Strong starts set the tone for the year.
As the calendar resets, many leaders turn their attention to goals, metrics, and strategic priorities. Yet one of the most critical drivers of success is often overlooked in New Year planning: how those goals are communicated. A strong plan alone is not enough; without clear, consistent, and confident communication, it risks never gaining approval, implementation, or adoption.
At Yes&CommCore, we see this pattern repeatedly in reviews and leadership engagements. Teams aren’t struggling with a lack of ambition; they’re struggling with misalignment. Messages feel fragmented. Executive visibility varies. Leaders assume clarity where confusion quietly exists. The result? Strong strategies that fail to fully land.
That’s why a communication reset—reset, refocus, rebuild—is a powerful way to begin the year.
Assess Before You Announce
Before cascading new goals, leaders should ask a few foundational questions:
- Are my messages clear, consistent, and repeatable?
- Am I communicating progress and wins—not just goals and gaps?
- Am I adjusting my tone, pace, and level of detail to meet the moment and audience?
- Am I showing up visibly and confidently across key moments such as town halls, leadership meetings, media, or stakeholder conversations?
- Do my teams understand not just what we’re doing, but why it matters?
- Can I effectively block, bridge, and redirect when conversations move off-message?
This checklist-style self-assessment often reveals common gaps uncovered after year-end reviews: leaders relying too heavily on slides instead of storytelling, overloading teams with information without prioritization, or underestimating how tone, presence, and delivery shape credibility.
Strong Starts Are Built on Presence
The first communications of the year carry disproportionate weight. They set expectations, establish momentum, and signal leadership confidence. When leaders communicate with intention, grounded in clear messaging and strong executive presence, teams are more likely to trust the direction, engage with the goals, and move forward with alignment.
Executive presence isn’t about polish for polish’s sake; it’s about being understood, believed, and remembered. Leaders who invest in refining their delivery, message structure, and audience connection are better equipped to navigate complexity, inspire confidence, and lead through change.
From Resolution to Results
At Yes&CommCore, we partner with leaders to strengthen executive presence and leadership communication, helping them translate strategy into messages that resonate and actions that follow.
Start the year with a communication reset.
If you’re ready to ensure your leadership communication is 2026-ready, Yes&CommCore’s executive presence communication coaching will help turn strong intentions into sustained impact.
Message Development + Communications Skills Training with Yes& CommCore
Do you have staff in management or leadership roles who could benefit from structured communications skills training? Are certain members of your team increasingly in the public eye – either internally or with external stakeholders, or the media? Those who often facilitate meetings, have frequent public speaking engagements (presentations, panels, short speeches), and spokespeople who appear on radio, TV and/or digital media interviews will benefit from professional development that helps them align with core messages and deliver key talking points, on-point, every time. Yes& CommCore helps our clients both develop their messaging, and ensure their team delivers. We do this through structured messaging techniques, like message mapping. Learn more about our Message Development and Communications Skills Training services. Tailored to your organization:
- We conduct research into your organization
- We customize our sessions to your specific needs
- We utilize expert trainers who have relevant industry experience and know how to transfer their knowledge effectively
- Our advice is based on research and what works, not opinion
- Sought after by trusted names in the industry
We know how to get great press. Our experts have been quoted and featured in The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, and The New York Times.
Contact Us to Get Started
To schedule a training or get answers quickly, use our contact form. We can also be reached at (703) 823-1600 or info@yesandcommcore.com.