Communications at the decision-making table

Communications, in organisations, has historically been treated as post-decision or as a crisis-management response; not part of the core component of strategic decision-making. When a strategy is agreed upon before considering how it will be explained to shareholders, staff, or the media, the options for effective communication become limited.

The organisations that include communications at the decision-making table, can achieve much greater impact with their teams, clients and audience.

Why this matters

Organisations are operating under a new level of scrutiny that did not exist a decade ago. With the impacts of technological advancements or citizen journalism, decisions can be made public within hours, whether or not the organisation chooses. The gap between decision and disclosure has effectively closed. As stronger communicators understand, this shift fundamentally alters what governance and storytelling require.

What this looks like in practice

Bringing communications into the boardroom does not add a bureaucratic layer to slow decisions down. Instead, it strengthens strategic decision-making by:

1.     Stress-testing decisions: Ensuring leaders have genuinely considered business operations, employees, reputation and public relations.

2.     Identifying stakeholders early: Anticipating the challenging questions from employees, regulators, investors, or the media before they are asked publicly.

3.     Protecting credibility: Ensuring decisions are made with all audiences in mind, reviewing public relation. A well-worded statement cannot repair a fundamentally flawed decision.

When strategy and communications are blended together it helps to build consistency, trust and achieve greater results. Organisations that separate the two are making decisions with limited data, and without a clear view of how information will land with their key audiences. By bringing communications into the decision-making process it helps to strengthen organisational resilience and operations.  

For more information on how JAC Strategy can support – contact us here.