Internal comms by committee

The compromise, the chaos, and the cost. 

So you’ve drafted a message, let’s say it’s about a change to your company’s benefits platform. It’s not the most exciting piece of work you’ve ever delivered, but you’ve done a great job. The message is clear, sharp, and it gets to the point. You’re convinced that it’s going to fly through approvals.

But you’re wrong. The first round of feedback comes in… not too bad, a few tweaks here and there. But then it’s not just Sally from the Reward team that needs to review it. She wants to run it past Duncan in Payroll. Okay. 

Rinse and repeat until your original message is diluted, diplomatic, bland, not very on brand, and tailored to absolutely nobody in particular. 

This is what happens when too many people get a say. Communication can be so subjective which is why people always have their own opinion on what messages should say and how it should be said. 

As communicators, it’s not our job to please everyone, it’s our job to communicate effectively. (Note: effective, not ‘nice’).

But what about collaboration?

Collaboration’s great when it’s about insight, working together, solving problems. It’s deadly when it’s about approval.

Often it starts with good intentions, but in a bid to be safe, considerate and ‘collaborative’, more and more stakeholders get involved. 

The real cost

Time, momentum, confidence, professional pride - it all takes a hit.

It can be soul-destroying: every time you craft something half-decent, it gets watered down. The message blurs, the point gets lost, and the audience switches off - glazed over in a haze of beige.

How to keep your message alive

1. Decide who actually decides.
You don’t need six people rewriting sentences, you just need one person accountable for what it says. Find out from your stakeholders who has the final say. And then you can find out which stakeholders you might want to keep close, share with, gain input from, but ultimately, one person needs to have sign off power. 

2. Agree the purpose before you touch the wording.
If people know what the message needs to do, they’ll be less likely to nitpick how it’s said. Share the direction ahead of time if you can, let people know why certain things work better than others, set the context.

3. Ask for focused feedback.
Let people know how and where their feedback is valuable. Tone, sentence structure, storytelling, imagery - you don’t need help there. Fact checking for accuracy, a powerful quote - yes, that’s helpful. Be clear with what you need and set the boundaries for what’s up for discussion and what’s not. 

4. Use evidence.
If you need help with the boundaries, bring data or examples: what engagement looks like when things are short, sharp, and human. Higher read-rates and engagement? Action taken? It’s harder to argue with facts than feelings.

5. Protect your time.
You’re not being awkward, you’re doing your job - effective comms, not nice, bland or wishy washy comms that pleases everyone behind the scenes - there’s a big difference and it’s an important one. Take care of your professional pride like the finance team guards budget.

In short…

Communication isn’t meant to please everyone. It’s meant to be understood. And sometimes, landing something strong, fast and honest is a better use of your time than crafting a people-pleasing message that’s forgotten as soon as it’s read.