A bit like HR, the Communications dept. of the modern enterprise has become bloated and self-important. Everything communicators touch is just so important that they need an extra team member to coordinate that project, or professionalise this process.

Bunkum and balderdash, natch.

No, Comms should be a lean, mean fighting machine, special ops, ready to deploy at a moment’s notice and vanish without trace, mission accomplished.

Comms should train and cajole, inspire and model, but everyone else can do the work. We are all communicators.

In the past few years my team has shrunk from 13 to 4-5, and all the better for it. We produce more content and reach a bigger audience than we ever did. We do it because we are quick’n’dirty, because we look for mechanisms and data that scales, and because we make lots of small bets, failing forward as we go. We have skin in the game yo! – we pour our heart and soul into every interaction. We are intrapreneurs.

Similarly, we avoid big budget projects. Perhaps, there is too much pressure to get a return on (big) investment, but I prefer smart decisions and creative approaches to bloated obviousness.

Recently, I saw a corporate video that had been produced at vast expense (I would say over $250k). It looked really nice, high quality. It ticked all the usual corporate boxes. It had 400 views on YouTube (for a company of 10-15k employees).

Say “No” to tired approaches with ego-driven outcomes. “YES!” to smart and savvy production that creates consistent, micro-connectedness, that builds a sense of something, a meaning. For free.

←This Much We Know.→