Everyone knows that great communication is pretty much key in everything. Sara Donnelly, founder and director of Beyond Echo PR, a strategic communications partner for tech and B2B businesses, looks at what the best leaders get right about communication…
When we think of great communicators in business, we often picture the big stage moments – product launches, media interviews, investor briefings. But in reality, the leaders who are making the biggest impact are usually the ones too busy doing the work to make a show of it.
That’s certainly true of Luke Pilfold-Thomas, a founder, investor and executive leader I recently spoke to for the launch of the Beyond Echo PR newsletter- Proof Over Hype. Luke’s career spans startups, scaleups and strategic advisory roles, and he’s led businesses through everything from major pivots to successful exits. And while his background is in engineering, his approach to communication is one every founder and senior leader should hear.
Luke’s perspective on communication has evolved over the years, from trying to sound “correct” as a new leader to focusing on building trust and clarity across entire organisations. His belief is simple: great communication is about translation, not performance. It’s not about saying something clever, it’s about making sure people understand where they fit, why it matters, and what they can do next.
And that clarity becomes critical when pressure is high or things are moving at pace. In fast-growth businesses, decisions are made quickly and updates are frequent. But too often, founders assume that just because something’s been said in a meeting, a deck, or an email, it’s been heard – and understood. That’s not how communication works.
One of the most important things Luke has learned, and something I reinforce with our clients at Beyond Echo, is that strategic communication isn’t just an external discipline. It’s an operational one. Internal messaging should carry the same weight, precision and clarity as any external PR campaign.
In fact, I’d argue it matters more. Because your strategy won’t scale unless your team is aligned. People need context – the “why” behind decisions, not just the “what.” Without that, speed turns to chaos. You lose coherence. You lose trust.
Luke puts it well: “Clarity is your most valuable currency. Say what you know, what you don’t, and what comes next. And don’t be afraid to admit the pressure. Vulnerability creates connection.”
That doesn’t mean overloading people with detail. In fact, one of Luke’s simplest yet most effective rituals is a weekly 15-minute town hall – no slides, no scripts, just straight talk. It’s the kind of habit that builds a culture of openness and focus, without adding noise. Another powerful insight from our conversation was the importance of audience-specific language. It’s a mistake I see time and again – businesses relying on one generic internal narrative when different audiences need different things.
Developers care about autonomy and technical implications. Executives want alignment and ROI. Investors need a story that balances vision with evidence. And customers, even though they’re not in the building, can tell when internal alignment is missing. It shows up in inconsistent service, disjointed messaging, or unclear product experiences.
Luke’s point here is sharp: internal communication isn’t about repetition. It’s about resonance. Your team should start using your language before you prompt them. That’s when you know it’s embedded. That’s when values go from words on a wall to tools people use every day.
At Beyond Echo PR, we often help clients reframe their values, not as branding exercises, but as strategic assets. Luke approaches it the same way: values should act as decision-making tools. They should speed up difficult choices, not slow them down. If your team is using words like “scalability,” “stewardship,” or “sustainability” in everyday conversations, unprompted, that’s the sign of values in action. That’s cultural alignment. Many brands list generic traits like “honesty” or “hard work.” But those aren’t differentiators, they’re table stakes. What really sets companies apart is consistency.
The brands we remember, like Nike, Patagonia and McDonald’s, all speak with a voice that’s both distinctive and dependable. Internally and externally, they say what they mean, and they mean it every time.
The core message here is simple, but powerful: don’t just talk about mindset. Model it. That’s what we do at Beyond Echo PR; we help leaders turn values and vision into language that sticks. Because when communication works, everything else works better. Strategy gains traction. Culture deepens. Trust grows.
So here’s the takeaway: When things get noisy, don’t add to the clutter. Strip it back. Say less. Mean more. And build a business people understand, not just admire.
