing ideas or messages.

Axios HQ’s founders announced a revised second edition of their best-selling book “Smart Brevity: Saying More With Less” last week. The update includes new case studies, resources, and advice on how comms teams can implement the Smart Brevity® method to keep communications crisp and competitive. A quick-start to make any writing shorter and smarter:

A quick-start to make any writing shorter and smarter:

1. Stop being selfish. Think about the person you’re communicating to, not your own ego or ambitions, when writing. This makes you more respectful of their time and attention.

2. Grab me! Before you write anything for social media, or your boss or your friend, think about the most important thing you want them to know. Distill it into one sentence.

3. Write like a human. Most of us are pretty normal in conversation. But for whatever reason, when we start to write, we try to sound like Walt Whitman. Be you.

4. Keep it simple. Short, tight words and sentences are always winners. Subject, verb, object! Break multiple points into bullet points to juice recall.

5. Just stop. The greatest gift you can give to yourself and others is time. So use as few words and sentences and paragraphs as humanly possible. Then stop!

“Smart Brevity: Saying More With Less” is revised in print and audio. Axios HQ also offers a free hub of Smart Brevity resources at that same link.