When in Rome, do as the Romans do – Adapting communication to new media
By Ovidiu Lefter, Account Director
Effective communication doesn’t follow a universal formula. The tone, content, and format of a message depend on the context and the relationship with the audience. What works in a board meeting won’t necessarily work in a podcast or on Instagram. Just like a book and its film adaptation tell the same story in different ways, a manager needs to adapt their voice depending on the channel – whether discussing financial results in a formal interview, resilience in a podcast, or personal values on social media. And in an increasingly fragmented media landscape, adaptation is not just useful, it’s essential.
More and more leaders today choose to communicate through channels that offer direct and seemingly safer access to their audiences: podcasts, personal posts, relaxed interviews, or appearances on social media. It’s a race toward humanization: everyone wants to seem authentic, approachable, “real.” But when you go to a barbecue, you don’t wear a suit, you throw on a T-shirt and blend in. The problem is: how do people still know who the CEO is? This is where ambiguity creeps in. In trying to adapt to new formats, some leaders risk losing sight of what makes them recognizable and credible.
Wisdom doesn’t need a dictionary
Alan Greenspan, former Chair of the U.S. Federal Reserve, once quipped, “If you think you understood what I said, you must have misunderstood me.” For a long time, authority was associated with jargon and opacity. Many managers still assume that speaking simply may make them seem less serious. But in truth, real expertise shows when you can explain complex ideas in a clear, memorable way.
Being accessible doesn’t mean being simplistic. Humanizing communication doesn’t strip it of depth. It means building essential messages in a digestible form. Sometimes that means starting with a memorable soundbite and then offering context through an article, a podcast, or a webinar. Adaptation is also industry-specific: in tech or creative sectors, likability can be a clear asset; in more conservative fields, clarity becomes the subtle bridge between authority and connection.
In the age of interactive communication, you don’t just announce. You participate
Communication today isn’t just about delivering a message; it’s about joining the conversation. Audiences don’t just consume content; they comment on it, share it, remix it. Media are changing too: websites are no longer designed just for SEO but for clarity, both for people and algorithms.
Just as more men have started ditching ties even in formal settings, sensing a more relaxed world, leaders too must rethink how they communicate. Business journalists no longer look for stiff, technical language, but for authentic voices that can express weighty ideas in a clear, relatable way.
That doesn’t mean abandoning competence, it means translating it into the audience’s language. A CEO may never dance on TikTok, but if the audience is there, the leadership voice should be too. Today, communicating means building relationships with courage and clarity.
A leader seeks authority, but true authority comes from staying relevant, connecting authentically and inspiring others and nothing reflects that more clearly than the way they communicate.
