Whether in boardrooms, in the
media, or around dinner tables, we
have the perception that narratives
are something we can own.
Governments certainly seem to think they do.
Businesses often believe they do. Leaders
speak as though they do. And communicators
are often expected to do exactly that.
Sometimes it feels like we’re succeeding.
We refine the talking points.
We repeat the key messages.
We control the channels.
We stay on script.
And we’re confident people will believe it.
But if you’ve been paying attention,
something feels different. People have
always interpreted information through the
lens of their own experiences, beliefs and
conversations. What’s changed is that those
interpretations now travel instantly, evolve
publicly and gather momentum in ways no
communication plan can fully anticipate.
Perhaps we’ve been describing communication
more simply than we’ve been experiencing it.
We often talk about communication as though
it moves neatly from sender to receiver. But in
reality, it’s a living system that unfolds more
like this…
It gets interpreted.
Challenged.
Shared.
Reframed.
Repeated.
Adapted.
Every conversation changes it.
Every experience reshapes it.
Before long, the message is no longer yours.
Meaning doesn’t live inside the message.
It emerges between people. That’s why two
people can sit in the same town hall, hear
the same speaker, read the same email
and walk away with completely different
understandings of what they’ve
just experienced.
I’ve seen this play out time and again
inside organisations.
For example, months are spent crafting an
Employee Value Proposition. Every word is
carefully chosen. The design is beautiful.
The communication launches flawlessly.
But employees don’t experience an EVP
through a beautifully designed presentation.
They experience it when they ask for support
and receive it, or don’t.
When they’re promised growth and find
opportunity, or don’t.
When leaders speak about trust and then
behave in ways that either reinforce or
contradict those words.
Communication introduces the promise.
Experience tests the promise.
Together, they shape the narrative.
For communicators, this changes
the role we play. Our responsibility lies
in understanding how communication
is interpreted, recognising where intent
and experience diverge, and helping
organisations close that gap – not only
through better communication, but by
influencing better decisions and behaviours.
After all, communication creates its
greatest impact when experience
reinforces the promise.
So instead of trying to own the narrative,
we should be asking: “How do we earn
the narrative?”
Perhaps the answer isn’t a formula, but
a mindset:
Less certainty. More curiosity.
Less broadcasting. More listening.
That’s the Blindspot.