What Good Communication Looks Like

Good communication is often described in terms of outputs: clear messages, strong narratives, the right channels. But in practice, that framing can be misleading. Because when communication is genuinely working, it’s not really obvious in the way people might expect. There are no dramatic reveals, no unique message that suddenly resolves everything, no moment where everyone suddenly agrees.

Good communication tends to feel almost…uneventful. And that's because the work is doing exactly what it’s meant to do; reducing friction, building shared understanding, and allowing people to move forward without constant clarification or correction.

It doesn’t feel loud or clever

In fact, one of the clearest signs of good communication is that it doesn’t draw attention to itself. The language isn’t overly polished or theatrical. Messages aren’t packed with slogans or clever turns of phrase. There’s a calmness to it, like a sense that the priority is being understood, not being impressive.

This matters because most audiences are highly sensitive to tone. Performative communication can raise suspicions, even when intentions are good. Clarity, on the other hand, helps build confidence quietly.

People understand decisions, even when they don’t love them

Agreement isn't the same as understanding. When communication is working well, people can of course still disagree with outcomes, but they can explain why those decisions were made. They understand the constraints. They recognise the trade-offs. They don’t feel blindsided.

An example of this comes from an incident on a licensed nuclear site. One lunchtime, a member of staff went for a run along the site’s access road. These roads are notoriously long, quiet and secluded- ideal for a quick run, but not ideal if something goes wrong. Partway through, the individual fell and injured themselves. They were alone, out of sight, and had no immediate way to raise the alarm.

Fortunately, they were eventually found and treated. But the incident raised an uncomfortable question: what would have happened if they hadn’t been? As a result, a new rule was introduced. From that point on, anyone running or walking on site during breaks was required to do so in at least a pair. The rule wasn’t universally popular. Some people felt it was unnecessary. Others saw it as an inconvenience, or an overreaction to a one-off event. But when the decision was communicated well, most people understood it, even if they didn’t love it.

They understood the constraint: isolated locations, limited visibility, and the inherent risks of lone activity on a large site. They recognised the trade-off between personal freedom and collective safety. And crucially, they could explain why the rule existed, even if they disagreed with it in principle. That’s the difference good communication makes. Without clear explanation, the same decision likely would have generated confusion instead: rumours about why the rule appeared “out of nowhere”, repeated questions about whether it applied to everyone, assumptions that something more serious was being hidden. Poor communication often shows up not as opposition, but as confusion. People asking the same questions repeatedly. Interpreting gaps as omissions. Filling in blanks with assumptions. Good communication reduces that noise. It doesn’t eliminate disagreement, but it removes unnecessary uncertainty.

Language stays consistent under pressure

Another hallmark of effective communication is consistency particularly when circumstances become more challenging.

When pressure increases, organisations that don't priorotise clear communication often find themselves scrambling for language. Messages shift. Explanations change. Tone becomes reactive. By contrast, good communication holds steady. The words don’t suddenly change. The framing is familiar. Explanations stay aligned with what's been said before. And that consistency is reassuring. It signals confidence and preparedness, allowing people to trust that what they are hearing now is not fundamentally different from what they were told earlier.

Fewer conversations are spent “clarifying”

One of the most practical indicators that communication is working is how conversations are used. Where communication is weak, organisations often have to spend clarifying what was meant, what was agreed, or how something should be interpreted. Progress feels painfully slow because there's no shared understanding.

When communication is strong, discussions move more quickly to substance. People arrive with a broadly similar understanding of context. Conversations focus on implications and next steps rather than interpretation. This doesn’t happen by accident. It’s the result of deliberate communication that does the heavy lifting.

Information has been translated, not diluted

Good communication almost always involves translation. That translation doesn’t mean oversimplifying or stripping out important details. It means shaping information so that people who don’t live inside it every day can still grasp what matters, why it matters, and what the implications are. When this is done well, people don’t feel talked down to. They feel included. They can engage meaningfully without needing to become experts themselves. And crucially, accuracy is preserved. Good communication resists the temptation to make things sound simpler than they are. Instead, it focuses on making complexity navigable.

People start using the same language

A subtle but powerful sign that communication is working is when people start using the same language naturally. When teams describe things in similar ways, internally and externally, it's a good sign that alignment has been achieved. This isn't a case of people memorising scripts; they’ve internalised the logic behind the messaging.

This shared language reduces friction. It minimises mixed messages. And it allows communication to remain coherent even when many voices are involved.

There are fewer surprises

Good communication doesn’t prevent difficult outcomes. It does however, reduce unnecessary surprise. People may not welcome every development, but they recognise it as consistent with what they’ve been told before. They’ve seen the reasoning evolve. They understand the direction of travel. Surprises erode trust. Predictability, even when outcomes are challenging, tends to reinforce it.

Progress feels incremental, not dramatic

When communication is effective, progress often appears gradual. Understanding deepens. Conversations improve. Tension reduces. Decisions become easier to explain. This can be frustrating for those looking for visible signs of success. But in reality, incremental progress is often the most reliable kind.

What good communication is not

It’s worth saying what good communication usually isn’t. It’s not about volume. More messages rarely solve underlying issues. It’s not about urgency. Pressure often undermines trust. It’s not about persuasion at all costs. Credibility matters more than conviction. Good communication is about creating the conditions for understanding and, maintaining those conditions over time.

TL;DR

Good communication looks calm, consistent and quietly effective. It reduces confusion, builds shared understanding, and allows people to engage with decisions even when they don’t fully agree. When it’s working, it doesn’t feel dramatic, it feels reliable.