One of the key elements of effective communication is the ability to connect a message to a bigger ‘why’. 

In organisations of all shapes and sizes, this usually means being able to show a line of sight between what people do every day, and the purpose or vision of the company.

Using your communication to help bridge that gap isn’t just necessary for building an understanding of a company’s strategy - it also has real impacts on customer satisfaction and retention, effective leadership, employee engagement, and the bottom line.

One study found companies where people were highly aligned to the strategy (the ‘big picture;) grew revenue 58 per cent faster and were 72 per cent more profitable than those companies that lacked strategic alignment. (Source: LSA Global)

But while there’s a clear case for driving strategic alignment, companies struggle to make it happen.

Another study of 124 organisations found that ‘only 28 per cent of executives and middle managers responsible for executing strategy could list three of their company’s strategic priorities.’ (Source: MIT Sloan)

And guess where the sharpest drop-off in retention is? Right at the top - between the senior executive and their direct reports.

So how do we help build connection to purpose in our communication?

Here are our top tips:

1. Put the time into building understanding and engagement at the top level: hold leader briefings, give them the tools to make sense of the strategic objectives and what they mean for their remit.
   

2. Communicate consistently: Driving understanding and engagement isn’t a ‘set and forget’ - it takes constant reinforcement. At all levels of the organisation, all of the time, most communication should tie back to the bigger picture; for example, if your team is working on a project, how does that help the organisation achieve its goals or purpose?
   

3. Demonstrate the purpose and strategy in action: Share human stories that show how your purpose is coming to life, and what people are doing to drive the strategic goals. Sharing the wins and the learnings helps remind people what they’re working towards as a team. This also helps to build connections across teams.
   

4. Make it visible! Having the purpose, vision, and strategic objectives hidden away on an intranet page somewhere is pointless. They need to be visible to be memorable. So get creative - whether it’s rotating posters in the kitchen, desktop wallpapers, videos on the intranet homepage … make it seen.

The power of connected communication that drives strategic alignment is needs to be led from the top - but ensuring your messaging aligns is the responsibility of everyone responsible for communication in your business.