What silence says (in internal comms)

How thoughtful restraint helps messages land more clearly

We live in a world of constant chatter; notifications, reminders, trending topics, urgent updates - it’s all at our fingertips and the flow never seems to stop, so much so that silence now feels like a luxury! And inside organisations, it’s no different. Channels are full, inboxes are crowded, and employees are bombarded from every direction.

In this environment, silence doesn’t mean doing nothing. In internal comms, silence means being deliberate. It’s about resisting the urge to add more noise, and choosing carefully when to step back, so that the messages that matter most can truly have an impact.

When everything’s important, nothing stands out 

The latest IC Index 2025 and State of the Sector reports highlight a familiar frustration: employees are overloaded with information. There’s too much content, too many channels, and not enough clarity. And it feels as though this is a continuous issue, every year research shows the same thing.

What’s the result of too much noise? I know what it is because I do it on multiple school WhatsApp groups… I tune out. Important updates get buried, and in the wider context of an organisation, trust does erode when comms feel rushed, cluttered or confusing.

Less noise = more impact 

One of the simplest, most effective things internal communicators can do is pull back, not to disengage, but to curate.

That might mean:

• Sending fewer reminders, and trusting that people will find information when they need it.

• Spacing out key messages instead of piling them on top of each other.

• Cutting copy so the essential points shine through.

• Being clear about ownership: who really needs to say this, and through which channel?

Thoughtful restraint signals confidence, and it seems so simple but I do believe it’s something all of us find tricky in 2025. If we can get it right, then what it shows is that as comms professionals, we’re not chasing attention, we’re earning it.

Be deliberate with repetition 

Pulling back on noise doesn’t mean cutting out reminders altogether. In fact, well-timed, structured repetition is one of the most powerful ways to build habits and embed messages in people’s minds. Neuroscience tells us that regular cues help our brains create reliable pathways, making it easier for people to remember and act.

The key is to be intentional, not indiscriminate.

It’s the difference between:

• Scattering the same reminder across every channel “just in case”

• Building a clear, predictable rhythm that reinforces key behaviours over time.

When reminders are planned thoughtfully, they support people rather than overwhelm them. They become part of the fabric of how work gets done, rather than that background noise I seem so able to tune out, and I’m sure many others do too.

I explored this in more depth in my recent blog on the neuroscience of habit and internal comms.

Silence is a signal, too 

When you stop filling every gap, surely something powerful can happen? People notice the messages that remain, they take a beat, and they trust that if you’re communicating, it’s worth paying attention to.

Silence - or rather, strategic quiet - helps restore a sense of rhythm and focus. It shifts internal comms from background noise to something people actively tune in to. And it shifts communicators from tactical delivery to more strategic planning.

In noisy workplaces, thoughtful pauses speak volumes. Saying less doesn’t mean doing less, it means communicating with more intent - cutting through the clutter so people can actually hear you. And I feel there’s a lot we can learn from this in life outside of our work too. 

If you’re wondering whether your channels are working as hard as they could be, a channel audit can be a brilliant place to start. It’s a chance to step back, strip away the noise, and focus on what really works.Get in touch to find out more.