5 communication tips that actually work

At Apolitical’s June 2025 event How to Communicate with Anyone (Really, Anyone), experts Helena Hornby and Álvaro Vargas Franzani delivered a masterclass on building better connections across teams, communities and hierarchies. Drawing on their experience in the UK and Canadian public service, the speakers unpacked practical frameworks to communicate clearly, confidently and with impact — no matter the audience.

Here are five standout tips from the session.

1. Treat communication as infrastructure

Álvaro introduced the idea of communication not simply as style or delivery, but as “collaboration infrastructure.” Especially in siloed public sector organisations, communication should be seen as the glue that holds complex systems together. Instead of “breaking down silos,” Álvaro suggested making them permeable — promoting transparency and collaboration without losing functional efficiency.

2. Develop a “Trading Language”

In multidisciplinary environments, words often mean different things to different teams. Álvaro urged attendees to co-create shared definitions and glossaries — what he calls “trading languages". This ensures clarity and helps surface hidden assumptions that can derail collaboration.

3. Start with your audience, not your message

Helena’s top piece of advice was clear: “Make it about them.” Too often, communicators start with what they want to say. Instead, focus first on who you’re speaking to, why they should care and what they need to know.

4. Use the EAST framework

Helena shared the UK Behavioural Insights team’s EAST framework, a tool for creating more effective messaging:

• Easy: Plain, jargon-free, and actionable.
• Attractive: Engaging human-centred visuals and clear calls to action.
• Social: Shareable content and social proof that builds trust.
• Timely: Deliver messages at the right moment, close to the point of action.

5. Always ask: what do you want them to think, feel, or do?

Before you draft anything, Helena advises asking this key question: What change are you hoping for in the recipient’s mind or actions? Being clear on this can help shape both tone and structure. Build every communication piece with a clear outcome in mind — whether that’s sparking trust, gaining buy-in or prompting action.

Final thought

Whether navigating politics, using AI responsibly, or managing difficult conversations with senior leaders or sceptical communities, the panelists emphasised adaptability, clarity and empathy as the core of great communication.

Paraphrasing Helena, “Speak like a human — and your audience will listen.”

About the speakers

Helena Hornby, Marketing and Communications at Orlo and former UK Government Communications Specialist. She is an award-winning communications professional, with over 20 years’ experience in the UK public sector, including national and local government, transport, digital transformation, and community engagement.

Álvaro Vargas Franzani, Manager, Change Management, Department of Justice, Canada. He is a change management practitioner with a background in UX research and applied anthropology, bringing a people-centred lens to change leadership.

👉 Missed the event? Watch the highlights below, or find the full recording on the event page.

This article was created with the help of generative AI and edited by a human for clarity and accuracy. How? First, we cleaned up the anonymised event transcript. Then, we used AI to generate a short summary of the top five lessons shared by our expert speakers. Finally, the article was reviewed and refined by a human editor before publishing.