One of the biggest myths in communication is that you need answers before you can speak.
You don’t.
In real organizations — especially during change — there are long stretches where you are operating in partial truth, partial ambiguity, and partial chaos.
People want clarity, but the reality is:
you don’t always have it yet.
Most communicators panic in these moments.
They wait.
They stall.
They fill the silence with generic updates.
But here’s the truth:
Clarity isn’t about knowing everything.
It’s about naming what you do know — and what you don’t — in a way that builds trust instead of anxiety.
Here’s how I communicate when the answers aren’t fully formed.
1. Name the uncertainty before people name it for you
Silence is the birthplace of suspicion.
When you pretend you have more information than you do, people feel it instantly.
Employees will always fill a communication vacuum — and they will fill it with fear, not facts.
Start with honesty:
“We don’t have all the details yet, but here’s what we do know.”
This does two things:
• lowers the emotional temperature
• signals you’re not hiding anything
You disarm the room before the room disarms you.
2. Anchor people in what’s stable — not what’s changing
In moments of uncertainty, people grab onto anything that feels solid.
Your job is to give them that anchor.
Ask yourself:
“What are the truths that are not in flux?”
Examples:
• The timeline
• The intention
• The key principles
• What’s not changing
• The commitment to transparency
• The criteria guiding decisions
When you put stability at the top of your message, ambiguity stops feeling like danger and starts feeling like transition.
People can handle uncertainty.
They cannot handle unpredictability.
When you don’t have answers, never improvise them.
Tell people how answers will be created.
“We’re in the evaluation phase.”
“We’re gathering system requirements.”
“We’re consulting legal and safety teams.”
“We’re testing options with a pilot group.”
This gives audiences something that feels almost as good as certainty:
a path.
Process builds trust.
Assumptions destroy it.
4. Use emotional honesty to keep the room grounded
When information is incomplete, emotion becomes the real content.
If you ignore the emotional reality, your message will land flat — or defensive.
Try saying:
“We know this is uncomfortable.”
“It’s normal to have questions right now.”
“We understand the anxiety around this decision.”
Naming emotion isn’t weakness.
It’s stewardship.
It tells your audience:
“You’re not crazy. Something is shifting. And I see you.”
That alone builds more credibility than any polished line.
5. Give direction, even when you can’t give details
This is the part most communicators miss.
You don’t need all the answers to offer a next step.
You only need one clear thing the audience can do, watch for, or prepare.
“Here’s what you can expect this week.”
“Here’s what we need from you right now.”
“Here’s what we’ll share next.”
Direction is the antidote to uncertainty.
Even a simple next step turns spiralling thoughts into forward motion.
The real truth
People don’t need you to know everything.
They need you to make the unknown feel navigable.
Clarity isn’t certainty.
Clarity is containment.
It’s choosing transparency over theatrics.
It’s holding space for what’s known while honoring what’s not.
When you can communicate with grounded honesty in the middle of ambiguity, you stop being “the writer.”
You become the person leaders trust when stakes are high and answers are incomplete.
Until next week,
Ana
Clarity isn’t corporate - it’s human.