Improving Workplace Communication

🧏🏽 How To Design For Deaf People. Practical guidelines to keep in mind for 466 million people who have some kind of deafness ↓ ✅ 90–95% of deaf people come from hearing families. ✅ Deafness often occurs due to exposure to loud noises. ✅ Not only at birth; emerges with age, disease, accidents. 🚫 You can see only around 30% of words by lip reading. 🚫 Most deaf people don’t know any sign language. 🚫 There is no universal sign language: they differ worldwide. ↳ E.g. British signers usually don’t understand American signers. ↳ Many sign languages have dialects that are hard to read. ↳ For many people, a spoken language is their second language. ✅ Not all deaf people are fluent signers, and need visual clues.  ✅ Sign language is 4-dimensional: facial expression + 3D space. 🚫 Don’t make phone required, or the only way of contact. ✅ Support text alternative for any audible alerts or notices. ✅ Include desc of non-spoken sounds (rain, laughter). ✅ For audio/video, add a transcript and closed captions. ✅ Clearly identify each speaker on the audio and video. When we think about people who are deaf, we often assume stereotypes — e.g. “disabled” older adults with hearing aid. That’s very far from the truth. Many Deaf people don’t see themselves as disabled at all, but as a cultural linguistic minority. Keep in mind that many deaf people use spoken language of their country as their second language. So to communicate with a deaf person, it’s best to ask by writing down. Don’t ask how much a person can understand, and if they can lip read you. And: avoid the term “hearing impairment” when speaking about users who are deaf or hard of hearing. Instead, use the words “Deaf” (most of their lives), “deaf" (became deaf later in life) or “hard of hearing” (HoH) (some but not complete hearing loss). Don’t assume that every deaf person can lip read. You can see only about 30% of words on someone’s mouth. That’s why many deaf people need additional visual cues, like text or cued speech. Deafness ranges across a continuum: from minor to moderate to profound hearing loss. It can also be situational and temporary, as people with “normal” hearing (0 to 25 dB hearing loss) will always encounter situations where they can’t hear — e.g. due to background noise. Useful resources: Beyond Video Captions and Sign Language, by Svetlana Kouznetsova https://lnkd.in/dMeU9SAe Designing For Deaf People Helps Everyone, by Marie Van Driessche https://lnkd.in/dBj6e4nJ Best Practices For CC and Subtitles UX, by Vitaly Friedman https://lnkd.in/e26EKXph Web Accessibility for Deaf Users https://lnkd.in/dpv_n-4J Inclusive Design Toolkit https://lnkd.in/dc6RDhcR What It’s Like To Be Born Hard of Hearing, by Twanna A. Hines, M.S. (Substack) https://lnkd.in/dkNJC8_v #ux #accessibility

A Whatsapp message just cost £248,000. The High Court's ruling in Jaevee Homes v Fincham [2025] serves as a wake-up call for every founder and business leader using WhatsApp for work discussions. What happened? Jaevee Homes approached contractor Steve Fincham for demolition work at a Norwich nightclub. After initial emails discussing scope and pricing, negotiations moved to WhatsApp in May 2023. The "contract-forming" messages? 💬 "Hi Ben How did you get on mate is the job mine mate" 💬 "Can you start on Monday?" 💬 Later: "Ben Are we saying it's my job mate so I can start getting organised mate" 💬 "Yes" After this WhatsApp exchange, Jaevee sent formal subcontract terms via email, assuming they could still negotiate the "real" contract. The Court ruled it was too late - the WhatsApp agreement had already been formed and was binding. Fincham completed the work, invoiced monthly, but Jaevee refused to pay, arguing no formal contract existed. An adjudicator sided with Fincham, and now the High Court has confirmed: those casual messages created a £248,000+ legal obligation. The Court's finding: These informal messages contained all essential elements of a binding contract - offer, acceptance, consideration, and intention to create legal relations. What this means for your business: ✅ Audit your team's messaging practices - Review how sales teams, project managers, and executives use WhatsApp, Slack, Teams for client communications ✅ Implement clear messaging policies - Require disclaimers like "subject to formal written agreement" or "this is just a preliminary discussion" for any commercial conversations ✅ Train your teams on the risks - Help everyone understand that tone and informality don't determine legal consequences - intent and content do ✅ Create safe communication channels - Establish clear protocols for when discussions should move from informal messaging to formal documentation ✅ Be especially careful with confirmations - Phrases like "it's a deal," "you've got the job," or "let's do it" can be legally binding, even in casual contexts The broader implication: This isn't just about WhatsApp. English courts focus on substance over form. Whether it's Slack, email, or even verbal agreements, if you demonstrate intent to be bound, you likely are. Bottom line, in English law, informality won't protect you. A casual "yes" can create the same legal obligations as a 50-page contract. Time to review those chat policies? 📱⚖️

When I started as a SOC Analyst, I thought the job was all about me, my SIEM, and my alerts. But I quickly realized: Even the best detection is useless if no one understands what I’m saying. If the IT team doesn’t get my request, they won’t isolate the machine. If leadership doesn’t understand the risk, they won’t support action. If developers don’t see the threat, they’ll push vulnerable code again. Here’s how I started building better communication skills — and how it changed everything: 1. Translate Technical to Practical Instead of: “We detected TTPs consistent with MITRE ATT&CK T1059 via base64-encoded PowerShell.” I now say: “We found someone trying to run malicious PowerShell on a user machine. It could lead to ransomware. We blocked it.” Simple. Clear. No jargon. 2. Listen Before You Send I used to send long, technical emails — assuming the other team would read and respond. Now, I ask: “What does the IT team care about?” (Steps to fix) “What does management care about?” (Business risk, cost) Tailoring your message is respect. 3. Speak Their Language For IT: Use system names, impact, urgency For Leadership: Talk risk, reputation, compliance For DevOps: Focus on secure coding and CI/CD integration 4. Document Your Ask Clearly I learned to write tickets or emails like this: What happened What I need from them Deadline or urgency Contact if they have questions This clarity saves time — and builds trust. Final Thought: You don’t just need to detect threats — you need to communicate them. The more clearly you speak, the faster your organization can act. Cybersecurity is a team sport. Communication is your bridge. How do you make sure your messages land across teams? #CyberSecurity #SOCAnalyst #SoftSkills #CrossTeamCommunication #BlueTeam #InfoSec #IncidentResponse #Leadership #DevSecOps #SOCLife #SecurityAwareness #CyberCareers #SpeakToLead

8 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐒𝐡𝐢𝐟𝐭𝐬 𝐊𝐞𝐞𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐋𝐚𝐰𝐲𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐁𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐒𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐚𝐬 𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐬𝐞𝐥 (And what to do instead) Most lawyers don’t lack skill. It’s how they communicate that quietly holds them back in executive meetings. I see 8 habits silently eroding influence… But making the right shift can put you on track to being recognised as a legal executive. 1/ 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 Instead: Start with the answer. Lead with your recommendation, not a history lesson. 2/ 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐚𝐰 Instead: Explain the risk and business impact. Translate legal detail into decisions that matter to the business. 3/ 𝐅𝐨𝐜𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐮𝐞𝐬 Instead: Focus on decisions. Executives want actionable insight, not a list of problems. 4/ 𝐔𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐥𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐥 𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐲 Instead: Speak in business language. Frame your advice in terms executives understand and can act on. 5/ 𝐋𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐤𝐬 Instead: Weigh risk vs reward. Show that you can balance protection with opportunity. 6/ 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 Instead: Make a clear recommendation. Guide the decision. Don’t just provide choices. 7/ 𝐇𝐞𝐝𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐬𝐞 Instead: Show judgment. Executives value clarity and conviction over caveats. 8/ 𝐓𝐚𝐥𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝟏𝟎 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐭𝐞𝐬 Instead: Give the 30-second version. The more senior the audience, the more concise your answer should be. Lawyers become General Counsel when they stop explaining the law and start guiding decisions. P.S. Sitting GCs: Which of these habits is hardest to change? Drop it in the comments 👇 --- Every week, I share strategies with 1,900+ in-house lawyers that helped me become a trusted GC, without waiting for permission. Join them for free: https://lnkd.in/gu67fPFC Follow me, Adrian Moffatt, for more in-house insights Save for later or Repost for others. 📌 Get a high-res PDF of this image here: https://lnkd.in/gu67fPFC. If you've already joined, check my last email for link (junk folder?). #generalcounsel #inhousecounsel #careergrowth

Things I’m Not Falling For (Comms Edition) 🙅    ❌ “Comms should sit in Marketing” Absolutely not. Communications is not marketing. And PR is not press releases. Marketing focuses on one stakeholder: the consumer. Communications speaks to every stakeholder – from franchise partners and frontline team members to investors, governments, and media. Marketing drives conversion. Comms protects and builds reputation – the very thing that earns people’s trust to buy from us, work for us, and invest in us. And when the pressure hits – a class action, underpayment scandal, natural disaster, pandemic, or tragedy – it's Comms you call at 2am. Not marketing. And let’s not forget: sometimes Comms has to call time on a “great” marketing idea that fails the pub test. There’s a natural tension here, and that’s healthy – but only if both functions are independently empowered. Rolling one under the other is a recipe for blind spots. ❌ “Comms doesn’t need a seat at the table” Wrong again. Communications is a strategic function – and you can’t be strategic if you’re not in the room. We shape and protect reputation. We help anticipate risk. We guide the organisation through cultural, political, and societal change. The CEO is the voice of the company. Comms is the microphone. And the closer you are to the mic, the clearer and louder the message. We bring the outside in – seeing decisions through the lens of external stakeholders. And we take the inside out – helping our people and partners understand and rally behind where we’re going. We also mine the stories that bring your strategy to life – and those stories start at the leadership table. ❌ “Comms fully owns the narrative” Not without you. Strong leadership visibility is non-negotiable – especially during change. People don’t just want polished messaging. They want clarity. They want accountability. They want to hear from LEADERS. I can help you shape the message – but you need to know what you want to say, and you need to be the one to say it. ❌ “AI will replace Comms jobs” Not quite. AI is a powerful tool. It can help us move faster, structure better, and draft smarter. But it can’t read a room. It can’t sense timing. It doesn’t understand internal politics, sensitivities, or stakeholder nuance. A message can be beautifully written – and still completely wrong. Use AI to work smarter. But don’t outsource judgement, instinct or influence. That’s where we come in. What else would you add?

Most change initiatives don't fail because of the change that's happening, they fail because of how the change is communicated. I've watched brilliant restructurings collapse and transformative acquisitions unravel… Not because the plan was flawed, but because leaders were more focused on explaining the "what" and "why" than on how they were addressing the fears and concerns of the people on their team. People don't resist change because they don't understand it. They resist because they haven't been given a compelling story about their role in it. This is where the Venture Scape framework becomes invaluable. The framework maps your team's journey through five distinct stages of change: The Dream - When you envision something better and need to spark belief The Leap - When you commit to action and need to build confidence The Fight - When you face resistance and need to inspire bravery The Climb - When progress feels slow and you need to fuel endurance The Arrival - When you achieve success and need to honor the journey The key is knowing exactly where your team is in this journey and tailoring your communication accordingly. If you're announcing a merger during the Leap stage, don't deliver a message about endurance. Your team needs a moment of commitment–stories and symbols that anchor them in the decision and clarify the values that remain unchanged. You can’t know where your team is on this spectrum without talking to them. Don’t just guess. Have real conversations. Listen to their specific concerns. Then craft messages that speak directly to those fears while calling on their courage. Your job isn't just to announce change, but to walk beside your team and help your team understand what role they play in the story at each stage. #LeadershipCommunication #Illuminate

🚨 The Email That Made 200 Employees Panic The subject line read: “We need to talk.” That was it. No context. No explanation. Within minutes, the office air felt heavier. You could hear chairs creak as people leaned toward each other, whispering: 👉 “Did you see the mail?” 👉 “Do you think layoffs are coming?” 👉 “Why would he say that without details?” The silence in the cafeteria was louder than usual that day. Coffee cups stayed untouched, half-filled. Some stared at their screens, pretending to work, but their fingers hesitated above the keyboard. One manager later told me it felt like “a ticking clock in the background you can’t turn off.” What was meant to be a simple one-on-one call turned into an organization-wide anxiety spiral. Productivity dipped. Trust cracked. By evening, HR’s inbox was full of panicked questions. ⸻ 💡 When I stepped in as a trainer, the leader admitted: “I just didn’t think one line could create so much fear.” And that’s the truth: Leaders often underestimate the power of their words. A vague message is like sending a flare into the sky—everyone sees it, no one knows what it means, but everyone assumes the worst. We worked together on Crisis Communication Frameworks: • Lead with clarity: “I’d like to connect regarding Project X progress this Friday.” • Add emotional context: “No concerns—just a quick alignment call.” • Close with certainty: “This will help us stay on track as a team.” The difference? Next time he wrote an email, instead of panic, his team replied with thumbs-up emojis. Calm replaced chaos. ⸻ 🎯 Learning: Leadership isn’t just about strategy—it’s about how you sound in the small moments. One vague sentence can break trust. One clear message can build it back. If your leaders are unintentionally creating chaos through unclear communication, let’s talk. Because the cost of poor communication isn’t just morale—it’s millions. ⸻ #LeadershipCommunication #CrisisCommunication #ExecutivePresence #LeadershipSkills #CommunicationMatters #Fortune500 #TopCompanies #CXOLeadership #FutureOfWork #OrganizationalExcellence #StorytellingForLeaders #LeadershipDevelopment #CorporateTraining #ProfessionalGrowth #PeopleFirstLeadership

I recently heard about a company that decided not to back-fill their departing Chief Communications Officer, believing they could manage just fine with the remaining leaders in the function. Unfortunately, this isn't an isolated incident, and it overlooks the fundamental value and strategic advantage provided by a talented CCO. Across both corporate America and government agencies, we're witnessing a concerning trend of cutting or downgrading what are traditionally seen as "softer" functions – communications, marketing, user experience, employee engagement, and similar roles. These are often the first departments trimmed during budget constraints, revealing a fundamental misunderstanding of their strategic value. 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲'𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝘆 𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗖𝗢 𝗿𝗼𝗹𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗮 𝗰𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲: A strong CCO doesn't simply manage communications teams; they serve as the strategic voice of the organization, aligning narratives across all stakeholders. They translate complex business strategies into compelling stories that resonate with employees, customers, investors, and the public. In today's environment, where reputation can make or break a company in hours, communications isn't just a support function – it's a strategic imperative that deserves a seat at the executive table. CCOs provide unique value through: 𝟭.   𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗰 𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁: Ensuring all communications support broader business objectives 𝟮.   𝗖𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗶𝘀 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀: Building resilience before problems occur, not just reacting when they do 𝟯.   𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲: Bringing critical external perspectives into C-suite discussions 𝟰.   𝗥𝗲𝗽𝘂𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁: Proactively shaping how your organization is perceived 𝟱.   𝗖𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴: Translating vision and values into messages that inspire employees When companies eliminate the CCO role in the name of efficiency, they often discover too late that they've lost not just a communicator, but a strategic advisor who understands how perception shapes business reality. The irony is that positioning these departments as "nice-to-haves" rather than business-critical functions ultimately costs organizations more in missed opportunities, reputation damage, and disconnected messaging. Have you seen organizations thrive after eliminating their top communications position? Or struggle without this leadership? I'd be interested in your experiences. #CorporateCommunications #ExecutiveLeadership #BusinessStrategy

I asked 50 people what cybersecurity professionals do all day. 47 said "hack things." Let me show you the reality. Monday, 8:30 AM Sarah (Security Analyst, $95K) logs in: • Reviews 2,847 alerts (96% false positives) • Writes email explaining why "Company2024!" isn't a secure password • Updates SOC 2 compliance spreadsheet • Explains "zero trust" to executives for the 12th time Zero lines of code written. Zero "hacks" performed. Here's The Real Breakdown: 40% - Paperwork & compliance documentation 25% - Meetings explaining tech to non-tech people 20% - Staring at logs looking for 1 real threat in 10,000 alerts 10% - "Is the printer issue a cyberattack?" 5% - The cool technical stuff movies show The Truth Nobody Tells You: Security Analyst = Security guard watching 10,000 camera feeds where 99.9% of alerts are squirrels, not burglars Penetration Tester = Running automated scans and writing 40-page reports executives won't read CISO = VP who translates "we got phished" into language that won't panic shareholders The #1 Skill In Cybersecurity Isn't Coding It's explaining technical concepts to people who don't care without making them feel stupid. "Why can't I use this app?" "Why 12 characters for passwords?" "Why can't I open this attachment?" Can't answer these patiently? You'll fail. Stop a breach? Nobody notices. Breach happens? Everyone knows your name. You're Schrödinger's IT: simultaneously useless and blamed for everything. To Companies: Stop posting "elite hacker wanted!" Start hiring for: • Clear communication skills • Infinite patience • Won't break down explaining the same policy 1,000 times To Job Seekers: Come for the "cool hacking." Stay for the six figures and job security. Just know: You're becoming a translator and compliance officer, not a movie hacker. What's the biggest misconception YOU had about cybersecurity? #Cybersecurity #CareerReality #InfoSec #CyberJobs #TechCareers