This week, I came across an interesting website called Communication Matters. The website – a collaboration between The Communications Network and Brotherton Strategies – distills the results of a year-long strategic communications research project into a “model for effective communication.” The researchers interviewed hundreds of people in the non-profit sector and analyzed hundreds of documents to identify the 16 components, or “attributes” as they call them, of good strategic communication.

The part of the model that stood out the most to me was the pillar of “culture.” I thought culture was noteworthy because at first glance it didn’t seem to have much to do with communication at all. Nevertheless, it’s important to recognize how organizational values like self-awareness and respectfulness can inform and strengthen communications.