Communication mistakes Small and Medium-size Enterprises (SMEs) keep making

Small & Medium-sized Enterprises

Strategic communication is the lifeblood of leadership and business influence. Yet even seasoned Professionals, Managers, and Executives (PMEs) often get it wrong. Not because they don't know the theory, but because they fall into patterns that don't align with real-world dynamics. Here’s where they trip up most:

1. Talking At Instead of With

Too many PMEs still believe communication is about making announcements or delivering speeches. They push messages out without building feedback loops. Strategic communication is not one-way. It's a conversation. When people don’t feel heard, they tune out, resist, or disengage.

The fix: Set up real channels for two-way communication. Listen as much as you speak. Make communication participatory, not performative.

2. Defaulting to Corporate Jargon

Buzzwords like “synergy,” “paradigm shift,” and “game-changer” still infect PME communication. They don't make you sound smarter; they make you sound detached and phony. Jargon is a shield people hide behind when they’re uncomfortable being clear.

The fix: Use plain language. Clear beats clever every time. If a 16-year-old can’t understand you, rethink how you're saying it.

3. Focusing on What’s Important to You, Not to the Audience

PMEs often center messages around what they care about—targets, KPIs, company goals—without framing why it should matter to the audience. This is especially damaging when trying to drive change or secure buy-in.

The fix: Start from the audience’s perspective. What’s in it for them? Why should they care? Connect your goals to their needs and values.

4. Ignoring the Power of Narrative

Facts and bullet points don’t move people. Stories do. Yet PMEs often lean hard on data dumps and PowerPoint decks, thinking more information equals better persuasion. It doesn’t.

The fix: Wrap your key messages in real stories. Show, don’t just tell. Make it human, emotional, and memorable.

5. Overcommunicating During Success, Undercommunicating During Crisis

When things are going well, PMEs can be loud and visible. But when crises hit—mergers, layoffs, reputational damage—they go silent, assuming they can "wait it out." That’s exactly when communication needs to increase.

The fix: Communicate more during uncertainty. Be transparent about what you know, what you don’t, and what happens next. People don’t expect perfect answers, but they expect honesty.

6. Treating Communication as a "Soft Skill"

Many PMEs treat strategic communication like a “nice to have” rather than a “need to have.” They pour time and budget into operational plans but leave communication as an afterthought.

The fix: Treat communication like the critical lever it is. Strategic communication drives change, culture, and results. It’s not a soft skill—it's a power skill.

7. Assuming One Message Fits All

Different teams, stakeholders, and cultures need different approaches. Yet PMEs often craft one message and blast it to everyone, expecting it to land the same way. It doesn't.

The fix: Tailor the message to the audience. Customize tone, channel, and content. One-size-fits-all communication is lazy and ineffective.

Bottom Line

Strategic communication is about connection, not control. PMEs who get this right move faster, lead better, and build more resilient organizations. Those who don't? They stall, lose trust, and spend more time fixing misunderstandings than advancing their goals.

Communication isn't the work you do after the "real work." It is the real work.