The biggest mistake in communication is thinking it’s about you. It’s not. It’s about your audience.
Every organization has a message it wants to deliver. But if you don’t know who you’re talking to—what they care about, what they need, what they fear—you’re not communicating. You’re just broadcasting into the void.
Start with Empathy
Audience-first communication begins with empathy. It asks: what matters most to them? What pressures or expectations shape how they’ll hear this message? What do they need to believe, understand, or do?
When you know the answers to those questions, your message stops being about your priorities and starts aligning with theirs. That’s where credibility begins.
Know Them. Meet Them. Move Them.
The most effective messages meet the audience where they are and guide them toward where you need them to go. It’s not manipulation, it’s connection.
When you start with your audience, you earn trust. When you start with yourself, you risk losing relevance before you’ve even begun.
The Discipline of Listening
True communication is a two-way exchange. The best communicators spend as much time listening as they do speaking. They adapt, adjust, and refine their message based on what they learn.
Empathy strengthens your message. It ensures your audience feels seen, understood, and respected—three things that always precede persuasion.
The Bottom Line
Every message competes for attention. The ones that break through are built around the people they’re meant to reach.
Audience first. Always.
Northbound Strategy helps organizations craft messages that connect—rooted in empathy, clarity, and strategy—so every word earns attention and builds trust. Contact us to learn how we can help your organization today.
